# Import failed on a scanned PDF

> A scanned PDF is a picture of each page, so there's no text for Rolebranch to read. Export the CV as a PDF from the original document, upload the DOCX, or import its text as a plain text file.

Help centre: Getting started · State: a known limit of the product · Updated 2026-09-30 · Source: https://rolebranch.com/help/getting-started/scanned-pdf

## Why it happens

Import reads the text inside PDF and Word files. A scanned PDF, or one made by printing a screenshot, has no text layer: each page is a picture. Rolebranch doesn't run text recognition on pictures yet, so there may be nothing to read.

## What to do

1. Open the original in Word, Pages or Google Docs and export it as PDF, or upload the DOCX itself. Files up to 10 MB work.
2. No original? Put the text in a plain text file (**.txt**) and import that, or run the scan through a text-recognition tool you trust and save the result as text. Headings like Experience and Education help import split it correctly.
3. Check what import found on the review step. Nothing replaces your master CV until you save it.

## If that doesn't work

Send us the file name and the message you saw. Import is free, so nothing was charged.