User guide

Everything you need to create, send and find your certificates

This guide walks you through step by step, without jargon - whether you are the organizer issuing certificates, a colleague invited to help, or a participant retrieving yours. Every step is illustrated with a real app screenshot.

Updated October 8, 2026 Screenshots follow the selected language (FR / EN) - demo account, fictional data Click a screenshot to enlarge it
Guide contents

Before you start

e-Certif in two sentences

e-Certif creates and sends certificates (attestations, diplomas, certificates of participation…) to dozens or hundreds of people at once. Each certificate has a unique QR code: anyone can scan it to verify that it is authentic.

You do not need any technical skills: a web browser, an email address, and your participant list in an Excel file are enough. Allow about 20 minutes to send your first batch of certificates.

The organizer journey at a glance

  1. Create your accountFree, with 3 complimentary credits to try the service.
  2. Choose a templateA ready-made design, or your own image.
  3. Import the listAn Excel file with fullname, mail, organization, phone.
  4. Launch the campaignCertificates are generated and sent by email.
  5. Track and shareEach participant can find and verify their certificate.
The « Guide » link in the site footer.

Key terms

A few terms come up often in the app. Here they are, explained simply.

Organization

Your entity (school, company, association…). It groups your templates, campaigns, credits, and team members.

Organizer (administrator)

The person who created the organization account. They have access to everything, including the organization profile and invitations.

Invitee (member)

A colleague the organizer added to the team. They can create their own templates and campaigns, with limited permissions.

Participant

The person who receives the certificate. They do not need to create an account: their email address is enough.

Template

The certificate “layout”: its look, text, and signatures. Each participant’s name is inserted automatically.

Participant list

An Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file with one row per person. Certificates are generated from this list.

Email configuration (SMTP)

Settings for the mailbox that sends certificates. SMTP is simply the technical name for your email provider’s “outgoing server”.

Campaign

A bulk send: “this template, for this list, from this email address”. One click on Launch produces all certificates.

Credit

The billing unit: 1 credit = 1 certificate produced. Credits do not expire and are charged only for successful certificates.

Verification code and QR

Each certificate gets a unique code, printed as a QR code. Scanning it opens a public page that confirms authenticity.

Part 1

Organizer guide

From creating your account to sending certificates, then tracking each delivery.

Step 01 3 min

Create your account

Registration is free. It creates both your personal account and your organization space, credited with 3 complimentary certificates.

Create my account

Sign up

  1. On the home page, click Get started for free (or go directly to the registration page).
  2. Fill in the form: organization name, email, password, first name, last name, and phone.
  3. Check I accept the privacy policy, then click Create my account.
  4. Open your inbox: you will find a welcome message with a validation link. Click it to activate your account.
Organization name*
Your entity’s name (e.g. « Centre de Formation Démo »). It is stored in uppercase and may appear on your certificates. You can change it later.
Email*
Used as your sign-in identifier. Choose an address you actually check.
Password*
At least 8 characters. The eye icon lets you show what you type to avoid typos.
First and last name*
Yours, as the account owner.
Phone*
With country code, for example +229 01 00 00 01.
The registration form: all fields are required.

Step 02 1 min

Sign in

Once your account is activated, sign in with your email and password.

Sign in

Sign in

  1. Click Login at the top of the home page.
  2. Enter your email and password, then click Sign in.
  3. You land on your dashboard, with the message “Login successful. Welcome!”.
The login page. The link at the bottom « Sign in as a participant » is for people who receive certificates.

Forgot password

  1. On the login page, click Forgot password?.
  2. Enter your email and submit: a reset link is sent to you.
  3. Open that link within 30 minutes, choose a new password, and confirm it.
The password reset request.

Step 03 2 min

Get to know the dashboard

This is your home page once signed in: a summary of your activity and the menu to all features.

Open dashboard

The four counters

  • Participants: the number of distinct people who have already received a certificate from your organization.
  • Active Templates: your available certificate templates.
  • Generated Certificates: total certificates produced.
  • Emails Sent: certificates delivered successfully (sent by email or generated as PDF).

Below, the Recent Certificates table lists the 10 latest certificates. The eye icon opens the certificate; the Send button emails a certificate that was only generated.

The left menu

Campaigns
Create, launch, and track bulk sends (step 09).
Certificates
Find, filter, resend, or regenerate each certificate (step 10).
Credits
View your balance and top up (step 08).
Team
Invite colleagues and view members (step 11).
Organization
Logo, signatories, and default text for your certificates (step 04). Visible to the administrator only.
Template Gallery / My Templates
Browse and manage your certificate templates (step 05).
Email Config
Outgoing mailbox settings (step 07).
The dashboard for « Centre de Formation Démo »: counters, latest certificates, and navigation menu.

Step 04 5 min

Complete the organization profile

Your logo, signatories, and default text will be applied automatically on all your certificates. Do this once.

