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There are basically three quality packages for creating documents, tables and presentations: Microsoft Office, Google Office and Apple iWork. Microsoft's office applications are currently the most popular, but many who are rooted in the Apple ecosystem (including me) are gradually switching to Pages, Numbers and Keynote. If you like the design of these apps, but you don't have time to discover all the hidden features, you might find the ones I mention in the following lines useful.

iWork on Windows

Obviously, die-hard Windows users probably won't rush to explore Apple's office suite, but if you're in a situation where you need to collaborate with iWork users, working with iWork documents on Windows might be a good fit for you. As you may have guessed, there is no official option to install iWork programs on Windows, but documents can be accessed through the web interface. First, move to iCloud pages, sign in with your Apple ID, and in the list of web applications select Pages, Numbers or Keynote. However, I would like to point out that the web applications are significantly cut down compared to the versions for iPad or Mac. As for supported browsers, they work in Safari 9 and above, Chrome 50 and above, and Internet Explorer 11 and above. In addition, you need to have an Apple ID created to log in, which many users, especially in Central Europe, still do not have active.

iCloud beta site
Source: iCloud.com

Convert files to other formats

Although Pages, Numbers and Keynote are well-made, as I noted above, not everyone has Apple devices and will not be willing to create an Apple ID to edit a few documents. However, you can easily convert documents created in iWork and you have a variety of formats to choose from. On your iPhone or iPad open the necessary file, at the top tap on More and then select an option Export. You can choose from several formats, including, for example, extensions used in Microsoft Office, the document can also be exported to PDF. A classic sharing dialog will then appear, where you can transfer the document to virtually any application. On a Mac, the procedure is very similar, in the open document select Apple icon -> File and click here Export to. After selecting the necessary format, the exported document add it to the folder where you want it saved. However, I warn you that there may be some problems during the conversion, especially to files with the extension .docx, .xls and .pptx. Be prepared that the font used will probably be different, as you will find different fonts in Microsoft Office than in iWork - but this will not affect the functionality of the file. In addition, it is possible that generated content or more complex tables will not be converted correctly. On the other hand, with moderately complex documents there should not be a significant problem, the export will succeed in almost any circumstances.

Collaboration with other users

Similar to the competition, you can collaborate on all documents in iWork, and it should be noted that the possibilities of the shared iCloud environment are hardly limited by Apple ID owners. If you have an iPhone or iPad at hand, tap after opening the document Cooperate. Here you will see a classic dialog for sending an invitation to a certain application, at the end of which you can tap on Sharing options you can set if they have access invited users only or anyone with a link, it is also possible to choose whether users with access will be able to the document view or edit. On Mac and in the web interface, the procedure is the same, button Cooperate is located at toolbar in an open document.

cooperation pages
Source: Pages

Opening an unsaved document on other devices

All modern services for office work connected to cloud storage automatically save changes, which ensures that even after the failure of the work device, data is not lost. However, you certainly know the feeling when you quickly write important data into a newly created file, you have to run quickly and you forget to save the document. If you have left and need the data from it, you can get to it without any problem. All you have to do is on another device or on the iCloud website find the Pages, Numbers or Keynote folder on iCloud Drive, and open untitled document. You can then work on it, or name it and save it.

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