# Generate Certificates from Google Sheets with a Template

Canonical source: [Generate Certificates from Google Sheets with a Template](https://printpiper.app/generate-certificates-from-google-sheets/)

Updated: 2026-09-22

Turn a Google Sheets completion list into a printable certificate for every attendee. Keep your certificate design as a reusable template, download the sheet as a file, and PrintPiper maps each row onto its own PDF page — names, courses, dates and reference numbers included.

**Before you start:** PrintPiper imports spreadsheet files; it does not connect to your Google account or read live sheets. Export a copy, then import that file. Nothing is uploaded — rendering happens in your browser.

## Export the Google Sheets list

In Google Sheets, open your attendee or completion sheet and use **File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)** or **Comma Separated Values (.csv)**. Excel keeps number and date formats most faithfully; CSV turns dates into whatever text the sheet displays.

Use one header row with columns such as Recipient, Workshop, CompletedOn and Reference. Avoid Google Sheets formulas that depend on other tabs — downloaded files keep only the calculated values. Freeze or delete summary rows so the file contains one row per certificate.

## Prepare the certificate design

Export your design as a single-page PDF or image with blank space where the recipient details belong. PrintPiper overlays text variables such as {{Recipient}}, {{Workshop}} and {{CompletedOn}} on top of that artwork. The worked example on the [Excel certificates guide](https://printpiper.app/generate-certificates-from-excel/) uses A4 landscape with a simple border — the same design works for a Google Sheets export.

## Map columns and generate

Save the template, choose **Import CSV / Excel**, pick the downloaded file, and connect Recipient, Workshop and CompletedOn columns to the matching variables. Select a row to preview how that person’s certificate prints, then generate the PDF batch and download every page.

Certificates print one person per page. Fifty attendees produce fifty PDF pages — no Word mail merge, no copy-paste, and the same template works for the next event’s sheet.

## Questions

### Can PrintPiper pull from Google Sheets directly?

No, and that is deliberate. PrintPiper never receives your spreadsheet data — imports run in your browser. Download the sheet once per batch and import that file.

### Google Sheets or Excel for certificate lists?

Both export to importable files. Choose XLSX to preserve date and number formatting; choose CSV only when every column is plain text.

### Does this work for diplomas and course completions?

Yes. Any one-page design that repeats per person works: training certificates, workshop completions, course diplomas or award sheets. See the [full certificates guide](https://printpiper.app/generate-certificates-from-excel/) for a five-certificate worked example.