Open Organization

Enter the information

  1. In the menu, click Organization.
  2. Check the organization name.
  3. Click the Organization logo square to choose your logo (PNG or JPG, ideally 400 × 200 pixels).
  4. Add your signatories with Add a signatory: full name, title or role, and signature image.
  5. Click Save profile. The Certificate preview box shows the result.
Organization profile: « CD » logo, signatories Jean Dupont and Marie Lorem, and live preview.

Step 05 10 min

Create your certificate template

The template defines how the certificate looks. You can start from a ready-made modern design, or import your own background image.

Add a template

Option A - Start from a modern design (recommended)

  1. Menu My Templates then Add a template.
  2. Click Start from a modern design.
  3. In the Choose a design column, click the style you like (Prestige Doré, Teal & Soleil, Minimaliste Sombre…).
  4. In Customize, name the template and adjust the text: titles, body, place, date, signatories, elements to show (seal, logo, QR code…).
  5. Watch the Live preview: « Prénom Nom » will be replaced by each participant’s name. You can click an element in the preview to move or resize it.
  6. Click Save Template at the bottom of the form.
Creating a template from the « Prestige Doré » design, with live preview on the right.

Option B - Upload your own image

If you already have a certificate designed by a graphic designer (without names), import it as a background image.

  1. Click Upload an image, name the template, and choose the image (PNG, JPG, WEBP, or GIF, preferably A4 landscape).
  2. In the preview, drag the markers to place the participant name (green dot) and QR code (orange dot). You can also enter positions in millimeters.
  3. Set the name size, color, and font, then click Save Template.
« Upload an image » mode: settings on the left, preview on the right.

Find and manage your templates

Template Gallery shows your templates as thumbnails, with Preview and Launch a campaign buttons. The administrator also sees templates created by invitees, grouped by person.

The gallery: your templates, then those added by invited member « marie.lorem ».

My Templates lists templates you created, to edit, duplicate, or delete. The List linked label means a participant list is already attached to the template.

The « My Templates » list and its actions.

Step 06 5 min

Prepare the participant list

Certificates are built from a simple Excel file. Follow a few rules and everything goes smoothly.

Download a sample

Expected format

The file (.xlsx or .csv) must contain exactly these 4 columns, with these names in the first row:

fullnamemailorganizationphone
2Jean Dupontjean.dupont@exemple.comClient 1+229 01 00 00 01
3Marie Loremmarie.lorem@exemple.comClient 2+229 01 00 00 02
4Lorem Ipsumlorem.ipsum@exemple.comPartenaire 1+229 01 00 00 03
fullname
Full name as it should appear on the certificate. Check spelling and accents: this exact text will be printed.
mail
The participant’s email: the certificate is sent there, and they use it to sign in to their area.
organization
The participant’s entity (company, school…). Shown on the verification page.
phone
The participant’s phone number.

Where to import the list?

The list is attached to a template. You can import it in two places: in the template form (Excel or CSV file of participants field), or when creating the campaign (step 09). Importing a new list replaces the previous one for that template.

Step 07 5 to 10 min

Configure email delivery

So certificates are sent from your address (not an unknown one), enter your mailbox settings once.

Open Email Config

Two options

  • Managed Email e-Certif (paid monthly option): no setup; we send for you from infrastructure trusted by spam filters. Click Activate in the first box.
  • Your own mailbox (free): click Custom SMTP configuration and follow the steps below.
The Email Config page: « Managed Email » at the top, your personal configurations below.

Fill in an SMTP configuration

Configuration name*
A name so you can recognize it, e.g. « SMTP Centre de formation ».
SMTP server and port*
Provided by your email provider. Examples: Gmail smtp.gmail.com port 587; Outlook / Microsoft 365 smtp.office365.com port 587. For business email, ask your host.
SMTP username*
Usually your full email address.
SMTP password*
The mailbox password. It is stored encrypted. With Gmail, use an app password (see tip below).
Sender name
Name shown in the participant’s inbox, e.g. « Centre de Formation Démo ».
Email subject
Message title. {name} is replaced by the participant’s name.
Message body
Email text. You can insert {name} (name), {code} (certificate code), and {link} (verification link).
  1. Fill in the fields, then click Test connection: a green message confirms it works.
  2. Click Save.
A complete SMTP configuration, with a custom message using {name} and {link}.

Step 08 2 min

Buy credits

One credit produces one certificate. You start with 3 complimentary credits, then top up whenever you want: no subscription, no expiry.

Top up my account

Top up

  1. Click Credits in the menu. The blue banner shows your current balance.
  2. Enter how many certificates you want to issue (using + / − buttons, shortcuts 10, 20, 50…, or by typing the number). Unit price drops automatically with volume.
  3. Check the total on the right, then click Pay and pay by Mobile Money or card.
  4. Credits are added to your balance as soon as payment is confirmed. The payment appears in Payment history.
The top-up page: balance, quantity choice, price grid, and payment history. Prices shown here are examples.

