Sandbox release disclaimer: Some content in this article outlines how to use functionalities that will be publicly released to all clients at the end of January 2026. If you see differences between this article and your platform, check back at that time. Learn more about the release cycle.

Introduction

Certificates are official recognitions awarded to learners upon the successful completion of a course or learning plan. They serve as tangible proof of achievement and can be valuable at any stage of a learner’s career, demonstrating newly acquired skills, specialized knowledge, or ongoing professional development.

In your platform, certificates are directly linked to courses and learning plans, and you can manage their layout and structure through customizable templates. You can customize each template with a background image, text formatting options, and dynamic tags, allowing you to include user details, course information, completion dates, and other relevant data.

Once templates are ready, associate them with specific courses and learning plans so that when a learner completes that content, the platform will automatically generate and award one or more certificates based on the selected templates.

This article will guide you through the complete process: creating and customizing a certificate template, assigning it to courses and learning plans, generating certificates, and downloading them.
 

Creating and managing certificate templates

To create new templates or edit existing ones, press the gear icon in the top right corner of your platform to reach the Admin menu, then click the Certificate template item in the Settings section. 

On the Certificates page, you will find all of the previously created templates. Click New certificate to create a new template.

In the pop-up window, enter a code, name, and a description for the new template, then press Confirm. The new certificate template will be added as the last template of the template list.

To edit these details for an existing certificate, click the Edit icon (pen and paper) at the end of the template’s row.

To customize the layout of a new or an existing template, click on the Certificate template icon at the end of the template’s row. You will land on the certificate editor page. 

Design the certificate template layout as described in this chapter, then click Confirm to save your changes.

Once you return to the Certificates page, click the magnifying glass icon in the certificate template’s row to download its preview.

Static content and images

Start by writing the static text of the template in the Certificate template text area and customizing its format using the formatting tools available in the formatting bar. Please note that this text field uses the old TCPDF library, which does not convert fonts on the fly. List of supported fonts (opens in a new tab).

For better text alignment, organize texts in the template using tables. You can manually adjust both the width and height of each cell.

Use the buttons available in the formatting bar to add images (such as your company logo) to the certificate. Please note that you cannot include images from external URLs.

Dynamic tags

Enrich the static text of the template by copying and pasting the dynamic tags available below the text editor area. To avoid including extra formatting, copy and paste tags in plain text.

Tags are HTML placeholders that automatically retrieve and display information each time a certificate is generated. For example, by adding the tag [date_complete], the platform will automatically print the date when the learner completed the course on certificates.

Tags are grouped in four tabs: User fields, Course fields, Other fields, and Learning plan fields.

Notes on tags

• The tags in the User fields section include user additional fields, which are identified as [userfield_n].
• [course_certificate_number] tag is a unique alphanumeric code connecting the certificate issued and the user assigned to it. If the certificate is linked to a course, the code starts with C, if the certificate is linked to a learning plan, the code starts with LP.
• If you insert the tags [firstname] and [lastname] (User fields section), decide whether to activate the option Automatically update the certificate when the user's first or last name changes on top of the tags list in the User fields section. This ensures that for users who change their names or surnames from the My profile area or when Superadmins change them from the Users menu, certificates will be updated with the new values when users download them, unless the course triggering the certificate is protected by e-signature. This option is only available for Superadmins.
• The [lt_session_teacher_list] tag, designed to list the instructors of the last session a user completed, does not populate when an administrator manually sets the user's enrollment status in the course containing the session to Completed. This occurs because manually completing the course enrollment status does not automatically mark the session as completed. In such cases, consider using the [teacher_list] tag instead, which lists the course instructors.

Orientation and language

Use the options in the Orientation section to set the certificate layout to either landscape or portrait, and to define the template language.
 

The selected language determines the date format used in date tags, regardless of the option selected in the Date format section of the Date and time tab of the platform's advanced settings.

Background image

Move to the Background image area to optionally upload a background image for the template.

When using a background image:

• It is strongly recommended to test the certificate template by downloading a certificate associated with it and checking that the layout displays correctly in an external viewer.
• Begin configuring the template by uploading the background image, preferably before adding any HTML text.

When creating a template, begin the process by uploading the background image. We recommend doing this before inserting HTML text on the certificate. Once you have confirmed the background image is sized appropriately and ready, start adding the desired text and shortcodes.

In addition, pay attention to the following requirements:

Managing dates on certificates

The default date format output of date tags depends on the language selected for the certificate template. For example, if today is October 14, 2025, and the template language is English, the date printed on certificates when using any date tag will appear as 10/14/2025.

