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Free ATS Scanner: No Signup Required

Check Your Resume ATS Score Free

Upload your resume to get an instant compatibility score, a keyword and section breakdown, and the specific issues it found — all produced by rules running in your browser, not by an external service.

Accepted files
PDF with a real text layer, DOCX, or plain TXT. A scanned PDF has no text layer, so export it again or paste the text.
File size
Up to 5 MB per file.
Typical time
Under a second for a one-page resume; longer files take longer to read.
Where it runs
In this browser tab. The file is not uploaded to a resume-analysis server.

What the report gives you

  • A 0–100 checklist score with the exact deductions shown, so you can see what cost what.
  • Which of the eight checks passed and which were flagged, each with the evidence it looked at.
  • A prioritised list of fixes — the highest-cost item first, with the resume text that triggered it.
  • Keyword, section, contact, achievement and language detail, so you can judge each suggestion yourself.
Upload Your ResumeDrag & drop your file here, or click to browseChoose File & Scan FreePDF, DOCX or TXT · maximum 5 MB · read in this browser

How to run a scan

  1. Choose your resume file (PDF, DOCX or TXT, up to 5 MB), or paste the text — whichever matches what you have.
  2. The scanner reads the text layer, then runs the checks. You can cancel at any point.
  3. Read the report, make the edits it suggests, export the updated file and scan it again to compare.

Scanned-image PDFs contain no text layer, so there is nothing to read. Export a text-based PDF, paste the text, or upload the Word file directly.

What this scanner checks, and what it cannot tell you

The scanner starts from the text layer of your file — the same characters a parser reads — and applies eight fixed rules. Each rule is listed with the result it produced, so nothing about the score is hidden. Here is the honest scope of it.

It reads text, not layout

Anything that is not in the file's text layer is invisible to the check: text inside images, text in headers and footers of some exports, columns read out of order, or a scanned page. Where a finding says “not found”, that means “not found in the text layer”, which is the same limit a parser has.

It checks structure and wording

Standard section headings, contact details as plain text, measurable outcomes, action verbs, consistent dates, common misspellings and the character set. These are the properties that most often decide whether a resume is readable at a glance — by software or by a person skimming it.

It cannot see the employer's system

Applicant tracking systems are configured by the employer, and employers differ. This tool has no access to a job description, a company's configuration or a recruiter's judgement, so it does not predict screening outcomes. It reports what this checklist found in your text.

No tool can promise that a resume will pass an employer's system, and this one does not try to. Use the score as a consistency check — has this document kept the structure and the evidence a reader needs — then treat the suggestions as prompts to review, not instructions.

Your file is read in this browser tab and is not uploaded for analysis. See how site data is handled in the Privacy Policy.

How the ATS resume scanner works

Three steps, all of them in your browser. Nothing is uploaded for analysis, so there is no queue and no waiting on a server.

  1. Step 1

    Add your resume

    A PDF or TXT file up to 5 MB, or the resume text pasted straight in. The file is read in this browser tab.

  2. Step 2

    Run the eight checks

    Fixed rules look at the extracted text: length, contact details, sections, measurable results, bullets, characters, dates and common misspellings.

  3. Step 3

    Read, fix, rescan

    The report shows what was checked, what it cost the score and what to change. Edit the file, export it, scan it again and compare.

What the scanner checks

Eight fixed rules over the text layer of your file. Each one is reported with its result, so you always know what was examined — and what was not.

  • Checklist score

    Starts at 100. Each flagged rule removes its own fixed number of points, and the report lists every deduction.

  • Skills and keywords

    Matches your text against a fixed skill list and suggests terms from the categories you already mention.

  • Section headings

    Looks for the four standard headings — summary, experience, education, skills — as literal words in the text layer.

  • Contact details

    Email, phone, LinkedIn, portfolio and location, as plain text. Details inside graphics are invisible to it.

  • Measurable results

    Percentages, amounts and counts in your bullets — with the matched text quoted back so you can check it.

  • Action verbs

    A word search for strong and weak verb forms. It reports what it found; you judge it in the sentence.

  • Weak phrases

    Twenty-three known filler phrases such as “responsible for”, each with the rewrite the tool recommends.

  • Formatting signals

    Unusual characters and mixed date formats — the two text-level signals that most often indicate a layout problem.

In one list

  • Word count against the range most resumes fall in
  • The four standard section headings
  • Email, phone, LinkedIn and location as plain text
  • Percentages, amounts and counts in your bullets
  • Strong and weak action verb forms
  • Filler phrases, with a suggested rewrite
  • Mixed date formats and unusual characters
  • Common misspellings, phrased as “check this”

What this tool cannot tell you

It cannot see an employer's ATS
Every employer configures their own system, and many applications are read by a person as well. This tool has no access to a job description or to a company's configuration, so it does not predict screening outcomes.
It reads text, not layout
Anything outside the file's text layer — text baked into images, some header and footer content, graphics used as headings — is invisible to it, exactly as it is to a parser. “Not found” means “not found in the text”, not “not in the document”.
The wording checks are English-only
Section headings, action verbs and the misspelling list are English. A resume in another language will score low on parts of the checklist that do not apply to it, so read the section and contact findings instead.
A score is not a decision
The number measures how this document did against these rules. It is not a hiring decision, not a recruiter's opinion, and not a substitute for a person reading the resume.

ATS resume checker guide: how to read the result and what to do next

A resume checker is only useful if you can act on what it tells you. This section explains what each part of the report means, why a resume can be hard for software to parse, and how to turn a flagged item into a better document.

What an ATS resume scanner checks

This scanner works on the text layer of your file — the characters a parser reads — rather than on how the page looks. It looks for the four standard section headings, contact details written as plain text, measurable outcomes in your bullets, strong action verbs, consistent date formats, common misspellings and unusual characters. It also compares your text against a fixed list of skills and tools, and quotes back the results it found so you can check them yourself.

