Free · Word and PDFCertificate of appreciation templates
For saying thank you properly: to a volunteer, a speaker, a mentor, a teacher or a colleague. 14 templates, every line editable in Word.
Want your logo, colour or signature on it? Press Customise to open any template in the free certificate maker.
Wording for an appreciation certificate
Lines for under the name. Copy one, then paste it over the placeholder in Word.
What to put on it
- Who it’s for, and who it’s from
- What you’re thanking them for, specifically
- The date or the event
- A signature from someone who means it
How to edit an appreciation certificate in Word
- 01Download the Word filePress Word on any template. It’s a .docx, A4 landscape, with its fonts inside.
- 02Enable editingWord may open it in Protected View first, as it does any download. Click Enable Editing.
- 03Type over the placeholdersEvery line is its own text box. The logo, seal and signature are pictures: delete them, or right-click ▸ Change Picture.
- 04Print it or save a PDFFile ▸ Print on card, or File ▸ Save As ▸ PDF to email it. Change the name and save again for the next person.
Questions
- What do you write on a certificate of appreciation?
- Name what they did. “For organising every Saturday session this spring” lands better than “for your hard work”. Keep it to one or two lines.
- Appreciation or recognition: which should I use?
- Appreciation thanks someone for what they gave (time, help, support). Recognition marks something they achieved. Pick the heading that matches; you can change it in Word.
- Can I change the heading to “Thank You”?
- Yes: click the heading in Word and type over it.
- Are these certificate templates free?
- Yes. Download as many as you like as Word or PDF: no sign-up, no watermark.
- Can I edit them in Word?
- Yes. The design is the page’s background and every line of text is a text box you can retype, in the template’s own font (the fonts are inside the file). The logo, seal and signature are pictures you can delete or change.
- Will they open in Google Docs?
- They’re made for Microsoft Word. Google Docs can open a .docx but may move the text boxes and swap the fonts, so for Google Drive, customise the template in the maker and download a PDF.
More certificate templates
Run training or courses?
In Knola, every person who finishes gets their certificate automatically: filled in, emailed and checkable. Free on every plan.