You can customize the format of the following date tags:

• [date_complete]
• [date_begin]
• [date_end]
• [certification_expiration_date]
• [lt_session_date_begin]
• [lt_session_date_end]

To customize the format, type one or more of the codes listed in the table below after the date tag, enclosed in quotes.

For example: [date_complete format:"d, F Y"] will display the date as 14, October 2025.

Associating the default certificate template to a course (Updated!)

You can associate one or more certificate templates to a course. If you associate a single certificate template, all generated certificates will share the same layout. If you associate multiple templates, you can use different layouts to generate certificates tailored to specific branches or user groups.

When a single template is selected, it becomes the default template. If you need to use multiple templates, you can add them after setting the default one.

To associate the default certificate template to a course, access the Admin menu, then select the Course management option in the E-learning section. On the main courses page, find the course for which you would like to add the certificate, then click on the course title to enter the course area, and move to the Properties tab.

Move now to the Certificate templates vertical tab and click on the plus button at the end of the Default certificate template field. Choose the certificate template you wish to associate to the course as the default certificate template and click Select to confirm your choice. Press Save changes when finished.

When you associate a template to a course, the certificate will be retroactively assigned to all the users who have completed the course when the association is set.

Associating additional certificate templates to a course (Updated!)

Assigning multiple certificate templates to a course allows the platform to generate certificates with different layouts, depending on the branch or group the learners who completed the course belong to.

This feature is particularly useful when you need to meet specific legal, compliance, or local requirements that call for distinct certificate formats. You can also decide whether learners can obtain the same certificate in different layouts (up to three) upon completing the course. 

To assign multiple templates to a course, while on the Certificate templates vertical tab of the course properties, move to the Additional certificate templates area and click Assign certificate template.

In the right panel, select a template, click on Next to choose the branch or the group of users for the association, and Confirm to complete the action. When selecting a branch, keep in mind that sub-branches are also included in the association. 

Repeat the association process for every additional certificate template you wish to associate. You can assign up to 50 additional certificates to a course.

The additional templates associated with the course are listed in the Additional certificate templates area. Click on the ellipsis menu at the end of the template row to download a sample-generated PDF or to remove the association with the course. 

Use the drag and drop icon to sort templates. The template sorting is important because when learners complete the course, the platform will issue a certificate using the first available layout associated with the group or branch they belong to. 

• If none of the additional templates match the learner’s group or branch, the default template will be used. 
• If you change the template order after some learners have already obtained their certificates using the first compatible template from the previous order, downloading the certificate again will issue it based on the new order. This may result in a different template being used.

If learners belong to multiple groups or branches, the platform will issue their certificate using the layout of the first additional template in the list that matches one of their groups or branches.

By default, learners receive a single certificate. Enable the Allow users to obtain up to three certificates upon course completion option to let learners belonging to multiple branches or groups receive up to three certificates (with different layouts) after completing the course. 

Use the Number of obtainable certificates dropdown to set the maximum number of certificates each learner can receive. As for single certificates,  the platform will issue certificates using the layouts of the first three additional templates matching one of their groups or branches.

Please note. If you disable the Allow users to obtain up to three certificates upon course completion option after some learners have already obtained the certificates in multiple layouts, if they try to download the certificates again, they will be able to download only one certificate, issued with the first certificate template matching their branch or group of belonging.

When you remove the association of a course with an additional template, the newly issued certificates will be generated using another associated template, if present, or the default template. The certificates already issued will be regenerated with the same logic.

Notes on additional certificate templates

• Power Users can add, download, or remove additional certificate templates or let learners belonging to multiple branches or groups receive multiple certificates, only for the resources they manage and only if they have visibility on all templates. If they do not have full visibility, the table will be displayed in read-only mode.
• You cannot add additional templates if no default certificate template is selected.
• To remove the default certificate template, you must first remove its association with all additional templates.

Associating a certificate to a learning plan

A learning plan can be associated with only one certificate template, meaning all learners who complete the plan will receive a certificate with the same layout. If you want learners to receive different certificates, assign the certificates to the individual courses within the learning plan, not at the learning plan level.

To associate a certificate to a learning plan, access the Admin menu, then select the Learning plans option in the E-learning section. On the Learning plans page, identify the plan you want to assign a certificate, hover the mouse at the end of its row, click on the ellipsis menu, and select Edit.

While in the Properties tab, move to the Certificate template section. Click on the plus button at the end of the Certificate template field. Choose the certificate template you wish to associate to the learning plan and click Select to confirm your choice. Press Save changes when finished.

