Export Numbers file to Pages

I have several Numbers spreadsheets that I would like to export to Pages while preserving table and font options.

Is this possible?

MacBook Pro - Early 2013

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 30, 2023 12:54 PM

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Yes, of course. That was my obvious first tactic.

It is extremely time consuming and I gave up on it before getting even a tenth of the way through the first file.

It won't let me select a table in Numbers to copy it for pasting into Pages.

I can select cell contents and paste them into a Pages table cell.

It requires I build a table in Pages, format it to the right size and right fonts, align the rows and columns properly and then copy and paste cell contents.

That will take days.

I find it interesting that there is a whole ton of info on the internet describing how to export Pages files to Numbers but I can find nothing that goes the other direction.

BMW-KTM wrote:

It won't let me select a table in Numbers to copy it for pasting into Pages.

In Numbers try clicking in the table, then clicking on the concentric circles at its upper left to select the whole table as an object. Then command-c to copy, click in Pages, and command-v to paste.

BMW-KTM wrote:

Tried that already.

If you you have "tried" it already then did you see that it works very well for bring a Numbers table into a Pages document? I just tested to reconfirm. Works great.

Works perfectly fine here.

You can copy/paste an entire Numbers sheet (multiple tables) at once if you click on the sheet, Command A to select all, Command C to copy, then paste into a Pages document. This will preserve formulas that refer to the other tables on the sheet. It might look like a jumbled mess when it pastes in because the Pages page may be narrower and shorter than what you had in Numbers.

Thanks but that didn't work either.

Numbers > click cell > Cmd A > Cmd C > > > Pages > Click in document > Cmd V = no paste = document still blank. Select all reveals nothing highlighted so it's not a font colour issue.

I have tried every copy & paste method I know of.

The only one that works is C&P individual cells.

I'm wondering if it might be because I have reached the end of the development curve for my MacBook Pro and maybe it requires a newer version which I am unable to get without buying a new computer.

As stated in my OP:

MacBook Pro Retina (early 2013) Catalina 10.15.7 (no more MacOS updates available for this hardware)

App Store shows no updates available for any of them.

Big Sur not available for anything older than late 2013 - does not appear in App Store search results.

Also does not show up in About This Mac > Software Update - says I am up to date - offers no upgrade path.

I think I will start searching for some kind of online file conversion website.

BMW-KTM wrote:

Numbers > click cell > Cmd A > Cmd C > > > Pages > Click in document > Cmd V

That should have copied that table to Pages. Works every time here. At worst it should have copied the contents of that cell to Numbers, if you had double-clicked the cell vs one click. But you would see that when you hit Command A, it would have selected all the text in the cell instead of the entire table.

Do you have any non-Apple apps running in the background that "help" with the clipboard (i.e., copy/paste) or the keyboard or mouse? When really odd things are happening, it is often one of those.

I don't know what "Force Quit" is. Assuming is it an app, maybe it does not include in its list any "helper" apps that might be running in the background. Usually these start at login as one of your login items. Take a look there to see what is starting up, if anything. Maybe that will point to the solution.

System Preferences->Users &Groups->Login items

Force Quit is in the Apple Logo menu, top left corner.

Force Quit shows all apps running, including any environmental apps that may required for the operation of some peripheral devices and it allows you to force any of them to quit if they happen to freeze up.

That's what it's there for but it is also quite handy for seeing exactly what's running because it shows everything.

It's the same thing as Ctrl-Alt-Del on a PC.

The only app that will not actually quit is Finder.

It will ask if you want to relaunch Finder, which can be quite useful if an external disk or memory stick doesn't want to eject.

BMW-KTM wrote:

Force Quit is in the Apple Logo menu, top left corner.

Ha. I guess I never had a need and have scanned right past it all these years. I'm sure if I ever saw it I was like "I don't need to force quit my computer, I can just use Shut Down".

I am at a loss why you cannot paste a table into Pages.

Are all of your iWork apps updated to the same version level?

Can you paste a Numbers table into Textedit? Same procedure you followed for Pages. That might narrow down where the problem is.

Can you paste anything into Pages from any app?

That was a great idea but it didn't really work.

I copied the spreadsheet into Text Edit and saved it as a Word 2007 (docx) file and then opened the Word file with Pages.

The text was all there (wrong font) but the table was not.

The table was present in Text Edit, also wrong font.

I left the Text Edit file open so I could save it in other formats to try.

Saved it in Rich Text, Rich Text with Attachments and Word 97 (doc)

In the rtf file formats the files opened with Pages and the table and text were both present but the table formatting and the fonts and colours were VERY wonky, all over the map, and refused to be adjusted.

In the Word 97 (doc) format it was the same as the Word (docx) format; text (wrong font) but no table.