Use templates in Pages on Mac
A template is a predesigned set of elements for creating a document — a layout, placeholder text and images, and so on. Placeholders give you an idea of what a document created with this template might look like when you use its text and object styles. Every time you create a new document, you choose a template from the template chooser (shown below) as a starting point.
After you open a template, you can add your own text, replace placeholder graphics or delete them, and add new objects (tables, charts, text boxes, shapes, lines and media).
Pages templates are designed either for word processing or for page layout. For example, the Essay and School Newsletter templates, and book templates in portrait orientation, are for word processing. The Tab Flyer, Museum Brochure and book templates in landscape orientation are for page layout. After you begin creating your document, you can’t switch to a different template. You can, however, convert the document from word processing to page layout, and vice versa.
Choose a template
Open Pages and click the New Document button in the dialogue, or choose File > New from the Pages menu at the top of the screen.
In the template chooser, scroll to find a template for the type of document (or envelope) you want to create, then double-click the template to open it.
To create a document that’s mainly text: Choose one of the Basic templates (these are all word processing templates).
To create a brochure, poster, or something with a more complex layout: Choose a template that looks closest to what you want to create. The choices include a variety of word processing and page layout templates.
To create an interactive book: Choose a book template. Books in EPUB format can be opened in Apple Books and other ebook readers.
To create a document with the formatting of a different language: Choose the language from the pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the template chooser, then choose a template. See Format a document for another language.
Some templates aren’t downloaded to your computer until you choose them or open a document that uses the template. If your connection is slow or you’re offline when this happens, placeholder images in the document may appear at a lower resolution until you’re online again or the template finishes downloading.
If you need help creating your own document from the template, see Create your first document.
Identify the template type
Open the template, then click
in the toolbar.Check to see if the Document Body tickbox is selected.
If the tickbox is selected, it’s set up for word processing. If not, it’s for page layout.
Convert to a word processing document
When you convert a page layout document to a word processing document, any existing objects, including text boxes, remain in the document. If text boxes are layered with objects, you need to adjust the layering and text wrap in the converted document.
Do one of the following:
Choose File > Convert to Word Processing (from the File menu at the top of your screen).
In the Document
sidebar, click the Document tab, then select the Document Body tickbox.
Important: If you change your mind, press Command-Z on your keyboard to undo the last action. You can keep pressing this keyboard combination to step back through your most recent actions. You can also revert the document to a previous version.
Convert to a page layout document
WARNING: When you convert a word processing document to a page layout document, any existing body text (text that’s not in a text box) is deleted, along with any objects set to move inline with text. If you want to save the body text and any inline objects, copy them before you convert the document, then add a text box to the new document and paste the copied text. Objects set to stay on the page and not move with the text are retained in the conversion.
Do one of the following:
Choose File > Convert to Page Layout (from the File menu at the top of your screen).
In the Document
sidebar, click the Document tab, then deselect the Document Body tickbox.
Important: If you change your mind, press Command-Z on your keyboard to undo the last action. You can keep pressing this keyboard combination to step back through your most recent actions. You can also revert the document to a previous version.
Create new documents from a specific template
You can set a preference in Pages to always open a new document in a particular template instead of from the template chooser.
Choose Pages > Preferences (from the Pages menu at the top of your screen).
Click General at the top of the preferences window, then select “Use template”.
Do one of the following:
Use the currently selected template: Verify that the name of the template you want to use appears after “Use template”.
Choose a different template: Click the Change Template button, click a template, then click Choose.
Close the preferences window.
After you set this preference, you can still open a new document with a different template. Hold down the Option key, then choose File > New from Template Chooser (from the File menu at the top of your screen).
Use a business card template
The business card templates are page layout documents, so all text is contained in text boxes. You can speed up the process by grouping the edited text on the first card, copying it, then pasting it on each card.
In Pages, turn on alignment guides (choose Pages > Preferences from the Pages menu at the top of your screen, click Rulers, then select the tickboxes for alignment guides).
Alignment guides help you place text in the same place on each card.
Choose File > New (from the File menu at the top of the screen), then click Stationery on the left side of the template chooser.
Scroll down to the Business Cards section, then double-click a business card template.
The numbers at the bottom of each page indicate the commercial business card paper that the page is designed for. You can delete the page you don’t want to use (click
in the toolbar, choose Page Thumbnails, select the page, then press Delete on your keyboard).Double-click placeholder text on the first card, then type your own information.
Command-click all the text and graphics you edited on the card.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Arrange tab at the top.Click Group at the bottom of the sidebar.
With all text grouped, you can copy and paste without losing proper spacing and alignment.
Delete the text boxes on the next card.
Select the grouped text and graphics on the first business card, choose Edit > Copy, then choose Edit > Paste (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen).
You can use the keyboard shortcuts Command-C for copy and Command-V for paste. The pasted copy overlaps the first card slightly.
Drag the pasted copy to the card whose contents you deleted until the alignment guides appear.
The alignment guides appear when the new copy is aligned exactly horizontally and vertically with the text on the other cards.
Delete the text on the next card, paste again, then drag the pasted copy to the empty card.
Continue deleting placeholder text, pasting the copy and aligning the content until all the cards on the page have your information.
Choose File > Print (from the File menu at the top of your screen), click the Printer pop-up menu and choose a printer, then click Print.
If you didn’t delete the unwanted page from the template when you started, make sure you print just the page you edited.
You can modify any of the predesigned templates, then save your changes to create your own custom templates. See Create and manage custom templates.