Merge to Certificates

How to merge presentations using Google Slides?

Mail merge to emails with a personalized PDF attachment based on a Google Slides template. This is ideal for sending certificates or for generating files for printing.

Video tutorial

Watch this quick tutorial or follow the step-by-step instructions below to find out how to mail merge certificate templates to Google Slides presentation files or how to mail merge to emails with PDF attachments.

If you have not done so already, install Mail Merge add-on for Google Slides

Mail Merge add-on for Google Slides

Mail Merge add-on is free to install, works from four Google Workspace apps with free 24/7 support, and it is packed with useful features that make mail merging easy. 

The steps below detail:

Step 1: Create mail merge template 

Create your mail merge template in Google Slides.

Step 2: Start Mail Merge add-on

Start Mail Merge by clicking on Add-ons > Mail Merge > Start to open the Mail Merge sidebar.

Step 3: Select source data

From the Mail Merge sidebar, click on Open Spreadsheet, and then select the Google Sheets file from which you want to merge data.

This can be a file from your Google Drive, Shared Drives, or any other file you have access to.

You can import your Google Contacts into a Google sheet by following the steps in this article.

Step 4: Select Google Sheet

From the Sheet drop-down menu, select the tab in your Google Sheet that you want to merge data from.

Step 5: Check source data

Make sure the first row in your Google Sheet contains column names (Name, Address, Email, etc.). These column names are used as *|merge fields|* in your certificate template.

To be able to merge, you need to have at least one row of data under your column names.

Step 6: Insert and format text or *|merge fields|*

Insert *|merge fields|* into your Google Slides certificate template by clicking in the desired location within the template, selecting a field from the Merge Field drop-down menu, and clicking on Add.

Repeat this step for all required *|merge fields|*.

*|Merge fields|* are the column names found in the first row of data in your Google Sheet. You can change the (font, color, size, etc.) of the *|merge fields|* in your Google Slides certificate template as you would  for regular text.

Once you have inserted all of your *|merge fields|*, you have two options:

Option 1: Mail Merge to emails with personalized PDF attachments

Overview

With this option:

Step 1: Configure emails

From the Mail Merge sidebar, click on Email Settings, and then:

You can further customize your mail merge email settings by sending emails on behalf of someone else.

Step 2: Create mail merge template

Click on Write Email Body to open the Email Body Template dialog box, where you can create the email body to which Mail Merge add-on attaches a PDF file attachment when you merge your emails.

Step 3: Type mail merge template

Type your email body template.

Step 4: Insert and format text or *|merge fields|*

Insert *|merge fields|* into your email body template by clicking in the desired location within the template, selecting a field from the Merge Field drop-down menu, and clicking on Add.

Repeat this step for all required *|merge fields|*.

*|Merge fields|* are the column names found in the first row of data in your Google Sheet. You can change the (font, color, size, etc.) of the *|merge fields|* in your email body template as you would for regular text.

Step 5: Save Gmail mail merge template

Click on Save to apply changes.

Step 6: Set filename for mail merge attachments

Click on Set Filename to open the Attachment's Filename dialog box, where you can set the filename for your mail merge Gmail attachment.

Step 7: Choose between static filenames and *|merge field|* filenames for mail merge email attachments

Select an option from the drop-down menu to set the filename for your mail merge Gmail attachments:

Click on Save to apply the changes.

Static Filename

Merge Field Filename

Step 8: Merge certificates as Google Slides PDF attachments

Select one of the options below:

A. Merge to a Test Email: This gives you a good idea of how your emails appear to recipients, before sending emails. It merges the first row of data in your sheet (that is row 2 since row 1 only contains column headers).

B. Merge to Emails: This merges and send all of your emails straight away.

C. Merge to Gmail's Draft Folder: This gives you the opportunity to check and edit emails, before you send them.

Click on Merge to start the mail merge process.

Option 2: Mail Merge to Google Slides presentation files

Overview

With this option:

Step 1: Open Options dialog box

From the Mail Merge sidebar, click on Options to open the Options dialog box.

Step 2: Choose between multiple files and single files

From the Merge Presentation Into drop-down menu, select one of the following options:

If you select Single file, proceed to Step 5.

Step 3: Set file name

From the Merged File Name drop-down menu, select one of your *|merge fields|* to use as the file name for your presentation files.

Step 4: Opt to create copies of Google Slides in PDF format

From the Save to PDF drop-down menu, select whether you would like to create PDF copies of your presentation files.

Step 5: Select a file location to save to

Click on My Drive under Save Merged Files To, to select a Google Drive folder to save your merged files (e.g., Merged Certificates).

Step 6: Save Google Slides mail merge preferences

Click on Save to apply the changes.

Step 7: Mail merge to create certificates

Select Presentations under Merge To, and then click on Merge to merge your certificates.

Why the Quicklution Mail Merge add-on is the best for mail merging in Google Docs:


Check out the other add-ons of Quicklution for Google Workspace, including Avery Label Merge add-on.