Step 09 5 min

Create and launch a campaign

A campaign brings everything together: template, list, and sending mailbox. One click and each participant receives their personalized certificate.

New Campaign

Create the campaign

  1. Menu Campaigns then New Campaign.
  2. Give the campaign a name (e.g. « Formation Lorem Ipsum - Octobre 2026 »): it helps you find it later.
  3. Choose the email configuration created in step 07.
  4. Leave Send certificates by email to participants checked. Uncheck it if you only want PDFs (to print or distribute yourself).
  5. Click the template to use: it is highlighted in blue. The List linked label confirms it already has a participant list.
  6. If needed, import or replace the participant list in the last section.
  7. Click Create Campaign. It is saved as Draft: nothing is sent yet.
Creating the campaign « Webinaire Partenaire 1 - Session 2 » with template « Certificat Webinaire Partenaire 1 ».

Launch the send

  1. In the campaign list, click the green Launch button on the draft campaign.
  2. A confirmation dialog summarizes what will happen. Click Launch to confirm.
  3. A progress bar appears. Do not close the window: progress updates on its own. Allow a few seconds per certificate.
  4. When finished, a message shows how many certificates were sent and any failures.
The confirmation dialog, just before launch.

Campaign statuses

StatusMeaningWhat you can do
DraftThe campaign is ready but has not been launched.Launch, edit, or delete.
RunningCertificates are being produced and sent.Wait.
CompletedAll participants have been processed. The bar shows successes (e.g. 6/6).View certificates.
FailedA problem stopped the campaign (often email configuration).Check email configuration, then resend from Certificates.

The PDF only label marks a campaign launched without email delivery.

The campaign list: two drafts and two completed campaigns.

Step 10 3 min

Track and manage certificates

Every certificate produced is listed here, with send status and unique code.

Open Certificates

Search and filter

Type a name, email, organization, or code in the search bar, optionally choose a status, then click Search.

StatusMeaning
SentThe PDF was produced and emailed to the participant.
GeneratedThe PDF exists but was not emailed (« PDF only » campaign). You can send it anytime.
FailedDelivery failed (invalid address, full mailbox, SMTP issue…). No credit was used.
PendingThe certificate is being processed.

Available actions

  • Preview (eye icon): opens the certificate PDF.
  • Send / Resend: (re)sends the certificate by email, e.g. if the participant did not receive it.
  • Select several rows to Send selection at once.
  • Regenerate selection: rebuilds PDFs with the latest template version (useful after fixing a typo or changing a signature).
The certificate list, with search, status filters, and bulk actions.

Step 11 2 min

Invite your team

Get help: each invited colleague has their own account in your organization and shares your credits.

Open Team

Send an invitation

  1. Menu Team then Invite a member (top right).
  2. Enter the person’s email and click Send by email: they receive a message with the registration link.
  3. Prefer to share the link yourself (WhatsApp, SMS…)? Leave the field empty and click Generate link, then copy it.
The invitation dialog, with sample address partenaire1@exemple.com.

Track members and invitations

On the left, organization members and their role (Administrator or Member). On the right, recent invitations and status: Active (awaiting use), Used, or Expired. The copy icon retrieves the link for an active invitation again.

The Team page: three members and invitation history.

Step 12 1 min

Manage your profile and security

Change your password, view usage, or delete your account.

Open My profile
  • Click your name at the bottom of the menu to open My profile.
  • Account information: enter a new password (or leave blank to keep it), then Save.
  • Usage: number of campaigns, participants, templates, and certificates.
  • Danger zone: Delete my account permanently removes all your data (participants, certificates, campaigns, templates, configurations). This cannot be undone.
The My profile page.

Part 2

Invitee guide (team member)

An organizer invited you to join their organization to prepare and send certificates.

Step 01 1 min

Receive the invitation

The invitation arrives by email or as a link sent directly by the organizer (messaging, SMS…).

  • The email shows the inviting organization’s name and a button to accept.
  • The link is personal, valid for 7 days, and usable once.
  • You pay nothing: you use the inviting organization’s credits.
What you see if the invitation link has expired.

Step 02 2 min

Create your account

The link opens a form in the organization’s name. Your account is active immediately, with no validation email.

  1. Open the link. The box at the top confirms the inviting organization’s name.
  2. Fill in first name, last name, phone, email, and password (at least 8 characters).
  3. Accept the privacy policy and click Join the organization.
  4. You are signed in directly to the organization space. Next time, use the usual Login page.
The form to join « Centre de Formation Démo ».

Step 03 3 min

Work with the team

You use the same screens as the organizer (see Part 1), with a few differences to protect each person’s work.

