Sensei LMS Certificate Not Issued with WPML? Here Is the Fix

Sensei LMS certificates are an important feature that rewards students with a downloadable PDF upon course completion. When everything works correctly, the certificate is generated automatically and made available to the student. However, when WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) is active, many users report that certificates are never issued, even though the student has completed all course requirements [citation:10].

This problem has been confirmed by both Sensei LMS users and WPML support. When WPML is disabled, Sensei LMS certificates work perfectly. When WPML is re-enabled, the certificate issue returns. The problem affects the Sensei LMS Certificates add-on specifically, and there is currently no official compatibility between Sensei LMS and WPML [citation:10].

The most common cause of this problem is that Sensei LMS is not officially compatible with WPML. According to WPML support, the Sensei plugin is currently not compatible with WPML, and they recommend contacting the Sensei LMS developer to request official compatibility through the GoGlobal program [citation:10].

Why Sensei LMS certificates fail with WPML active

Sensei LMS and WPML both modify the WordPress permalink structure and content handling in ways that can conflict. When a student completes a course, Sensei LMS triggers the certificate generation function, which uses the course and student IDs to create the PDF. WPML may alter these IDs or the URL structure in a way that prevents Sensei from correctly identifying the completed course and student, resulting in no certificate being generated [citation:10].

The issue is specific to the certificate functionality; other parts of Sensei LMS may work correctly with WPML. However, for course sites that rely on certificates as proof of completion, this incompatibility is a major obstacle. The problem has been reported multiple times on WordPress support forums, and no official fix has been released from either plugin developer at the time of writing [citation:10].

WPML support has acknowledged the issue and stated that Sensei is currently not compatible with WPML. They recommend that users contact the Sensei developer and ask them to join the WPML GoGlobal program, which would provide resources and support for making the plugin officially compatible [citation:10].

How to test if WPML is causing the certificate issue

Temporarily deactivate WPML on a staging copy of the website. Complete a test course as a student and check if the certificate generates correctly. If the certificate works with WPML disabled, the conflict is confirmed. This test should be performed on a staging site, not on the live production site, to avoid disrupting multilingual functionality for existing students.

Step by step guide to working around Sensei LMS certificate issues

Since there is no official fix for the Sensei LMS and WPML incompatibility, these workarounds can help you continue using both plugins while minimizing the impact of the certificate issue.

• Create a dedicated course completion page without WPML translations for certificate generation
• Manually issue certificates to students using the Sensei LMS admin interface
• Use a third-party certificate plugin that is officially compatible with WPML
• Disable WPML on the certificate generation endpoint if technically feasible
• Contact Sensei LMS support and request WPML compatibility (more requests increase priority)
• Consider using an alternative LMS plugin that is officially compatible with WPML
• Set up a separate WordPress installation for the multilingual version without certificate functionality
• Use a different translation plugin like TranslatePress to test if the issue is WPML-specific

How to manually issue Sensei LMS certificates to students

If automatic certificate generation fails, you can manually issue certificates from the Sensei LMS admin interface. Navigate to Sensei LMS → Reports → Courses and find the completed course. Locate the student who completed the course and use the “Issue Certificate” button if available. If the button is not present, you may need to use the Sensei LMS Certificates add-on’s manual issuance feature or generate PDF certificates externally using a template.

Sensei LMS certificate troubleshooting reference table

Here is a reference table for diagnosing certificate problems in Sensei LMS based on specific symptoms you might encounter.

For more information about Sensei LMS configuration, visit the Sensei LMS page on wpwizzy.com.

Preventing Sensei LMS certificate problems in the future

Before committing to Sensei LMS for a multilingual course website, test certificate functionality thoroughly with your chosen translation plugin. If certificates are critical for your courses, consider using an LMS plugin that is officially compatible with WPML, such as LearnDash or Tutor LMS, which have better multilingual support. Regularly check the Sensei LMS and WPML changelogs for announcements of official compatibility.

If you must use both plugins, set up a manual certificate issuance workflow for students who complete courses in non-default languages. Document the workaround for your support team so they can assist students who report missing certificates. Consider using a different translation approach, such as creating separate WordPress installations for each language, if certificates are essential and no other workaround is acceptable.