Help Center · Troubleshooting & Diagnostics
Troubleshooting PDF Upload and Parsing Errors
Fix issues where your uploaded PDF appears blank, produces scrambled text, or fails during browser extraction.
Troubleshooting Checklist
- Test if Text is Selectable in Your PDF: Open your PDF file in your browser or previewer. Try clicking and highlighting sentences with your mouse. If you cannot select text, your PDF is an image scan. (ResumeSkip parses text directly on your device. Scanned images contain no text characters. Re-export your resume from Word or Google Docs using 'Save As PDF'.)
- Use Our Resume Text Extractor Tool: Navigate to /resume-text-extractor and drop your PDF there to inspect the exact raw text stream extracted by the parser.
- Switch to Word (.docx) or Copy-Paste: If your PDF uses complex vector fonts, upload your original .docx Word file or paste the text directly into the 'Manual' tab.
Why Did My PDF Fail to Parse?
ResumeSkip prioritizes your privacy by extracting PDF text inside your browser rather than sending raw unencrypted files to third-party servers. The three most common causes of parsing failures are:
- Scanned Image PDFs: The document is a flat image without character encodings.
- Password Protected PDFs: Encrypted files prevent browser text decoders from reading data.
- Multi-Layer Canva or Photoshop Exports: Vector layout engines sometimes scramble reading order.