Best Resume Fonts for ATS (and Font Sizes to Use)

Font choice seems like a small detail, but it affects two things that matter: whether applicant tracking systems can extract your text correctly, and whether recruiters can read your resume comfortably in a few seconds.

The good news: you don't need to overthink it. A handful of common, clean fonts work everywhere.

Can a font really break an ATS?

Usually not by itself — but it can contribute to problems:

• Decorative or script fonts can have unusual character shapes or ligatures that extract incorrectly.
• Uncommon fonts that aren't embedded properly in a PDF can extract as random symbols or squares.
• Icon fonts (used for phone, email and social icons) often extract as meaningless characters.
• Very thin or very small text isn't an ATS issue, but it's hard for recruiters to read on a laptop.

If our ATS checker reports that your text came out garbled, an unusual font is one of the first things to change.

The safest fonts for an ATS-friendly resume

Sans-serif fonts (modern, clean)

• Calibri — the Microsoft Office default; clean and compact.
• Arial — universal and highly readable.
• Helvetica — classic and neutral (common on Mac).
• Roboto — clean and modern; default in Google Docs options.
• Open Sans / Lato — friendly and readable; available in Google Docs and Canva.
• Verdana — very readable at small sizes, but wide.
• Segoe UI / Inter — modern system fonts, fine if available on your machine.

Serif fonts (traditional, formal)

• Cambria — designed for on-screen reading; excellent for resumes.
• Georgia — elegant and readable on screens.
• Garamond — classic and compact; fits more text per page.
• Times New Roman — universally supported, though it can look dated.

Either category is fine. Sans-serif fonts are slightly more common for tech, startup and modern corporate roles; serif fonts suit law, academia, finance and senior roles. Pick one and use it consistently.

Fonts to avoid

• Script and handwriting fonts (Brush Script, Lucida Handwriting)
• Novelty fonts (Comic Sans, Papyrus, Chiller)
• Condensed or ultra-thin fonts that are hard to read
• Icon fonts used for contact details
• Mixing more than two fonts

Font sizes

Don't go below 10 pt to squeeze content in — cut content instead. See how long a resume should be.

Bold, italics and capitals

• Bold is great for your name, section headings and job titles.
• Italics are fine sparingly (for dates or locations).
• ALL CAPS works for section headings, but not for whole paragraphs.
• Avoid underlining except for links; it can look cluttered.
• Use one accent colour at most, and keep body text black or dark grey. ATS ignores colour, but readability matters for humans and printouts.

Line spacing and margins

• Line spacing of 1.0–1.15 keeps text compact but readable.
• Add a little space before each section heading.
• Margins of 0.5–1 inch on all sides.

Font tips by tool

• Word: Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Georgia and Garamond are installed on almost every computer.
• Google Docs: Arial, Roboto, Lato, Open Sans and Georgia are reliable.
• Canva: stick to Open Sans, Lato, Roboto or Arimo, and read is a Canva resume ATS friendly? before exporting.

When you export to PDF from Word or Google Docs, fonts are embedded automatically, so the recruiter sees exactly what you see.

Fonts and Indian names, symbols and currency

Indian resumes often include the rupee symbol (₹), names with diacritics, or text in Hindi or regional languages. A few practical tips:

• The ₹ symbol is supported by Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Georgia, Roboto and most modern fonts. If yours shows a box instead, switch fonts or write "INR" or "Rs." instead.
• Regional-language text (for example, if you list language proficiency) is fine to write in English: "Hindi (native), Marathi (fluent)". You don't need Devanagari script on an English resume.
• Special characters such as en-dashes in date ranges ("Jan 2024 – Mar 2025") extract fine in standard fonts; avoid unusual arrows and symbols between dates.

A quick font checklist

• One font family for the whole resume (two at most: one for headings, one for body)
• Body text between 10 and 12 pt
• Headings clearly larger or bold
• Black or dark grey text on a white background
• No icon fonts for contact details
• PDF exported from Word or Google Docs so fonts are embedded

Check your text extraction

Upload your final PDF to our free ATS resume checker. If any characters are garbled, if symbols appear where icons were, or if the text is unreadable, you'll see a formatting warning — usually fixed by switching to one of the fonts above and re-exporting.

Key takeaways

• Use common fonts like Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Georgia, Roboto or Garamond.
• Body text 10–12 pt; name 16–20 pt; headings 11–14 pt.
• Avoid decorative fonts, icon fonts and more than two typefaces.
• Export from Word or Google Docs so fonts are embedded, then test the file.