Choose a format
If you’re unsure, choose PDF. It’s the format most employers expect.
Download a PDF
In the editor bar, select Download PDF, or press ⌘ P (Ctrl P on Windows and Linux). The button shows Preparing… while the file is made, then your browser saves it.
The Download PDF button. The arrow beside it opens every format.
David-Kowalski-Resume.pdf. If the resume has no name yet, the document’s name is used.
In the editor, ⌘ P downloads the PDF instead of opening your browser’s print dialog. To print,
use Print in the document menu (see Print your resume).
Download another format
1
Open the Download tab
Select the arrow beside Download PDF (More download formats), or press ⌘ ⇧ E (Ctrl Shift E). The Download & history sheet opens on its Download tab.On a phone, select the resume’s name at the top left to open the document menu, then More download formats.
2
Pick a format
Select PDF, Word, OpenDocument, Markdown or JSON. Each option says what it’s best for.
3
Check the file name
The File name field shows the name recruiters will see. Change it if you like; the extension is added for you. Characters that computers don’t allow in file names, such as
/ or :, are removed as you type.4
Download
Select the download button at the bottom, for example Download Word. It shows its progress, and a message confirms the file name once it’s saved.
- Check has n things to review. You can still download. Check mode found issues on your resume. They never block a download; select Review to see them first.
- Also download the company cover letter appears when this resume belongs to a job application that has a cover letter. Tick it to get both files at once, in the same format.
- If a Word, OpenDocument, Markdown or JSON file can’t be made, the tab says so. Select Try again, or Download PDF instead.
What each file contains
- PDF keeps your template, fonts, colors, layout and page breaks. Hidden sections and entries are left out.
- Word keeps your content, headings and lists in an editable document. Visual details such as columns, colors and icons are simplified, your photo isn’t included, and hidden content is left out. Entries follow your Row order setting, but not the header layouts or accents; see Changing how entries look.
- OpenDocument keeps your content in an editable, simplified document saved as the open
.odtstandard for LibreOffice, OpenOffice and other open-source editors. It follows Row order without the entry header layouts or accents. Your photo isn’t included. - Markdown keeps headings, lists, links, bold and italic text. It leaves out hidden content and all visual design.
- JSON keeps everything: every section and entry, hidden ones included, your design settings and your private notes. To restore it, select New, then Import a resume, and choose the file. Importing creates a new resume; it doesn’t overwrite one.
Print your resume
1
Open the document menu
In the editor bar, select the resume’s name.
2
Select Print
Select Print. Reactive Resume prepares the same PDF you’d download and opens your browser’s print dialog. If
your browser blocks that, the PDF opens in a new tab so you can print it from there.

Print in the document menu
Downloads by visitors
If your resume has a public link, visitors can download the PDF from the public page, unless you turn off Visitors can download the PDF. These downloads show up in your statistics. See Sharing your resume with a link. The public PDF follows the web page’s contact-privacy settings. Your own exports from the editor keep your contact details, so check the file before sending it. As the signed-in owner, you can download your own PDF without entering the public-link password, even when visitor downloads are disabled.Export from the native app
Select Download in the editor to open Download & history, then choose File format and review File name. For PDF, select Share PDF; the system share sheet lets you send the file or save it to a storage provider. Other formats and linked cover letters need a connection. A local PDF can be made offline if its fonts and images are already cached. Share is a separate editor mode for publishing a web page.On the website, Download PDF, Share and their shortcuts are unavailable while you’re offline. They come back
when your connection does. The native app’s local PDF export has the offline support described above.
Related guides
- Exporting a resume to Markdown: what the Markdown file looks like and where it’s useful.
- Writing a cover letter: letters have their own Download tab in their Download & history sheet.
- Fitting content on a page: tidy up page breaks before you download.
- Exporting your data: download everything in your account at once.
- Importing resumes: bring a JSON backup back into Reactive Resume.