After associating the certificate template to the learning plan, you can see its preview by clicking on Download certificate template.

When you associate a template to a learning plan, the certificate will be retroactively assigned to all the users who have completed the learning plan when the association is set.

Certificates for learning plans are issued only when a user has completed all the courses within a learning plan. This also applies if a learner is only enrolled in a few, but not all, of the courses within a learning plan.

To edit the certificate template associated to the learning plan, click on Edit at the end of the Certificate template field and select another template in the panel that opens.

To remove the association of a learning plan to a certificate, click on Clear input at the end of the Certificate template field.

Please note. If you remove the association between a learning plan and a certificate, all the users who obtained the certificate by completing the learning plan will lose the certificate. Be careful when performing this action.

Issuing certificates

Once a learner completes a course or learning plan linked to a certificate, the certificate becomes available for them to download as described in the learner article on certificates. 

The time required to generate certificates may vary depending on the platform’s activity level and the number of certificates being processed.

You can manually issue certificates or delete issued certificates with the following steps:

• Navigate Admin menu > Certificate template
• On the Certificates page, identify the certificate template associated to the certificate you wish to issue and click on the Issued certificates icon at the bottom of its row.
• In the pop-up window, select the course or learning plan from the drop-down menu. You will see a list of the learners who received the certificate for completing the selected content. 
• Select the users of interest. 
• Open the On selected drop-down menu and choose whether to issue certificates or delete issued certificates for the selected users. The action is applied immediately after you make your selection.

If a course includes training material that generates a score, the platform automatically regenerates the certificate whenever an administrator manually updates that score.

Tip. If you allow multiple attempts on training materials that generate a score for a course issuing a certificate, set a training material that does not generate a score as the end object marker, and make the scoring training materials its prerequisites. Once learners are satisfied with their score or have used all available attempts, they can complete the end object marker, which will mark the course as completed and generate the certificate with the correct score.

Downloading issued certificates

You can download the certificates issued for courses or learning plans with the following steps:

• Navigate Admin menu > Certificate template
• On the Certificates page, identify the certificate template associated to the certificate you wish to issue and click on the Issued certificates icon at the bottom of its row.
• In the pop-up window, select the course or learning plan from the drop-down menu. You will see a list of the learners who received the certificate for completing the selected content. 
• Click on Certificates available for download at the bottom of the user’s row.

You can download certificates for archived course enrollments as follows:

• Navigate Admin menu > Course management
• Identify the course and click on its title
• Move to the Enrollments tab
• Click Enrollment type > Archived enrollments
• Identify the user for whom you wish to download the certificate
• Click the ellipsis menu at the bottom of the user row and select Details
• Click Download certificate in the top right corner of the right panel

Tip. You can export your learners’ certificate history using the Export certificate history mass action from the Users management page.

Deleting issued certificates

You can delete the certificates issued for courses or learning plans with the following steps:

• Navigate Admin menu > Certificate template
• On the Certificates page, identify the certificate template associated to the certificate you wish to issue and click on the Issued certificates icon at the bottom of its row.
• In the pop-up window, select the course or learning plan from the drop-down menu. You will see a list of the learners who received the certificate for completing the selected content. 
• Select the learners for whom you want to delete the certificate using the checkboxes next to their usernames, and select the Delete all the issued certificates option from the On selected dropdown. 

This operation deletes the issued certificates from the Certificates menu. However, if learners still meet the requirements to obtain the certificate  (that is, have completed the course or learning plan), the certificate will remain available on their My activities and My transcript pages, and they will still be able to download it from there.

Updating certificate templates

If you update a certificate template, those changes will not affect the certificates that learners have already earned. To apply the updated template to previously issued certificates, you must delete and reissue them using the following steps:

• Access the issued certificates as described in the Viewing issued certificates chapter of this article.
• Identify the user for whom you wish to delete the certificate, select them with the checkbox before their name, then click on Delete all the issued certificates from the On selected dropdown.
• Select the same user again using the checkbox before their name, then click on Issue certificate from the On selected dropdown.
• Download the certificate by clicking the Certificate available for download button at the end of the user row to verify that the certificate was updated. 

Best practices

• It is strongly recommended to test certificate templates by downloading a certificate associated with them. When testing, remember that due to the way Firefox renders PDFs with embedded fonts, it is recommended to use another supported browser when testing certificate templates. In Firefox, the PDF will be automatically downloaded instead of being opened in the browser.
• For learners, showcasing achievements such as certificates on LinkedIn and other social media is highly rewarding. Providing the option to share them directly from the learning platform can also boost learner engagement. You can achieve this result using the badges of the Gamification app.