Pages: ghosted icons?

[Padcatt]

I have a large number of files associated with the Pages app, but when I view them in Files, they are all ghosted! I can’t launch or open them, but yet I can *see* them!!

What is this all about? Makes zero sense to me at all..I know the files are there because I created and put them there.

IOS recently asked me where I want files: ipad or somewhere else. There IS no ‘somewhere else’ for me. I don’t use the cloud.

I am absolutely baffled!

thank you for any help!

 

[Jupiter7]

The reason you are seeing 'ghosted' files may be because you aren’t using iCloud. If you were to use iCloud you would find Pages, Numbers and others would synch across your devices, as well as provide a backup.
.

 

[twerppoet]

When a file is ghosted, it usually means that the iPad does not have an app capable of opening the file (or thinks it does not). Do you have the Pages app loaded on the iPad? While you can open a preview of the file in Files, you still need Pages to actually open and edit the file.

If the files are old, then they may not be compatible with the newer version of Pages. There was an update a few years ago that changed the file format. In that case look for and open them in Pages app itself. Pages should recognize them and ask if you want them updated.

Another possiblity is that the file is in some cloud service other than iCloud, and the service is not playing nicely. Perhaps the file is not actually downloaded, so that the iPad can not identivy the file type. This is usually indicated by a small cloud icon on or next to the file.

These are just guesses. I don’t have any Pages files like this in Files, so I can’t troubleshoot the problem.

 

[Padcatt]

was my bad; I was viewing Pages documents in Files while in the Numbers “view” and vice versa.

just one of several important ways in which ios differs from os x

 

[twerppoet]

Hadn’t thought of that, but yes, if you are viewing files while in an app, incompatible files will normally be ghosted.