One of the most common requests I hear from eLearning developers is, “Can I automatically provide learners with a certificate once they’ve completed my Captivate project?” The good news is—yes, you can! Adobe Captivate includes a Certificate Widget that makes it easy to recognize learner achievement with a polished, professional-looking certificate.
Why Use a Certificate?
Certificates give learners a sense of accomplishment, especially when completing compliance courses, corporate training, or skills-based modules. They’re also helpful for organizations that want to document training completion.
When to Use the Certificate Widget
If you publish your project to a web server or other non-LMS environment, the Certificate Widget is an excellent option for providing learners with proof of completion.
However, most platforms already offer built-in certificate functionality if your content is hosted on an LMS (Learning Management System). In those cases, using your LMS certificate feature instead of Captivate’s widget is usually better—this ensures tighter integration with completion tracking and reporting.
Adding a Certificate in Captivate
Here’s how to set it up:
- Insert the Certificate Widget
- On the left toolbar, click the Widget icon.
- Select Certificate from the widget options.
- The certificate block will be added to your slide.
- Customize Certificate Visual Properties
- With the certificate block selected, select the Visual Properties panel on the right.
- Choose from the available certificate designs.
- Update placeholder fields for learner name, course title, completion date, and signature.
- Adjust fonts and colors to better align with your branding.
- Preview and Publish
- Preview your project to confirm the certificate looks correct.
- If you’re publishing to an LMS, test to ensure learner details (such as name and completion date) are displayed properly.
Best Practices
- Only rely on the widget if you’re not using an LMS. For LMS-hosted courses, use the platform’s certificate feature whenever possible.
- Keep the certificate design professional and straightforward.
- Test your project thoroughly in the environment where learners will access it.
- Use the built-in layouts as a foundation and apply branding updates through the Visual Properties panel.
Here’s a video I created that demonstrates the process of adding and formatting a certificate widget.
Final Thoughts
The Certificate Widget in Adobe Captivate provides a quick, no-code way to reward learners with proof of completion—especially when publishing to a web server or other non-LMS environment. For LMS-based courses, it’s usually better to let your LMS handle certificates so they’re fully integrated with your reporting system.
Need More Help with Captivate?
I offer live, project-based Adobe Captivate training and 1:1 mentoring for teams and individuals. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to master advanced features, I can help.