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Generate personalized certificates for course completions, event attendance, or awards using Google Sheets as your data source with batch processing.

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What You’ll Build

By the end of this guide, you will have an automation that:
  • Generates individual PDF certificates for each row in a Google Sheet
  • Personalizes each certificate with the recipient’s name, date, and other details
  • Stores PDF links back in the spreadsheet
  • Supports batch generation for processing hundreds of certificates at once

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Prerequisites

  • A DocsAutomator account (sign up here)
  • A Google account (for both the template and spreadsheet)

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Step-by-Step Setup

1

Create the Google Doc Template

Design a certificate template in Google Docs. Use placeholders for dynamic content:
PlaceholderPurposeExample Value
{{recipient_name}}Certificate recipientJane Smith
{{course_name}}Course or event nameAdvanced Data Analysis
{{completion_date}}Date of completionJanuary 15, 2025
{{certificate_id}}Unique certificate numberCERT-2025-001
{{instructor_name}}Instructor or issuerDr. John Doe
{{image_signature}}Instructor signature image(signature image URL)
{{image_logo}}Organization logo(logo image URL)
Use tables with hidden borders (0pt border width) to precisely position elements like the recipient name, date, and signature on your certificate design.
2

Prepare Your Google Sheet

Create a spreadsheet with a header row and one row per certificate recipient:
Recipient NameCourse NameCompletion DateCertificate IDInstructorSignature URLLogo URLPDF Link
Jane SmithAdvanced Data AnalysisJanuary 15, 2025CERT-2025-001Dr. John Doehttps://…https://…
Bob JohnsonAdvanced Data AnalysisJanuary 15, 2025CERT-2025-002Dr. John Doehttps://…https://…
The PDF Link column should be left empty — DocsAutomator will populate it with the generated PDF URL.
3

Create the Automation in DocsAutomator

  1. Click + New Automation in your DocsAutomator dashboard
  2. Name it something like “Course Certificates”
  3. Select Google Sheets as the data source
  4. Connect your Google account if not already connected
4

Configure the Template

Select your Google Doc certificate template. DocsAutomator will detect all {{placeholder}} tags in the document.
5

Select Your Spreadsheet and Configure Columns

  1. Choose your Google Spreadsheet from the list
  2. Select the Primary Sheet containing your certificate data
  3. Configure key columns:
    • Primary Column: The column that uniquely identifies each row (e.g., Certificate ID)
    • Document Name Column: Determines the generated file name (e.g., Certificate ID or Recipient Name)
    • PDF Link Column: Where the generated PDF URL will be stored (e.g., PDF Link)
6

Map Placeholders to Columns

Connect each template placeholder to a spreadsheet column:
  • {{recipient_name}} to “Recipient Name”
  • {{course_name}} to “Course Name”
  • {{completion_date}} to “Completion Date”
  • {{certificate_id}} to “Certificate ID”
  • {{instructor_name}} to “Instructor”
  • {{image_signature}} to “Signature URL”
  • {{image_logo}} to “Logo URL”
Use the AI Field Mapping button to auto-suggest mappings based on placeholder and column names.
7

Generate a Preview

Select a row from the preview panel and generate a test certificate. Verify that:
  • The recipient name displays correctly
  • Images (logo, signature) render at the right size
  • Date formatting matches your requirements
  • The overall layout looks professional
8

Configure Output Actions

  • PDF Link: Already configured to write back to your spreadsheet
  • Save to Google Drive (optional): Select a Drive folder to store all generated certificate PDFs
  • Send Email (optional): Enable to automatically email each certificate to the recipient
If you add an email column to your sheet, you can use the {{email}} placeholder as the email recipient to send each person their certificate automatically.
9

Set Up Batch Generation

For generating certificates in bulk, use one of these methods:

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Batch Processing Tips

The queue system handles rate limiting automatically. For batches of hundreds or thousands of certificates, the Apps Script method is recommended because it processes rows sequentially and tracks progress in the sheet.
As each certificate is generated, the PDF link is written back to the sheet. You can monitor progress by watching the PDF Link column fill in. Check the Run History in DocsAutomator for detailed logs.
If a row fails to generate, the PDF Link column will remain empty for that row. Check the Run History for error details, fix the data, and regenerate just the failed rows.

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Next Steps

Dynamic Images

Add recipient photos or custom graphics

Send Email

Email certificates to recipients automatically

Save PDFs to Drive

Archive all certificates in Google Drive

PDF Expiration

Configure storage duration for generated PDFs
Last modified on February 10, 2026