What is different for you

  • The Organization menu item does not appear: logo and signatories are managed by the administrator.
  • In Template Gallery, you see your own templates, then those the administrator shared with the team (usable but not editable).
  • In Campaigns and Certificates, you only see what you created and sent yourself.
  • You share the organization’s credit balance, shown at the bottom of the menu.
  • You cannot invite other members.
The gallery as seen by member « marie.lorem »: her template, then those shared by the administrator.
Their campaigns only: the administrator's are not visible.

Part 3

Participant guide

You attended a training or event: here is how to receive, find, and verify your certificate. No password required.

Step 01 1 min

Receive your certificate by email

When the organizer launches the send, you receive an email with your certificate attached (PDF file).

  • The email comes from the organization that trained you (its name appears as sender).
  • Open the PDF attachment to view, print, or save your certificate.
  • The message may include a verification link: share it with an employer or school.
A real certificate produced by e-Certif (sample data): participant name, signatures, and verification QR code.

Step 02 2 min

Access your participant area

You sign in with your email address and a one-time code received by email. No account to create, no password to remember.

Participant area
  1. Open e-Certif’s Login page and click Sign in as a participant.
  2. Enter the email address your certificates were sent to, then click Send me a code.
  3. Check your inbox: you will find a sign-in code.
  4. Enter the code on the next page and click Verify and sign in.
Step 1: the participant's email address.
Step 2: the code received by email.

Step 03 2 min

View and download your certificates

All certificates sent to your address are in one place, regardless of which organization issued them.

  • Each row shows the organization, certificate type, status, and date.
  • Filter by organization or status, or search for a word, then click Filter.
  • The eye icon opens the certificate; Download saves the PDF.
  • Select several certificates then click Download selection (ZIP) to get them all in one compressed file.
« Lorem Ipsum » area: three certificates from two organizations, two selected for bulk download.
Certificate preview, with the Download button.

Step 04 1 min

Verify a certificate

An employer, school, or jury can verify in seconds that your certificate is authentic, without creating an account.

  1. Scan the QR code printed on the certificate with a phone camera (or open the verification link from the email).
  2. The e-Certif verification page opens and shows Certificate verified, with holder name, organization, title, issue date, and code.
The page shown after scanning an authentic certificate's QR code.

Roles

Who can do what?

Each person only sees what they need.

ActionOrganizerInviteeParticipant
Edit organization profile (logo, signatories)
Invite members
Create templates
Edit others' templates
Create and launch campaignsTheir own
View and resend certificatesAllTheir own
Configure email delivery
Top up credits
Download their own certificates

Certificate verification by QR code is open to everyone, with no account.

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions

How much does e-Certif cost?

Registration is free and includes 3 credits to try. After that, you pay only for certificates produced (1 credit = 1 certificate), with volume discounts. Credits never expire.

I am not receiving my account validation email.

Check spam. The link is valid for 24 hours; if it expired, try signing in: a new link is sent automatically.

My Excel file is rejected.

Check that it has exactly the 4 columns fullname, mail, organization, and phone (in the first row, with no extra columns) and that no cell is empty. The error message indicates the column and rows to fix. Use the sample file if in doubt.

My email configuration connection test fails.

Check server, port (587 most often), and password. With Gmail you need an « app password », not your usual password. If the problem persists, Managed Email avoids all configuration.

A campaign has failures: did I lose credits?

No. Only successful certificates are charged; credits for failures are returned automatically at the end of the campaign. Fix the cause (wrong email address, often) then resend from the Certificates page.

Can I edit a campaign that was already launched?

No: only draft campaigns can be edited or deleted. To fix certificates already produced, edit the template then use « Regenerate selection » in Certificates, and resend if needed.

A participant changed email address.

Update their address in your file, re-import it, and run a campaign for them alone. The participant will find the new certificate with their new address in their area.

My invitee did not receive their invitation.

Check that an active email configuration exists. Otherwise copy the link from the Team page (copy icon on the active invitation) and send it directly. A link expires after 7 days.

As a participant, I am not receiving a sign-in code.

A code is sent only to an address that has received at least one certificate. Use exactly the address given to the organizer and check spam. The code is valid for 30 minutes.

How do I know if a certificate is fake?

Scan its QR code: an authentic certificate opens the e-Certif « Certificate verified » page with the holder's name. If the page does not open or shows an error, the document was not issued by e-Certif.

Is the interface available in English?

Yes. Use the FR / EN selector at the bottom of the menu (or at the top of public pages).

Need help?

We are here for you

Chat with us

The chat bubble at the bottom right of every page connects you directly with the e-Certif team.

Write to us

A question about your account, a quote for a large volume? We reply within 24 hours.

Contact form

Ready to start?

Send your first certificates by following this guide

Create your account for free, use your 3 complimentary credits, and deliver verifiable certificates in minutes.