Basics
6
min read
Inside a Bulk Certificate Workflow: Using Autocrat, Comparing Tools, and Scaling Right
Key Takeaways
This blog outlines the most practical methods for sending certificates in bulk, removing manual work, errors, and cluttered email workflows.
Bulk certificate emailing is most effective when it’s automated, data-driven, and designed to scale beyond small batches and one-off events.
What You’ll Learn: A step-by-step guide to creating certificate templates, automating generation and email delivery with Google Workspace add-ons, comparing tools like Autocrat, Activity Messenger, and Smart Certificates, and knowing when to upgrade to a dedicated credentialing platform.
The Wauld Advantage: Wauld helps you move beyond PDFs by issuing secure, verifiable digital credentials at scale, complete with branding control, delivery tracking, and long-term credential management for growing programs.
Imagine hosting a webinar for 200 attendees.
Or completing a 500-student cohort-based course.
Now imagine opening a certificate file, renaming it, saving it, attaching it to an email, and doing this hundreds of times.
Many people start in the same way, which is also why they quickly look for a better alternative.
Universities and other large institutions are no longer the only ones that issue certificates. Today, certificates are used everywhere, including in online courses, workshops, employee training programs, and community events. But manual certificate creation can become slow and unscalable as participation grows.
This is where bulk certificate automation comes in.
The Most Well-known Starting Point: Google Workspace
Most people start with the tools they are already familiar with:
Google Docs or Slides → for certificate design
Google Sheets → for handling participant data
Gmail → for sending emails
Autocrat is the most trusted add-on to connect all these tools into a single and smooth workflow.
What Is Autocrat?
Autocrat is a free Google Sheets add-on that automates the process of creating documents and sending emails.
Initially developed for the education space by CloudLab, a well-known creator of Google Workspace add-ons, Autocrat has become one of the most popular tools for document automation, especially for certificates.
At first glance, it may appear to be a simple mail merge tool. But its true strength lies in its ability to connect Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, PDFs, Google Drive, and Gmail into a single automated flow.
Why Most Teams Start with Autocrat?
Bulk certificate issuance is commonly needed by educators, trainers, webinar hosts, event organizers, and training teams who want to send personalized certificates quickly and accurately.
When handled manually, the process often leads to:
Repetitive work
Naming and email errors
Hours of administrative effort
Inconsistent branding
Autocrat addresses this by automating certificate creation directly inside Google Workspace. For many teams, it’s the first step away from manual certificate creation.
Autocrat gained popularity because it:
Is free and easy to access
Works entirely inside Google Workspace
Requires no technical expertise
Handles repetitive document creation efficiently
However, it remains a general-purpose merge tool rather than a dedicated credentialing solution. As certificate volumes grow and needs such as branding control, verification, tracking, and resending become more important, teams often begin looking for more scalable alternatives.
Step 1: Create Your Certificate Template (Docs or Slides)
Before using Autocrat, you need a certificate template.
How to do it:
Open Google Docs or Google Slides
Design your certificate (title, logo, signature, layout)
Replace dynamic fields with placeholders such as:
<<Name>>
<<Course>>
<<Date>>
Important: Save this certificate in a dedicated Google Drive folder (e.g., Certificates → Templates).
Step 2: Prepare Participant Data in Google Sheets
Create a Google Sheet containing recipient data.
Common columns include:
Name
Email
Course / Program
Completion Date
Each row represents one certificate.
Step 3: Install Autocrat
Autocrat is available as a free add-on in the Google Workspace Marketplace and can be installed in minutes.
How to install Autocrat:
Open any Google Sheet
Click Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons
Search for Autocrat
Click Install and grant permissions
Once installed, Autocrat will appear under Extensions.
You’re ready to start creating certificates!
Step 4: Launch Autocrat in Google Sheets
First, click Add-ons → AutoCrat → Open
Click New Job, name the job, and click Next.
Step 5: Choose Your Certificate Template
In this step, select the template Autocrat will use to generate certificates.
You can:
Let Autocrat create an example template (useful for first-time users)
Select an existing Google Docs or Google Slides certificate from your Drive
Autocrat supports both Docs and Slides, giving you flexibility in how certificates are designed.
Step 6: Map Spreadsheet Data to the Template
You’ll map Google Sheet columns to placeholders in your certificate template, such as:
<<Name>>
<<Course>>
<<Date>>
Autocrat allows mapping of:
Text
Hyperlinks
Images (logos or signatures)
Each row in your spreadsheet generates one personalized certificate.
Step 7: Set the Output File Name
Next, define how the generated certificate files should be named.
