Can an ATS Resume Have Color or a Photo? What Actually Breaks Parsers

There's a lot of conflicting advice about color and photos on ATS resumes. Some sources say avoid all color. Others say color is fine. Almost everyone agrees on photos, but not always for the right reasons.

Here's the precise answer for each element, and why.

Can an ATS Resume Have Color?

Color itself does not break ATS parsers. A plain black-and-white resume and a resume with dark green section headers will produce identical parsing results, assuming everything else is the same.

The problem is not color -- it's how color is usually applied.

Color is typically added to resumes through:

• Colored backgrounds on sections
• Colored graphic elements and icons
• Text inside designed shapes or boxes
• Colored header bands created as images

All of these implementation methods use graphic or design elements that do break ATS parsers. The color is not the issue -- the graphic container the color lives in is the issue.

Safe to include: Bold-colored text in section headers, using standard text formatting. A section header that says "EXPERIENCE" in dark blue, formatted as plain bold text, will parse without problems.

Not safe to include: A colored header band created as an image. A sidebar with a colored background. Icons made from graphic elements. Colored progress bars representing skill levels.

The rule: if you added the color using a design tool rather than a font color setting in Word or Google Docs, it is probably a graphic element that will break the parser.

Should an ATS Resume Include a Photo?

No. There are two separate reasons for this, both important.

Reason 1: ATS parsers cannot read photos. Images are either skipped entirely or cause errors in the surrounding text parsing. If your photo is embedded in a text box at the top of your resume, there is a real chance the surrounding contact information is also skipped or scrambled.

Reason 2: US hiring law and bias. US companies are legally prohibited from discriminating based on protected characteristics including race, gender, age, and national origin. Photos make these characteristics visible in the application process before any evaluation occurs. Many US employers have explicit policies against considering resumes with photos, and some automatically discard them to avoid liability.

If you are applying to jobs outside the US -- Germany, France, parts of Asia -- the convention may be different and photos may be expected. Check the convention for your specific target market.

For US job seekers: remove the photo entirely. It does not help your ATS score, it cannot help your keyword match, and it introduces risk on both the parsing and bias dimensions.

What Other Design Elements Break ATS Parsers?

Tables. Many resume templates use invisible tables to align content. ATS parsers read tables strangely -- sometimes collapsing all cells into a single string, sometimes skipping columns entirely.

Text boxes. Content inside text boxes is often skipped or extracted out of sequence. Common culprits: contact info headers, pull quotes, sidebar sections.

Headers and footers. Document headers and footers (the areas above and below the page margins) are often ignored by ATS parsers. Do not put your name or contact information in a document header.

Icons and symbols. Bullet points made from custom icons, section header decorations, separator lines made from graphic elements -- all of these are invisible to parsers.

Skill rating bars. Visual representations of skill levels (circles, bars, star ratings) are images. The ATS cannot read "Python ●●●●○" as "Python: advanced." The skill may not be extracted at all.

The Safe Resume Design Checklist

• Single column layout
• Standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Georgia
• Plain text section headers (bold is fine)
• Font color for headers is fine if it's plain text
• No photos
• No tables (not even for alignment)
• No text boxes
• No icons or graphic elements
• No headers/footers containing important information
• No skill rating bars or visual level indicators

Frequently Asked Questions

What about LinkedIn's resume format?

LinkedIn's generated resumes are relatively clean and parse better than most Canva templates. They are not perfect -- the formatting is sometimes inconsistent -- but they are a safer starting point than most design-forward templates.

Can I use a horizontal line to separate sections?

A simple horizontal line created with underscores or the Word border tool in plain text is usually parsed without issues. A decorative line created as a graphic element will be skipped.

Will removing my photo hurt my application with human reviewers?

No. US hiring managers and recruiters do not expect a photo and are often instructed to discard applications that include one. Leaving it out is the professional standard for US job applications.

Related reading: Are Canva Resumes ATS Friendly? · Can an ATS Resume Have Columns? · How ATS Parsers Actually Read Your Resume