Install and manage document templates

If you create a document that you want to use again as a model for other documents, you can save it as a template. Creating your own template can be as simple as adding your company logo to an existing template, or you can design a completely new template.

You can add your custom template to the template chooser, save it as a file to share with others, and install it on your iOS device.

The template chooser with My Templates as a category on the left.

Save a document as a template

  1. Choose File > Save as Template (from the File menu at the top of your screen).

  2. Click an option:

    • Add to Template Chooser: Type a name for the template, then click Choose. Your template appears in the My Templates category in the template chooser.

    • Save: Type a name for the template, then choose where you want to save it.

      If you save it to iCloud, the next time you open Pages on your iOS device, the template appears as a downloadable file in the document manager.

      If you want to email the template to others or to yourself, save it to your computer. You can attach the template file to an email message.

To learn more about creating custom templates in Pages, see Create a custom template.

Install a template on your Mac

You can install a custom template saved to your computer or to a server, or a template that you received as an attachment in an email, by adding it to the template chooser in Pages.

Note: If you chose Add to Template Chooser when you saved your custom template, it’s already installed and can be found in the My Templates section of the template chooser.

You can set Pages to always open new documents from a specific template instead of from the template chooser.

Install a template on your iOS device

  1. On your Mac, choose File > Save as Template, then click Save and choose a location for the template file.

  2. On your Mac, move the template file (with a .template filename extension) to iCloud, iTunes, or a WebDAV server, or send the file to yourself using AirDrop or as an email attachment.

    See Transfer documents with iTunes or Transfer documents with a WebDAV server to learn how to transfer files using these methods.

  3. On your iOS device, do the following to install a template from these sources:

    • AirDrop: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center, then tap AirDrop. Tap a discovery option, and when the AirDrop message appears, tap Add.

    • An email: In Mail, tap the attachment, then tap the screen. Tap the Share button at the top of the screen, tap Open in Pages, then tap Add.

The template appears below My Templates in the template chooser.

Rename or delete a custom template

  1. In the template chooser, Control-click the template name, then choose Rename or Delete.

  2. If you’re renaming, type a new name, then press Return.

Custom templates always appear in My Templates in the template chooser. You can’t rearrange templates, and you can’t delete templates that came with Pages.

See alsoCreate a custom templateTransfer documents using AirDropTransfer documents with a WebDAV serverTransfer documents with iTunes