Examples:
Certificate_<<Name>>
<<Course>>_Certificate_<<Name>>
Clear naming helps keep files organized, especially when issuing certificates in bulk.
Output Type can also be chosen according to preference:
Google Docs
PDF
Step 8: Choose the Google Drive Storage Folder
Select the Google Drive folder where all generated certificates will be stored.
Best practice: Use a dedicated folder such as:
Certificates → Issued Certificates
This makes certificates easy to locate and manage later.
Step 9: (Optional) Add Folder References
Folder references allow certificates to be saved in different folders based on spreadsheet values.
Useful if you:
Issue certificates for multiple courses
Want separate folders for different batches or programs
Step 10: (Optional) Set Conditional Rules
Conditional rules control who receives a certificate.
Examples:
Generate certificates only for rows marked “Completed”
Skip incomplete or invalid entries
Issue certificates only to passing students
This helps avoid accidental or incorrect issuance.
Step 11: Configure Sharing and Email Delivery
This step enables bulk email delivery.
You can:
Choose the email column from your Sheet
Write the email subject and message
Attach the generated certificate automatically
Set viewing or editing permissions
Certificates will be sent directly via Gmail.
Step 12: (Optional) Set Triggers for Automation
Triggers allow the merge to run automatically.
Common trigger use cases:
Run when a Google Form is submitted
Run at a scheduled time
Run when Sheet data changes
This enables near real-time certificate generation without manual intervention.
Step 13: Save the Merge Job
Once everything is configured, click Save.
Your merge job is now ready to run whenever needed.
Final Step: Run the Job and Send Certificates
Click the Run Job (Play button).
Autocrat will:
Generate certificates for each eligible row
Save them to the selected Drive folder
Email them automatically to recipients
Your Google Sheet will update with links to the generated certificates, confirming successful delivery.
At this stage, you’ve seen how Autocrat can automate the process of generating certificates and sending them via email using familiar tools. For small to medium batches, this workflow works well and saves countless hours of manual effort.
However, as the volume of certificates increases and requirements grow to include features like enhanced email tracking or conditional messaging, teams begin to look into additional Google Workspace add-ons built specifically for communication and automation.
This is where tools like Activity Messenger and Smart Certificates become relevant. Each tool solves a different issue, and understanding these differences helps you choose the right option for your use case.
Which Google Add-on Is Right for You?
While all three tools work inside Google Workspace, they’re built for different goals. Understanding what each tool is best at helps you choose the right one based on your workflow, scale, and communication needs.
Feature / Tool | Autocrat | Activity Messenger | Smart Certificates |
Primary Purpose | Document merge & automation | Email automation & messaging | Certificate issuance |
Built For | Educators, admins | Schools & organizations | Certificate issuing |
Email Automation | Basic | Advanced | Basic |
Conditional Sending | Yes | Strong | Limited |
Email Tracking | No | Yes | No |
Best For | Small batches & DIY automation | Communication-heavy workflows | Simple certificate issuing |
Scalability | Limited | Moderate | Limited |
How to Choose the Right Tool?
Choose Autocrat if you want a free, flexible way to generate certificates occasionally using Google Sheets, Docs, or Slides.
Choose Activity Messenger if your workflow relies heavily on emails, reminders, conditional messaging, and tracking engagement.
Choose Smart Certificates if you want the simplest setup focused purely on issuing certificates without complex automation.
Each of these tools works well as a starting point. However, as certificate programs grow and requirements like verification, branding consistency, delivery tracking, resending, and long-term credential management become important, teams often move beyond Google add-ons to dedicated digital credentialing platforms.
From Certificates to Digital Credentials
A digital credential goes beyond a downloadable PDF.
It is a verifiable, shareable, and secure proof of achievement that:
Can be verified online
Has a unique identity
Maintains long-term credibility
Scales across programs, cohorts, and organizations
This is where digital credentialing platforms come in.
Introducing Wauld: Built for Credentialing at Scale
Unlike Google add-ons that extend spreadsheets and emails, Wauld is a dedicated digital credentialing platform built specifically to design, issue, manage, and verify credentials.
Wauld helps organizations:
Design professional certificates and badges
Issue credentials in bulk without manual templates
Provide public verification links
Track delivery and engagement
Maintain consistent branding
Manage credentials long after they are issued
In short, Wauld is built for teams that have outgrown DIY workflows and want to treat certificates as trusted credentials, not just files.
Google add-ons help you start issuing certificates. Digital credentialing platforms help you scale, secure, and professionalize them.
