# ATS file types and size limits, system by system > Which resume file types each ATS accepts, and how large the file can be, in one table. Every limit is taken from the vendor's own documentation. | | | | --- | --- | | Category | Original research | | Published | October 19, 2026 | | Reading time | 4 min | | Rendered page | https://atsprep.com/blog/ats-file-types-size-limits | | This document | https://atsprep.com/blog/ats-file-types-size-limits.md | Before a resume is parsed it has to be accepted. Each applicant tracking system decides which file types it takes and how large a file may be, and the published limits differ more than most advice suggests. This table collects them for the 19 systems we cover, with a link to the vendor's own page for each. Where a vendor publishes no limit, the table says so rather than guessing. ## The short version - All 19 systems accept PDF, and all accept DOCX. - The tightest published ceiling is 1 MB, in Oracle Taleo. - Greenhouse will take a file it then declines to parse: the parse limit is lower than the upload limit. - Breezy HR, Comeet, iCIMS, Jobvite, Manatal, Personio, Pinpoint and Recruitee publish no file size limit. ## File types and size limits Each system name links to our guide to it, which covers how it parses and what to do about it. Each source links to the vendor's documentation the row is taken from. *File types and size limits for the 19 systems we cover, from each vendor's own documentation. Limits are per file, as the vendor states them.* | System | Accepted file types | Upload limit | Parse limit | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ashby | PDF, DOC, DOCX | 50 MB | Not published | Ashby Docs, candidate files and file categories | | BambooHR | PDF, DOC, DOCX, BMP, XLS, XLSX, CSV, TXT, JPG, JPEG, TIF, RTF, TIFF, GIF, PNG, ZIP | 20 MB | Not published | BambooHR Help Center, supported file formats | | Breezy HR | DOC, DOCX, PAGES, PDF, RTF, TXT | Not published | Not published | Breezy HR Help Center, supported file types | | Comeet | PDF, DOC, DOCX | Not published | Not published | Comeet Developers, add a resume | | Dayforce | DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF | 5 MB | Not published | Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles | | Greenhouse | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT | 100 MB | 2.5 MB | Greenhouse Support, supported resume file types | | iCIMS | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, ODT, WPD, WRI, HTM, HTML | Not published | Not published | iCIMS developer documentation, binary files and text extraction | | JazzHR | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT, TXT | 5 MB | Not published | JazzHR Support, file upload troubleshooting | | Jobvite | PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTML, HTM, PNG, JPEG, JPG, GIF, XLSX | Not published | Not published | Jobvite Help Center, file formats supported in Jobvite ATS | | Lever | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT | 10 MB | Not published | Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes | | Manatal | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF | Not published | Not published | Manatal Documentation, resumes data import | | Oracle Taleo | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, HTML, ODT, WPD | 1 MB default, up to 5 MB | Not published | Oracle, Taleo Enterprise attachment permissions and settings | | Personio | PDF, DOCX | Not published | Not published | Personio Help Center, CV parsing for candidate profiles | | Pinpoint | PDF, DOCX | Not published | Not published | Pinpoint Help Center, upload a CV to an existing application | | Recruitee | PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT, JPG, PNG | Not published | Not published | Recruitee Help Center, upload and parse CVs | | SAP SuccessFactors | DOCX, PDF, TXT, TIFF, JPG, BMP, GIF | 5 MB | Not published | SAP Help Portal, uploading multiple candidate resumes in batches | | SmartRecruiters | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, JPG, PNG | 2 MB | Not published | SmartRecruiters Developers, posting an application | | Workable | PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, ODT | 5 MB | Not published | Workable Help, file types accepted on the application form | | Workday | PDF, DOC, DOCX, HTML, TXT | 5 MB | Not published | Workday careers site, resume upload field | ## File types: PDF and DOCX are the safe pair PDF and DOCX are accepted by every system in the table. XLS, CSV, TIF, ZIP, PAGES and WRI are accepted by only one. Accepting a format and parsing it well are different things. A PDF with a broken text layer uploads without complaint and then gives the parser nothing to read. Our research posts on PDF text extraction cover what goes wrong inside the file. ## Size limits: upload, default and parse Three different numbers get called the size limit, and the table keeps them apart. The upload limit is the largest file the form will take. A default limit applies until the employer changes it. Oracle Taleo ships with 1 MB and allows up to 5 MB, so the smaller number is the one most applicants meet. A parse limit is the size above which the file is stored but not read. Greenhouse accepts uploads up to 100 MB but parses only files up to 2.5 MB. A file between the two uploads without an error and arrives with no parsed fields. ## What to do - Send PDF or DOCX. PDF and DOCX work everywhere in this table. - Keep the file under 1 MB. That clears every published upload, default and parse limit here. - Remove what makes