How can I fix paragraph styles not updating in my Pages app?

Question

How can I fix paragraph styles not updating in my Pages app?

Updating a paragraph style, for example changing the font, doesn't change the style (font) in other paragraphs with the same style. In the style list, the correct style is chosen. But I have to re-choose it to see the changes occur. My doc is 350 pages, so… Yeah. Why aren't changes working globally? Also, reselecting the style (though it's already selected) deletes my overrides (like a word in italics).

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Apr 23, 2025 03:26 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 29, 2025 01:41 PM in response to VikingOSX

"Pages only changes paragraph styles for selected content." Not sure what you mean by that, VikingOSX, but thank you for replying. I was very familiar with old versions of MS Word, but I dislike the program now. I was expert with QuarkExpress, too.

If a ¶ (or many) is defined as "style A," redefining style A should update all ¶s so defined. And this partially works. From Apple Support:

"Quickly make global changes to the look of text in your document: For example, if you apply the Heading style to all the headings in a document, and later decide you want to change their color, you can change the color of the Heading style itself, and all the headings update automatically."
Also: "Update the paragraph style to incorporate the overrides: If you update the paragraph style, all text in your document that uses the style is also updated."

But this is not happening consistently. Neither do keyboard shortcuts for styles work consistently. Very frustrating.

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,076 points

Apr 27, 2025 02:31 PM in response to Bambi Vincent

Pages only changes paragraph styles for selected content. All other instances of that paragraph style will go unchanged. That holds true even when you update a paragraph style with a different font.

I don't know if you are accustomed to using MS Word, but if so, Pages is its antithesis.

Tested: Pages v14.4 and macOS Sequoia v15.4.1.

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,076 points

Apr 29, 2025 01:50 PM in response to Bambi Vincent

Bambi,

I tested two paragraphs with the same paragraph style. I selected the first paragraph and updated it with a different font, and though it changed accordingly, the second unselected paragraph did not change. Thus, my previous post.

I do not take verbatim what some Apple documentation person wrote when it contrasts with the reality of my tests in the current version of Pages. That is why I don't post a link to that documentation, and prefer to test instead.

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Answer 4

Apr 29, 2025 02:50 PM in response to VikingOSX

Huh, okay. My document is large, 32mb, almost 400 pages. Many of my styles DO update—as they should. Only a few are failing. I thought it might have something to do with workflow or… who knows. I'll just call it a quirk and a bug.

Workflow: I first defined each ¶ with one of 23 custom styles. Then I refined the styles, overriding some.

I long for the old MS Word. I think it was v.5 I loved and knew so well. Then it got mega-bloat and turned subscription. Ugh. Quark fell to inDesign. Sad.

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How can I fix paragraph styles not updating in my Pages app?

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