Change the page background in Pages on iPad
You can add a colour, gradient or image to the background of individual pages and to the background of a page template.
Change the background of individual pages
In a word processing document, changing a page background also changes the background for all the pages in its section. To change just one page, make that page its own section and then change its background. In a page layout document, you can change the background of any single page.
Do one of the following:
In a word processing document: Tap a page in the section you want to modify, tap
at the top of the screen, tap Document Setup, then tap the Section tab.In a page layout document: Tap in the corner of a page (so nothing is selected), then tap
at the top of the screen.To make it easier to tap without accidentally selecting text or an object, zoom the page with two fingers, or tap the page thumbnail in Page Thumbnails view.
Tap Background, then choose one of the following fill types:
A colour or gradient designed to go with the template: Tap Preset, swipe left or right to see all choices, then tap a colour.
Any colour: Tap Colour, then tap a colour. You can also swipe left to the colour wheel, then drag the slider around the wheel to choose any colour. To preview colours on the page, touch and hold a colour, then drag across the grid. Release your finger to select a colour.
A two-colour gradient fill: Tap Gradient, tap Start Colour or End Colour, then tap a colour or swipe left to use the colour wheel. To switch the gradient direction, tap Flip Colour. To change the gradient angle, drag the Angle slider.
An image: Tap Image, tap Change Image, then choose or take a photo.
When you’ve finished, tap anywhere on the page to dismiss the controls.
Change the background of a page template
In page layout documents, you can change the background of a page template. Any page that uses that page template updates to match.
Tap in the corner of a page that uses the page template you want to edit.
To make it easier to tap without accidentally selecting text or an object, zoom the page with two fingers, or tap the page thumbnail in Page Thumbnails view.
Tap
, then tap Edit Page Template at the bottom of the controls.If you can’t see Page at the top of the controls, pinch out with two fingers to zoom the screen, then tap an empty spot on the page and try again.
In Edit Page Template view, tap
, tap Background, then do one of the following:Use a colour or gradient designed to go with the template: Tap Preset, swipe left or right to see all choices, then tap a colour.
Use any colour: Tap Colour, then tap a colour. You can also swipe left to the colour wheel, then drag the slider around the wheel to choose a colour. To preview colours on the page, touch and hold a colour, then drag across the grid. Release your finger to select a colour.
Use a two-colour gradient fill: Tap Gradient, tap Start Colour or End Colour, then tap a colour or swipe left to use the colour wheel. To switch the gradient direction, tap Flip Colour. To change the gradient angle, drag the Angle slider.
Fill with an image: Tap Image, tap Change Image, then choose or take a photo.
When you’ve finished, tap anywhere on the page to dismiss the controls.
For more information about the fill options, see Fill shapes and text boxes with colour or an image.
Note: If you don’t see the background or page template controls, make sure that your document is a page layout document and not a word processing document. Then make sure that nothing on the page is selected. For more information, see How to tell which kind of document you’re viewing.
To find out more about the types of documents in Pages, see Intro to Pages on iPad.