Choose a document type in Pages on Mac, iPhone or iPad

Use a word-processing document for letters or reports, or use a page layout document for newsletters or flyers.

In a word-processing document, text flows from one page to the next, with new pages created automatically when you reach the end of a page. This makes it ideal for documents with text as the main content, such as reports or letters.
In a page layout document, you can rearrange pages manually and position text boxes, images and other objects freely on the page. Use page layout for newsletters, flyers and other documents that have many graphic elements.

Templates in Pages are designed for either word processing or page layout. If you decide you want to change document types after choosing a template, you can convert your document at any time.

Choose a document type on Mac

You can create a basic word-processing or page layout document by choosing the appropriate template. You can also change the document type after you've started working on a document.

Create a basic document

In Pages, choose File > New, then choose an option depending on the type of document you want to create:

To create a basic word-processing document, double-click the Blank or the Blank Landscape template in the Basic category in the template chooser.
To create a basic page layout document, double-click the Blank Layout template in the Basic category. Other template categories, such as Newsletters and Books – Landscape, have templates that use the page layout document type.

Pages uses your My Card in Contacts to populate information like your name in templates such as stationery, resumes and books. If you're prompted to allow Pages to access your contact information, click OK to allow, or choose Pages > Settings and select "Use My Card from Contacts to populate sender information". You can view or change the apps that can use your contact information in System Settings.

Change document types

If you've already started adding content to your document, converting to a different document type may affect your content in the document.

If you're not sure which type of document you're using, check the File menu. If "Convert to Page Layout" appears in the File menu, it's a word-processing document. If "Convert to Word Processing" appears, it's a page layout document.

To convert to a word-processing document from a page layout document, open the document, then choose File > Convert to Word Processing.
To convert to a page layout document from a word-processing document, open the document, choose File > Convert to Page Layout, then click Convert. Click Cancel if you have any unsaved content you don't want to lose after converting.

If you need to return to the original document, press Command-Z to undo your most recent actions, or you can revert the document to a previous version.

Choose a document type on iPhone or iPad

You can create a basic word-processing or page layout document by choosing the appropriate template. You can also change document types after you've started working on a document.

Create a new document

In the document manager in Pages, tap the New Document button at the top of the screen to open the template chooser. If a document is open, tap the back button in the top-left corner to go to the document manager.
Choose an option depending on the type of document you want to create:
- To create a basic word-processing document, tap Start Writing. Or tap Choose a Template, then tap the Blank or the Blank Landscape template in the Basic category.
- To create a basic page layout document, tap Choose a Template, then tap the Blank Layout template in the Basic category. Other template categories, such as Newsletters and Books – Landscape also has templates that use the page layout document type.

Change document types

You can change document types for the current document at any time. If you've already chosen a template and have added content to your document, switching types may affect the content in the document. Make sure you've saved a copy of the document before switching document types.

To check which type of document you’re using and to switch document types:

Tap in a corner of the document to avoid selecting any text or objects.
On iPhone, tap the More button. On iPad, tap the document name or tap the More button depending on what you see in the toolbar.
Tap Document Options, tap Document Setup, then tap Document:
- If Document Body is turned on, it's a word-processing document.
- If Document Body is turned off, it's a page layout document.
To switch to a different document type:
- To convert from page layout to word processing, turn on Document Body.
- To convert from word-processing to page layout document, turn off Document Body, then tap Convert. Tap Cancel if you haven't saved any content you don't want to lose after converting.
If you need to return to the original document, tap the Undo button to undo your most recent actions. Or you can revert the document to a previous version.