How to password-protect a Pages 5.5 document on the Mac

Updated April 13th, 2020.

Apple’s Pages 5.5 app on the Mac has a nice feature that lets you protect a document with a password. Without the password, the document won’t open. You don’t need this every day but someday you will, and here’s how you do it.
First, get your Pages document up. Go to File and slide down to Set Password…

Pages set password menu and menubar
File menu in Pages 5.5, showing “Set Password…”

Enter a password, enter it again, and enter a hint. The hint is there in case you forget the password. Warning: I can’t get your document open if you forget the password. Give yourself a good hint.

Pages create password
Pages 5.5’s Set Password dialog box

If you check the box to remember the password in the Keychain you will never have to enter it again, as long as you’re logged onto the Mac with the same username and password. That reduces the value of having a password on the document so my advice is to NOT check that box.

That’s all there is to it. From then on, whenever someone tries to open that document he (or she) will get a box asking him to enter the password. Get it right and the document opens right up. Otherwise, the document remains closed. Don’t check that “Remember password in my keychain” this time either.

Pages my Christmas list open with password
Dialog box that appears when you try to open password-protected Pages document

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Christian Boyce

Christian Boyce is a Mac and iPhone expert with over 30 years' experience in the field. His specialty is teaching people how to get more out of their Macs and iPhones using the software and apps already installed. He is the author of several books, a guest speaker for Mac and iPhone user groups worldwide, and a former rocket scientist. He splits time between homes in Santa Monica, California and Round Rock, Texas.

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