Level 2 (218 points)

Screen View causes tables to retain altered sizes after switching off

I have a 200-page document which has a large number of tables and some moderately complex formatting.

Because some of the text is small, the new Screen View option seemed worth a go. It works up to a point - the screen layout was a bit wayward but it did help me to identify some minor issues.

However, when I switched Screen View off, all the tables retained their sizes as they were in Screen View. Some were much larger than usual. The pagination was, therefore, very different. Made a huge mess. If I went to each table, and worked my way through the cells, I'd eventually see the table resize itself. But with hundreds of tables, that option did not get my vote.

Bear in mind, at this point I had no idea if the document was now corrupted, or it was "just" a display anomaly.

I saved it, closed it, then re-opened it. Thankfully the layout has returned to how it was before trying Screen View.

Definitely puts me off trying Screen View again. It makes the idea of flicking between Screen View and standard view unfeasible.

Hoping anyone else who sees this is reassured that the issues seem to be temporary.

Any view feature like this needs to fully restore the previous view when it is switched off. Not leaving some of it changed but some not. We should be able to go between views with absolutely no other impact than using the current view.

Using macOS 27.0.1 and Pages 15.4 on an M4 Mac mini.

Posted on Oct 22, 2026 1:57 AM

5 replies

VikingOSX

Level 10 (131,878 points)

Oct 22, 2026 6:49 AM in response to PolyRod

According to Apple in the following article about Pages Screen View, certain document visuals are changed or hidden, but not the underlying content in the Pages document after Screen View is off. At least, that is what the documentation says… and is only intended for Pages word-processing format documents.

View an optimized version of your document in Pages on Mac - Apple Support

VikingOSX

Level 10 (131,878 points)

Oct 23, 2026 4:13 AM in response to PolyRod

I have tried Screen View on two different Pages documents and it enters and exits Screen View on both without altering the original document structure. Even the keyboard shortcut (shift+cmd+R) works to exit Screen View. I say that with a smile because not all Pages keyboard shortcuts work as they are shown on the menus.

It might be premature to think that Screen View is compatible with all Pages documents and that in some edge cases, it might behave as you have described. I have been using Pages for a very long time and have never really needed what Screen View appears to offer.

PolyRod Author

Level 2 (218 points)

Oct 23, 2026 1:56 AM in response to VikingOSX

I'd read either that link, or some other part of Apple's description of the feature, before trying it.

But I was still concerned that it wouldn't go back to standard view.

It looks like something is missing from the "return to standard view" code path.

PolyRod Author

Level 2 (218 points)

Oct 23, 2026 8:54 AM in response to VikingOSX

I prepared a set of screenshots showing what I have been seeing but inadvertently clicked on the wrong button. Re-did them - and the whole issue simply did not occur! Tried three more times and could not get it to happen again - something has changed. But I have absolutely no idea what.

Thank you anyway!

VikingOSX

Level 10 (131,878 points)

Oct 23, 2026 9:28 AM in response to PolyRod

You are welcome. It must be Apple voodoo…👻

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256380742