a resume file large: embedded photos, full-page background images and scanned pages. A text resume rarely needs them. - Check the file's text before you apply. A file that uploads is not necessarily a file that parses. ## Common questions ### Do applicant tracking systems read PDF resumes? Every one of the 19 systems in our table accepts PDF, according to the vendor's own documentation. Whether the text is read correctly depends on the PDF having a real text layer. ### What file types does an ATS accept? It varies by system. PDF and DOCX are accepted by every system we cover; formats such as XLS, CSV, TIF, ZIP, PAGES and WRI are accepted by fewer. The table on this page lists each system's accepted types. ### What is the ATS resume size limit? There is no single limit. The published ceilings in our table range from 1 MB to 100 MB. Keeping a resume under 1 MB clears every one of them. ### What file types does Ashby accept, and what is the size limit? Ashby accepts PDF, DOC and DOCX. Upload limit: 50 MB. Source: Ashby Docs, candidate files and file categories (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does BambooHR accept, and what is the size limit? BambooHR accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, BMP, XLS, XLSX, CSV, TXT, JPG, JPEG, TIF, RTF, TIFF, GIF, PNG and ZIP. Upload limit: 20 MB. Source: BambooHR Help Center, supported file formats (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Breezy HR accept, and what is the size limit? Breezy HR accepts DOC, DOCX, PAGES, PDF, RTF and TXT. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Breezy HR Help Center, supported file types (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Comeet accept, and what is the size limit? Comeet accepts PDF, DOC and DOCX. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Comeet Developers, add a resume (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Dayforce accept, and what is the size limit? Dayforce accepts DOC, DOCX, PDF and RTF. Upload limit: 5 MB. Source: Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Greenhouse accept, and what is the size limit? Greenhouse accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF and TXT. Upload limit: 100 MB. Files over 2.5 MB upload but are not parsed. Source: Greenhouse Support, supported resume file types (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does iCIMS accept, and what is the size limit? iCIMS accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, ODT, WPD, WRI, HTM and HTML. Upload limit: Not published. Source: iCIMS developer documentation, binary files and text extraction (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does JazzHR accept, and what is the size limit? JazzHR accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT and TXT. Upload limit: 5 MB. Source: JazzHR Support, file upload troubleshooting. ### What file types does Jobvite accept, and what is the size limit? Jobvite accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTML, HTM, PNG, JPEG, JPG, GIF and XLSX. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Jobvite Help Center, file formats supported in Jobvite ATS (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Lever accept, and what is the size limit? Lever accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF and TXT. Upload limit: 10 MB. Source: Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Manatal accept, and what is the size limit? Manatal accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX and RTF. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Manatal Documentation, resumes data import (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does Oracle Taleo accept, and what is the size limit? Oracle Taleo accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, HTML, ODT and WPD. Upload limit: 1 MB default, up to 5 MB. Source: Oracle, Taleo Enterprise attachment permissions and settings (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does Personio accept, and what is the size limit? Personio accepts PDF and DOCX. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Personio Help Center, CV parsing for candidate profiles. ### What file types does Pinpoint accept, and what is the size limit? Pinpoint accepts PDF and DOCX. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Pinpoint Help Center, upload a CV to an existing application (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does Recruitee accept, and what is the size limit? Recruitee accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT, JPG and PNG. Upload limit: Not published. Source: Recruitee Help Center, upload and parse CVs (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does SAP SuccessFactors accept, and what is the size limit? SAP SuccessFactors accepts DOCX, PDF, TXT, TIFF, JPG, BMP and GIF. Upload limit: 5 MB. Source: SAP Help Portal, uploading multiple candidate resumes in batches (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### What file types does SmartRecruiters accept, and what is the size limit? SmartRecruiters accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, JPG and PNG. Upload limit: 2 MB. Source: SmartRecruiters Developers, posting an application (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does Workable accept, and what is the size limit? Workable accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML and ODT. Upload limit: 5 MB. Source: Workable Help, file types accepted on the application form (checked Jul 30, 2026). ### What file types does Workday accept, and what is the