What is an ATS and why does my resume design need to pass it?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software many employers use to screen applications before a human reads them. It parses your resume into plain text and fields. If your design relies on text inside images, unusual column layouts, or decorative formatting, the ATS can misread or drop parts of it. ATS Check reads the text and layout of your current page and scores how cleanly it can be parsed, so issues surface before you apply.

Yes. ATS Check is free to use inside the Canva editor. There are no paywalls in this version.

ATS Check — Score Your Resume Design for Applicant Tracking Systems

Three steps

From open to fixed in under a minute.

No export, no upload, no leaving Canva. ATS Check runs in the side panel next to your design.

1

Open the app

Add ATS Check from the Apps tab in the Canva editor and open the resume you're working on. Optionally enter a target job title and paste the job description.

2

Scan the page

Press Scan. ATS Check reads the text and layout of your current page and returns a score from 0 to 100 across formatting, keywords, structure, and readability.

3

Apply the fixes

Each issue comes with a specific fix. Copy it to edit yourself, or press Apply fix to write it straight into your design — only when you choose to.

What you get

A clear score, and exactly what to change.

Not a vague pass/fail — a breakdown you can act on, with the fix written for you.

A 0–100 ATS score

One headline number plus a breakdown across four categories, so you know at a glance how readable your design is — and where it's weakest.

A specific fix per issue

Every issue is rated high, medium, or low, explained in plain language, and paired with a concrete wording or layout fix — not generic advice.

Copy or apply, your call

Copy a fix to tweak it yourself, or apply it to write it straight into the design. The app never edits your resume unless you press Apply.

Match a specific job

Optionally enter a target job title and paste the job description. ATS Check checks how well your resume matches that role and flags missing keywords.

How it's scored

Four things an ATS cares about.

Your overall score is the weighted result of these four checks — each one a place a real resume gets tripped up.

Formatting

Columns, tables, text boxes, and decorative elements a parser may scramble or skip.

Keywords

Whether the terms recruiters and ATS filters search for actually appear in your text.

Structure

Clear section headings and ordering the system can map to fields like experience and education.

Readability

Font choices, sizes, and density that keep the text legible to both software and people.

Pricing

Free to use.

No paywall, no account beyond the Canva one you already have. Scan as many times as you need.

No paywalls in this version

$0

free inside the Canva editor

0–100 score across formatting, keywords, structure & readability
A specific copy-or-apply fix for every issue
Optional job-title & job-description keyword matching
Reviews the current page only — never edits without your input

Open in Canva

Coming soon to the Canva Apps Marketplace.

FAQ

Good questions.

What is an ATS, and why does my design need to pass it?

An applicant tracking system is software many employers use to screen applications before a human reads them. It parses your resume into plain text and fields. A beautiful design that relies on text inside images, unusual columns, or heavy decoration can be misread or partly dropped. ATS Check reads the text and layout of your current page and scores how cleanly it can be parsed — so you catch problems before you apply.

How does the score work?

You get an overall score from 0 to 100, broken into four categories: formatting, keywords, structure, and readability. Each issue includes a severity (high, medium, or low), a plain explanation, and a specific fix. It's a guide to making your design more machine-readable — not a guarantee about any one employer's system, since each ATS parses slightly differently.

Does ATS Check change my design?

Not without your input. The app reads your current page and shows suggested fixes. A fix is only written into your design when you press Apply fix on that specific issue — and you can always Copy fix instead and edit it yourself.

Does it work for any resume layout?

It works with the text and layout on your current page, regardless of which template you started from. Designs that put important text inside images can't be read by an ATS (or by ATS Check) — and that's exactly the kind of issue the scan is built to flag.

Do I have to paste a job description?

No. The core scan works on its own. Entering a target job title and pasting a job description is optional — it lets the app check how well your resume matches that specific role and flag the keywords you're missing.

What does ATS Check send to your servers?

Only the text of your current page, plus the optional job title and job description if you enter them, are sent to our backend to generate the score and fixes. Images, the rest of your design, and your Canva account identity are not sent. Full details are in the Privacy Policy.

Is it really free?

Yes. ATS Check is free to use inside the Canva editor, with no paywalls in this version. If that ever changes, we'll say so clearly in the app and on this page first.

Will your resume design survive the ATS?