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If you already have a resume, you don’t need to retype it. Import the file and Reactive Resume builds a new, editable resume from it, section by section. Your original file is never changed.

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Supported files

Reactive Resume works out the format from the file’s contents, so you don’t pick a type. A cover letter exported from Reactive Resume as JSON imports as a letter, not a resume.
An AI provider is an AI service you connect in Settings → AI & developer. Only a provider that is turned on and has passed its connection test counts. See Connecting an AI provider.

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Import a file

1

Open the import

On Documents, select New in the sidebar (or press N), then select Import a resume and pick your file. On your first visit, the empty Documents page has a Choose a file button that opens the same dialog.
2

Or drop the file

Drag the file from your computer anywhere onto the Documents page. The page shows Drop to import; let go and the import starts.
The Documents page covered by a green drop area reading Drop to import, PDF, Word or JSON. We'll build a resume from it

Dropping a file on Documents

3

Wait for the three steps

The dialog shows Reading the file, Finding sections and Filling in entries, with a note beside each as it finishes. JSON and LinkedIn files take a moment; PDF and Word files read by an AI provider can take longer. Select Cancel to stop.
4

Open the new resume

When the import finishes, the dialog tells you how many sections and entries it found. Select Open in editor to start reviewing, or Stay here to keep working on Documents. The new resume has a New badge on its card.
The Imported dialog for David-Kowalski-Resume.pdf with all three steps checked, 9 sections and 58 entries found, and Stay here and Open in editor buttons

A finished import

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Review what came in

When you open an imported resume from the dialog, the Write panel starts with a note naming the file you imported and counting its sections and entries.
A green note reading Imported from David-Kowalski-Resume.pdf. 9 sections, 58 entries. Everything was read clearly

The note after an import

If some dates couldn’t be read exactly, the note says how many fields need a look, and each of those date fields shows the text it found, for example We couldn’t read “Summer 2019”. Pick the right month and year so the entry sorts and prints consistently; the count goes down as you fix them. Close the note with × when you’re done. Go through every section before you send the resume. PDF and Word files don’t store which text belongs where, so parts can land in the wrong section, lose formatting or come out slightly reworded. Structured files (Reactive Resume JSON, JSON Resume, LinkedIn) come in far more reliably.

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Notes on each format

Download it from another resume with Download and the JSON format, or extract an individual resume JSON file from Export everything (see Exporting your resume). Custom styles written for the older styling system come in converted to the current one. If a version 5 resume contained cover letters, each one becomes its own letter in Documents, linked to the imported resume.
In LinkedIn’s settings, request a copy of your data and download the archive when LinkedIn emails you. Import the .zip file as it is; don’t unzip it. Reactive Resume reads Profile.csv, Positions.csv, Education.csv, Skills.csv, Languages.csv and Certifications.csv and ignores everything else, such as messages. The file never leaves your browser.
With an AI provider set up, the PDF (up to 10 MB) is sent to that provider, which returns the resume’s sections. Without one, Reactive Resume reads the PDF’s text in your browser and sorts it into sections itself. This works best for simple, one-column resumes. A scanned PDF (a picture of a page) has no text to read and can’t be imported this way.
Word files are always read by your AI provider, so set one up first. Use the modern .docx format; older .doc files are rejected before parsing. Open them in Word and save as .docx. Files can be up to 10 MB.

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Troubleshooting

“This file type can’t be imported.” The file isn’t one of the supported types. Export your resume as PDF, Word or JSON, or use your LinkedIn data export. “Reading Word files needs an AI provider.” Connect a provider in Settings → AI & developer and test it, or import a PDF or JSON version instead. Choose another file lets you pick a different file without closing the dialog, and Start blank gives you an empty resume.
The Couldn't import dialog for Resume.docx saying Reading Word files needs an AI provider, with Start blank and Choose another file buttons

A Word file without an AI provider

“This PDF is a scanned image.” Try the Word version of the resume, set up an AI provider, or start blank and paste your sections in. “This ZIP doesn’t look like a LinkedIn data export.” Make sure you’re importing the archive LinkedIn sent you, not a ZIP you made yourself. “This PDF is password protected.” Save a copy without a password and import that instead. “The file couldn’t be read as a resume” (or “The file could not be read as a valid resume”, followed by the fields it couldn’t read). The JSON file is damaged or isn’t a resume. Check that it came from Reactive Resume or follows the JSON Resume standard. “Couldn’t reach the AI provider.” Your provider didn’t answer. Try again in a moment, or test the connection in Settings → AI & developer.