Can Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Read Canva Resumes in 2026?
One of the most common questions we get is: "My resume looks amazing on Canva, but I'm getting zero interviews. What's wrong?"
The short answer: Most ATS platforms still cannot read Canva resumes correctly.
The Image vs. Text Problem
Canva is a graphic design tool, not a word processor. When you export a PDF from Canva, it often flattens text into layers or uses non-standard encoding for fonts. To a human eye, it looks like text. To a robot (the ATS), it looks like a blank image or a jumble of unreadable characters.
The Parsing Test
Try copying and pasting the text from your PDF into Notepad. If you can't select the text, or if it pastes as weird symbols, the ATS can't read it either.
Columns and Text Boxes
Canva encourages creative layouts with multiple columns, floating text boxes, and icons. ATS parsers are linear readers. They read left-to-right, top-to-bottom. A two-column layout in Canva often results in the parser reading the first line of column 1, then the first line of column 2, then the second line of column 1, creating a nonsensical sentence.
The Solution: Text-First Design
You don't have to sacrifice aesthetics for readability. Tools like HTML Resume build your resume structure using clean, semantic HTML code first, and then apply CSS styling on top. This ensures that the underlying data layer is always perfectly readable by any ATS, while the visual layer remains professional and polished.