Your font choice affects two things simultaneously: whether ATS can parse your resume correctly, and what impression a recruiter forms in the first second. Most people overthink this — the best font is one that does its job invisibly. Here's what to use and what to avoid in 2026.

The ATS problem with fonts

Some fonts cause ATS parsing errors. Custom or decorative fonts can be misread character by character, turning your job title into unreadable garbage in the database. Script fonts, condensed fonts, and anything requiring a special download can all cause problems. ATS parsers work best with standard system fonts that have been around for decades.

The best ATS-safe fonts for 2026

• Calibri — Clean, modern, Microsoft's default since 2007. Excellent ATS compatibility. Slightly casual but universally accepted.
• Arial — The gold standard for ATS safety. No parsing issues, ever. Looks slightly plain but is completely reliable.
• Times New Roman — Traditional and trustworthy. Still preferred in law, finance, academia, and government sectors.
• Georgia — Slightly more elegant than Times New Roman. Good for roles where a more polished look matters.
• Garamond — Sophisticated and compact, allowing more content per page without feeling cramped. Good ATS compatibility.
• Cambria — Similar to Georgia but slightly more formal. Good for senior or executive roles.
• Helvetica — Widely loved by designers, good ATS compatibility, professional and modern. macOS/Adobe staple.

Font sizes that work

• Your name: 18–24pt
• Section headings: 12–14pt (bold)
• Body text: 10–12pt
• Minimum readable size: 10pt — never go below this

Fonts to avoid completely

• Comic Sans — looks unprofessional in any context
• Papyrus, Curlz, Brush Script — decorative, ATS-unfriendly
• Futura, Brandon Grotesque — beautiful but often not system-installed, causing rendering issues
• Any font smaller than 10pt — recruiters won't strain to read it
• Mixed fonts in the same document — pick one and stick to it

The simple rule

If a font came pre-installed on Windows or macOS before 2015, it's almost certainly ATS-safe. If you found it on a design website or had to download it, think twice. For everything else about formatting, see How to Format Your Resume for ATS and run your resume through CV Chackr to check for any remaining issues.