What it does not do is reproduce any employer's system. Each ATS is configured by the company running it — what it extracts, which fields it keeps, how it ranks candidates and whether a person reads the file are all settings this tool cannot see.

Why a resume can be difficult to parse

Parsing problems are almost never about the quality of the writing. They are about where the words live and how the document is built:

  • Text inside images. A scanned page, a logo with your name in it or a heading saved as a graphic has no text layer at all. Nothing can extract it — not this tool, and not an employer's system.
  • Headings that are worded unusually. “Where I've Worked” reads well to a person. A parser looking for a section boundary expects “Work Experience” or an obvious equivalent, so an unusual heading can hide a whole section from automatic reading.
  • Multi-column layouts. Two columns are read in the order the text objects were written, which is not always the order you see. A sidebar's content can end up spliced into the middle of a job description.
  • Headers and footers. Some exports put running headers, page numbers and even contact details outside the main text flow, where they can be dropped or repeated on every page.
  • Tables and text boxes. Content in a table cell or a floating text box is often extracted without the order or the labels that made sense visually.

How to read your score

The score starts at 100 and each flagged rule removes a fixed number of points, weighted by how much that property tends to cost a reader. The report shows every deduction and the section it came from, so you can add the column up and get the score back. A thin document — a few lines pasted in — is labelled as thin instead of being scored as if it were a resume.

Read the score as a consistency check: does this document still carry the structure, the contact details and the evidence a reader needs? Then read the two or three highest-cost findings and act on those. A high score is not an interview and a low one is not a rejection; both are statements about eight checks on one file.

How to improve formatting and keywords

Formatting first, because it decides whether your content can be read at all: one column, standard headings, plain-text contact details in the body of the first page, a single date format, and bullets that begin with the action you took. Then the content: give at least three bullets a number — scale, size or change — and replace filler phrases with the specific thing you did.

Keywords come last, and they come from the advert rather than from a list. Read the job description, note the tools, methods and responsibilities it names, and make sure the terms that genuinely describe your work appear in your resume in your own words. A keyword you cannot back up in an interview costs more than one you never added. To compare your resume against one specific advert, use the job match score; it measures the overlap between your resume and that posting.

Fix the resume, then scan the exported file

The report is a to-do list, not a diagnosis. Make the edits in whatever you wrote the resume in, export the final file, and scan that exact file — the checks run on text, so what matters is what the exported document actually contains, not what your editor showed you. If you would rather start from a layout that is already structured for parsers, the free ATS-friendly resume templates use standard headings, one reading column and selectable text, and the resume builder exports the same content as a print-ready PDF or a Word file.

ATS scanner: frequently asked questions

Ten questions about what this tool does with your file, how the score works and where its limits are.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to organize and manage job applications. Employers configure these systems differently, so a resume checklist cannot predict how a particular employer will process an application.

The scanner is available to use without a paid plan. Check the current product and privacy pages for any limits or changes to availability.

This scanner reads and checks the resume in your browser and does not send the resume file to an analysis server. The scanner does analyze its text locally to produce results. For broader site data practices, see the Privacy Policy.

There is no universal target for this tool's checklist score. Use the flagged items as prompts to review your resume, and judge each suggestion against the job and your actual experience. The score does not predict an employer's ATS result or hiring outcome.

Some employers use software to compare application details with job requirements, but systems and settings vary. Use relevant terms from a job description where they accurately describe your skills; no keyword checklist can guarantee that an application will pass screening.

We support text-based PDF files up to 5 MB, and plain text (.txt) files. Avoid scanned image PDFs — ATS systems cannot extract text from images, and neither can this scanner. If you used Word or Google Docs, export to PDF before uploading, or paste the text instead.

The usual causes are text that lives only in the file's images or text boxes rather than its text layer, headings that are worded unusually or built from graphics, multiple columns that a reader assembles in the wrong order, and content placed in headers or footers. The scanner shows you what it could and could not find, so a missing item is a signal to check how that part of the document is built — not proof that your experience is missing.

Treat it as a consistency check rather than a grade. The score starts at 100 and each of the eight checks removes a fixed number of points when it is flagged; the report lists every deduction, so you can see exactly which items moved the number. A low score does not mean you will not be hired, and a high score does not mean you will be. It means the text in your file passed, or failed, these particular checks.

No. Each employer configures their own system, and many applications are read by a person as well. This scanner cannot see a job description, a company's configuration or a recruiter's judgement, so it cannot promise an outcome. It reports what its own checks found in the text of your file.

Yes. The checks are fixed rules over the extracted text, with no randomness and no model in the loop, so the same file always produces the same score, the same findings and the same order. If the score changes, the document changed.

The resume file is not uploaded for scanning. Extracted text and results stay in page memory, with a one-use recovery handoff if a privacy reload is needed. Only after analytics acceptance, Google Analytics measures usage, Microsoft Clarity records sessions, clicks and browsing interactions, and Vercel Analytics / Speed Insights measure usage and performance where enabled. The app does not deliberately send resume text as an analytics field, but masking is not a guarantee that recordings contain no personal data. Advertising scripts and choices are separate. The Privacy Policy explains the data flows and third-party access limits; Privacy Settings lets you change analytics at any time.

The checks are written for English-language resumes: they look for English section headings, English action verbs and English misspellings. A resume in another language will therefore be scored on parts of the checklist that do not apply to it, and the score will understate the document. Read the section and contact findings, and ignore the wording checks.

Scan your resume and see what the checks found

Free, no signup, read in your browser. Most scans finish in under a second and you can rescan an updated file as often as you like.

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