Secret Santa Generator
Type in the names, keep couples apart if you want to, and draw. Each person gets their own private link that shows only who they are buying for. No email addresses, no accounts, and nothing saved on a server.
How the private links work
When you draw, the page makes one link per person. Send each person their own link by text, WhatsApp, Slack or whatever your group uses. Opening it shows that person's name and, after one tap, the name they are buying for. Nobody else's match is in it.
The match is written into the part of the link after the # sign. Browsers do not send that part to the website when the page loads, so PickerSpin never receives the names or the matches. Nothing is stored on a server, which also means there is no account to recover if you lose the links. Copy them somewhere before you close the tab. This browser keeps the last draw, so you can come back to it on the same device.
Nobody draws their own name
This is where drawing from a hat, or spinning a wheel, goes wrong. If the last person left finds only their own name, the whole draw has to start again. The generator draws everyone at once and reshuffles until the result is valid, so nobody gets themselves and nobody is left with no one to buy for. The shuffle uses the Web Crypto random generator built into your browser, the same one the rest of PickerSpin uses.
Keeping couples apart
Most groups have a few pairs who should not draw each other: partners who are buying for each other anyway, flatmates, or two siblings who would swap. Add one pair per line, like Alex + Priya, and those two will not be matched in either direction. A line with three names keeps all three apart. If you add so many exclusions that no draw is possible, the page tells you instead of quietly ignoring one.
One thing to know if you are organising and playing
The organiser's screen lists who each link is for, never who they are buying for. But a link is just text, and the organiser could open someone else's. If that matters in your group, ask someone who is not playing to run the draw, or agree that the organiser opens only their own link. This is the same trust you place in whoever holds the hat.
Budget and date
Add a spending limit and the date of the exchange and both appear on every person's link, so nobody has to scroll back through a group chat to find them. Agree the budget before you draw. Changing it afterwards means telling everyone again.
Other ways to draw
If everyone is in the same room and you would rather spin something, the Secret Santa wheel works with one device passed around. For splitting a group into pairs for some other reason, the team generator deals names into groups of any size. Running a party around the exchange? Christmas bingo prints picture cards and calls the words, and you can spin the wheel to pick the winner of a door prize.
How to draw Secret Santa names online
- Add everyone - Type one name per line. Use a surname or initial if two people share a first name, because each person gets a link with their name on it.
- Keep pairs apart - Optionally add pairs who should not draw each other, one per line, such as Alex + Priya.
- Add the details - Optionally add a name for the exchange, a budget and a date. They appear on every link.
- Draw - Press Draw names. The page matches everyone so that nobody gets themselves and no excluded pair is matched.
- Send the links - Copy or share each person's link and send it to them privately. Opening it shows only who they are buying for.
Secret Santa Generator - questions
Is there a Secret Santa generator with no email?
Yes. This one asks for names only. Instead of sending emails, it gives you one private link per person, and you send each link yourself by text, chat or any other way your group talks.
Do I need to sign up?
No. There is no account and no sign up. You type the names and draw.
Can someone draw their own name?
No. The generator reshuffles until every person has someone other than themselves, and nobody is left at the end with only their own name.
Can I stop couples drawing each other?
Yes. Add each pair on its own line, like Alex + Priya, and they will not be matched in either direction. If your exclusions make a draw impossible, the page says so.
Where are the names and matches stored?
In the links themselves, after the # sign, which browsers do not send to the server. The organiser's browser also keeps the last draw so the links are not lost on a reload. PickerSpin does not receive or store any of it.
Can the organiser see who everyone got?
The organiser's screen does not show the matches. A link is just text, though, so an organiser who opens someone else's link will see it. If that matters, have someone who is not playing run the draw.
What if someone loses their link?
Open the generator again on the browser that made the draw. The last draw is still there, so you can copy that person's link again. Drawing again makes a completely new set of matches, so everyone would need a new link.
How many people can take part?
From 3 to 100 people.