Having two copies of Pages file open at once?

Question

Level 1

65 points

Having two copies of Pages file open at once?

I suspect that this is impossible, a MacOS problem rather than Pages.

I am editing an over-large Pages file, 365k words/350pp. Large blocks of text need to be moved around and it would be helpful to be able to select a block of text on one half of my 27" iMac screen and scroll about to find the best destination on the other half before cutting and pasting.

I'm guessing that a substitute would be to use a browser window in iCloud for the searching, before doing the actual cut and paste in the app itself, but not quite the same.

Any other solutions would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Colin

iMac 27″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 1, 2025 07:09 AM

Reply

Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,118 points

Jan 4, 2025 09:45 AM in response to Colin Cohen

You can have two separate copies of a Pages document open as long as the files are not in the same folder location.

The first document is opened and you press and hold the green traffic light selecting the left-hand icon to place this opened Pages document on the left side of your screen. Open the second copy of the document from its unique location and repeat the green traffic light press, this time selecting the icon showing the right side of the screen.

You should now have two documents in split view using each half of your screen.

Tested: Pages v14.3 on macOS Sequoia v15.2 (on a 32-in LG display).

Reply

Answer 2

Colin Cohen Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 5, 2025 02:14 AM in response to Colin Cohen

Thanks for the suggesting, but I guess I was not clear. I need the same Pages document open twice, so I can have it open at different points.

If my personal memory, rather than RAM, worked better your answer might work, but I'd be in grave danger of ending up with two documents with different content.

I need to be able to select a block to move, then search the other 'copy' to find the best place for it, note its page number and then in the first version go to that page and cut/paste.

To explain, my father wrote a memoir which was not chronological. I have hugely added to it, but now it is so long the lack of chronology is a big issue. It's not practicable to go back to the original version, so a mammoth cut and paste of over more than 300pp, and over 500 footnotes, is needed.

Cheers, Colin

Reply

Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,118 points

Jan 5, 2025 05:10 AM in response to Colin Cohen

Pages does not support opening the same document twice from the same filesystem location. If you want to place an unchanged version of the original in a second location, open it, and use it as a read-only guide for changes (e.g. cut/paste) you wish to make only in the first document, you can do that.

Reply

Answer 4

Colin Cohen Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 5, 2025 07:42 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks.

Sadly you are right, I shall just have to make a locked copy. I've tried opening an iCloud copy but it updates with a short delay in a very clunky way. I guess I could switch off wifi while I am working, which might speed things up from fewer distractions, but that may be 'a bridge too far'.

Cheers, Colin

Reply

Having two copies of Pages file open at once?

Similar questions