size limit? Workday accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, HTML and TXT. Upload limit: 5 MB. Source: Workday careers site, resume upload field (checked Oct 19, 2026). ### Why did my resume fail to parse when the upload worked? Some systems parse only files below a size lower than their upload limit; Greenhouse's is 2.5 MB. The other common cause is a PDF without a usable text layer, such as a scan or a file whose fonts have no text map. ### How do I know which ATS an employer uses? Look at the web address of the application form. It usually sits on the system's own domain, for example boards.greenhouse.io or job-boards.greenhouse.io for Greenhouse. Each system's guide on this site covers its quirks. ## Check the file before you upload it. Free, in your browser. - [ATS resume checker](https://atsprep.com/tools/ats-resume-checker): Upload a PDF or DOCX and see the text a parser recovers from it, line by line, before an employer's system does. ## Sources and further reading 1. [Ashby: Ashby Docs, candidate files and file categories](https://docs.ashbyhq.com/candidate-files-and-file-categories), Ashby 2. [BambooHR: BambooHR Help Center, supported file formats](https://help.bamboohr.com/s/article/588048), BambooHR 3. [Breezy HR: Breezy HR Help Center, supported file types](https://help.breezy.hr/en/articles/5596777-supported-file-types), Breezy HR 4. [Comeet: Comeet Developers, add a resume](https://developers.comeet.com/reference/add-resume-to-candidate), Spark Hire 5. [Dayforce: Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles), Dayforce (formerly Ceridian) 6. [Greenhouse: Greenhouse Support, supported resume file types](https://support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/360052218132-Supported-formats-for-resumes-cover-letters-and-other-candidate-uploads), Greenhouse Software 7. [iCIMS: iCIMS developer documentation, binary files and text extraction](https://developer-community.icims.com/applications/applicant-tracking/binary-files), iCIMS 8. [JazzHR: JazzHR Support, file upload troubleshooting](https://help.jazzhr.com/s/article/File-Upload-Troubleshooting), JazzHR 9. [Jobvite: Jobvite Help Center, file formats supported in Jobvite ATS](https://help.jobvite.com/s/article/File-Formats-Supported-in-Jobvite-ATS), Employ Inc. 10. [Lever: Lever Help Center, adding and deleting resumes](https://help.lever.co/s/article/Adding-and-deleting-resumes), Lever 11. [Manatal: Manatal Documentation, resumes data import](https://support.manatal.com/docs/resumes-data-import), Manatal 12. [Oracle Taleo: Oracle, Taleo Enterprise attachment permissions and settings](https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/taleo-enterprise/25b/otrcg/c-attachmentpermissionsandsettings.html), Oracle 13. [Personio: Personio Help Center, CV parsing for candidate profiles](https://support.personio.de/hc/en-us/articles/360010193018-CV-parsing-for-candidate-profiles), Personio 14. [Pinpoint: Pinpoint Help Center, upload a CV to an existing application](https://help.pinpoint.support/en/articles/2639431-can-i-upload-a-cv-to-an-existing-application), Pinpoint 15. [Recruitee: Recruitee Help Center, upload and parse CVs](https://support.recruitee.com/en/articles/1109254-upload-and-parse-cvs), Tellent 16. [SAP SuccessFactors: SAP Help Portal, uploading multiple candidate resumes in batches](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/uploading-multiple-candidate-resumes-in-batches), SAP 17. [SmartRecruiters: SmartRecruiters Developers, posting an application](https://developers.smartrecruiters.com/docs/partners-post-an-application), SmartRecruiters 18. [Workable: Workable Help, file types accepted on the application form](https://help.workable.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012238108-What-types-of-files-can-be-uploaded-on-the-application-form), Workable 19. [Workday: Workday careers site, resume upload field](https://workday.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Workday/introduceYourself), Workday ## Related - [PDF vs DOCX resume: which one to send](https://atsprep.com/blog/pdf-vs-docx-for-ats.md) - [Why a scanned resume returns nothing at all](https://atsprep.com/blog/scanned-resume-pdf-text-layer.md) - [Dashes, ligatures and smart quotes: why resume text comes out garbled](https://atsprep.com/blog/resume-dashes-ligatures-smart-quotes-ats.md) ## About ATSPrep ATSPrep (https://atsprep.com) is a free resume and application workspace. Match experience to a posting, strengthen claims with evidence, and track the next action. Its PDF check shows text recovered by ATSPrep's extractor, not an employer's proprietary ATS or hiring decision. - **Price:** free. Checking, importing, editing and downloading cost nothing, and downloads carry no watermark. Everything listed here is free. - **Account:** none needed to check, import or edit a resume. A free sign-in is needed to download after the first file, to sync, and for more checks or more than 5 AI edits. - **Your file:** parsed and exported inside the browser. The resume file itself is never uploaded. - **Optional:** text leaves the browser only when you press a button: semantic match and AI edits (the lines involved), a job link (the link) and Pip voice calls (your speech). Never your contact details, and none of it is stored. - **Connection:** some tools load on first use and need a connection to download. Local storage is not a cloud backup. - **Accepts:** PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or pasted plain text. Start here: https://atsprep.com/studio