Importing resumes - Reactive Resume

Reactive Resume can create a new resume from several existing file formats. Use import when you are moving from another tool, restoring a backup, or converting an older Reactive Resume file.

Supported import formats

Format	Requires AI integration?	Notes
Reactive Resume (JSON)	No	Best option for backups exported from the current version of Reactive Resume.
Reactive Resume v4 (JSON)	No	Use this for files exported from Reactive Resume v4.
JSON Resume	No	Use this for files that follow the JSON Resume schema.
PDF	Yes	Reactive Resume asks your configured AI provider to parse the file into structured resume data.
Microsoft Word	Yes	Supports Word documents. Reactive Resume asks your configured AI provider to parse the document.

<Info> PDF and Word imports depend on your AI settings because those formats are not structured resume data. Configure AI in **Dashboard -> Settings -> Integrations** before using those import types. </Info>

Import a resume

<Steps> <Step title="Open the Resumes dashboard"> Sign in and go to **Dashboard -> Resumes**. </Step> <Step title="Click Import an existing resume"> Select the **Import an existing resume** card.

<Frame caption="Import an existing resume dialog">
  
</Frame>

</Step> <Step title="Choose the import type"> Pick the format that matches your file. </Step> <Step title="Select the file"> Click the file selector and choose the resume file from your computer. </Step> <Step title="Import"> Click **Import**. Reactive Resume creates a new resume and opens it in the builder when the import succeeds. </Step> </Steps>

Choose the right import type

If you have a file exported from Reactive Resume, choose Reactive Resume (JSON). This preserves the most information because the file already matches Reactive Resume's data model.

If you are coming from Reactive Resume v4, choose Reactive Resume v4 (JSON).

If your file is a standard JSON Resume document, choose JSON Resume.

If you only have a PDF or Word document, choose PDF or Microsoft Word. After import, review every section carefully. AI parsing can save time, but it can also miss details, change wording, or place content in the wrong section.

<Warning> Always review an imported resume before sharing or exporting it. This is especially important for PDF and Word imports. </Warning>

Troubleshooting

The PDF or Word import says AI must be enabled

Open Dashboard -> Settings -> Integrations, fill in your AI provider settings, test the connection, and enable AI features.

The imported resume is incomplete

Try importing a cleaner source file. Simple resumes with selectable text import more reliably than scanned documents, image-heavy PDFs, or files with complex tables.

The JSON file is rejected

Make sure you selected the correct JSON import type. A Reactive Resume JSON export, a Reactive Resume v4 JSON export, and a JSON Resume file are different formats.