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Create a custom certificate

This guide explains what the custom certificate is and how it is created. It also details how you can build additional elements into your certificate to display to desired information.


The custom certificate allows the generation of dynamic PDF certificates to reward your learners. The custom certificate allows course editors to design their own certificate and setup pre-requisites for students to receive the certificate.

Follow the guide below for a step-by-step guide to setting up a custom certificate:

Create a custom certificate
  1. Go to the Moodle space and click Turn editing on.
  2. Click Add an activity or resource.
  3. Select Custom certificate from the list.
  4. Give the Custom certificate a Name and Description.
  5. Click the Options header to expand the section.
  6. Select whether to email a copy of the certificate to students or teachers using the Email students and Email teachers drop-down menus.
  7. Under Set protection, select whether to prevent users from printing, modifying or copying the certificate.
    1. Amend any other settings as preferred and click Save and display.
    Customise the certificate
    1. Click on the certificate activity in your Moodle space
    2. Click the cog icon in the top right.
    3. Click Edit certificate.
    Add a certificate template

    Use the certificate template provided and customise it to meet your needs, or alternatively design your certificate from a blank canvas.

    To add the template:

    1. Under the Load template header, select either the landscape or portrait template from the drop-down menu.
    2. Click Load.
    3. Click Continue.
    4. Your template will now be loaded. By default the width and height are set up for an A4 certificate. You may change the metrics to match your required size.
    Certificate elements

    Under Elements is a list of elements added to your certificate. You can edit, delete and move these elements using the relevant icons. The elements are rendered onto the PDF in order, e.g. your background image will be rendered first and so it appears at the top of the list.

    Add an element to your certificate
    1. Select the element from the drop-down menu beneath the Elements list and click Add element.
    2. Make any relevant changes and click Save changes.
    3. You can now edit or move the element using the edit icons to the right-hand side of the element.
    Reposition elements on the certificate
    1. Click Reposition elements beneath the list of elements.
    2. Drag and drop the elements to the desired position on the certificate.
    3. Click Save and close.

    You can click on the element to bring up a dialogue box and edit its properties, instead of going back to the Edit custom certificate page.

    Share a certificate to LinkedIn

    One of the common questions around Certificates is how to share them to popular platforms such as LinkedIn. The certificate must be set to Allow anyone to verify a certificate in the Customer Certificate settings.

    Students can follow the process for adding a certificate at the Dummies website.

    This process requires a Certification URL. On Moodle, this is the URL for the certificate download page which will appear in the format https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/mod/customcert/view.php?id=123456

    The information on this page relates to Moodle v3.10 and was last updated September 2021.

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