Secret Santa Generator
Draw names for your gift exchange, keep couples apart and give everyone their own reveal link. Free, with no sign-up.
English interface preview. Other languages are not yet fully translated.
Names and pairings stay in your browser and the links you choose to share. Anyone with a reveal link can read that pairing, including the organizer. Links cannot be revoked. Notes stay on this device. Do not share links publicly.
Your private reveal links
Add 3–200 people, set any exclusions, then draw names.
本工具使用方式
A Secret Santa generator assigns each person someone else to buy a gift for, while ensuring that everyone receives exactly one gift. This free online name picker handles exclusions, private sharing and optional chain pairing in your browser. It does not create accounts or ask for email addresses. Start with an agreed participant list and budget, then distribute individual reveal links rather than posting the whole draw to a group chat.
分步說明
- Enter one distinct name per line, or import a TXT or CSV list. Remove anyone who cannot participate before drawing. If two people share a name, add a distinguishing label. Names are trimmed and duplicates removed. Optional notes remain on this device and are never added to reveal links.
- Set couples or families as keep-apart groups, add one-way exclusions or required pairs, and choose random or single-chain pairing. Add the event name, currency, budget, exchange date and a short message. Import last year’s exported CSV if you want those pairings excluded this time.
- Draw names and send each person only their own reveal link. Recipients open it and press Reveal to see who they are buying for. Copy a link, show its locally generated QR code, or open your own messaging app. Check the recipient before sending; RandomX never sends email or SMS for you.
各選項的作用
| 選項 | 作用 |
|---|---|
| Exclusions for couples and families | A keep-apart group blocks every pairing within that group. One-way exclusions block only the chosen direction. Combining many exclusions can leave no solution: three participants with a two-person keep-apart group cannot produce a complete draw. The tool explains conflicts rather than silently relaxing your rules. |
| Random vs chain pairing | Random pairing can contain several independent cycles. Single-chain pairing connects everyone in one loop, so it also prevents reciprocal pairs. Avoid mutual pairs applies the same two-person restriction without requiring one overall loop. Difficult constraints may reach a bounded search limit; that is reported separately from a proven impossible draw. |
| Budget and virtual exchanges | Choose a budget together; $10, $20, $25 or $50 can be starting points rather than requirements. Specify a currency and whether shipping is included. For remote teams, use the message to explain timing and delivery arrangements. Keep home addresses out of publicly shared links. |
| Secret Santa wheel | Wheel mode presents the already validated draw one pairing at a time. It does not reroll a recipient independently or ignore exclusions. Because a shared screen reveals recipients, you must explicitly accept visible results before spinning. Use private links for a surprise remote exchange. |
資料與限制
Pairings are hidden by default, but the organizer holds the links and can choose to open them. Each link contains encrypted data and its key in the fragment after #; that fragment is not part of the HTTP page request. Encryption therefore protects the transport shape, not against someone holding the link. Organizers may explicitly reveal the table to export CSV, TXT or JSON and print cards. These files contain names and must be kept private. Saving is optional and local; there is no account backup. Redrawing does not revoke old links, so tell everyone which draw is current. Dedicated White Elephant and gift ideas tools are planned for a later release; this page runs a Secret Santa exchange only.
常見問題
大家最常問的 8 個問題。其他問題可以寫信到 [email protected]
Is this Secret Santa generator free? Do I need an account or email?
Yes. Draw names for 3–200 people for free with no sign-up and no email required. Pairing happens in your browser. This is a name picker for your real participants, not a generator of fictional names.
How do I stop couples or family members from drawing each other?
Select the people in a keep-apart group and add it. Nobody in that group can give to another member. Add one-way exclusions for individual exceptions, or require a specific pairing. A group larger than half the whole party cannot all give outside that group.
Can someone draw their own name?
No. Every successful draw assigns each participant exactly one other person, and everyone receives exactly once. Self-pairings cannot be enabled. If your rules cannot be satisfied, no partial draw is shared.
How does each person see their result without the organizer seeing it?
Results are hidden by default. Share each person’s own encrypted reveal link. The link contains its decryption key after the #, so anyone holding that link—including the organizer—can open it. This is a convenience privacy barrier, not protection against an organizer who chooses to inspect every link. Keep links private.
What if the draw is impossible with my exclusions?
The tool identifies a blocked participant, conflicting required pair, or constrained group when possible. Relax an exclusion, reduce a keep-apart group or add participants. Particularly difficult chain rules can hit a search limit; that message means the search was incomplete, not that impossibility was proven.
Can I redraw or avoid last year’s matches?
Import a previous CSV with giver and recipient columns before drawing. Every imported pair becomes an exclusion. Redrawing creates fresh links, but old links remain readable and cannot be revoked because no server stores the draw. Tell everyone to discard old links before distributing replacements.
Can I use it for a virtual or office Secret Santa? Does it send email?
Yes. Copy individual links or open WhatsApp, SMS or your own email app to share them. RandomX does not send messages for you. Reveal links work on another device without an account. The wheel mode is for a shared screen and requires you to explicitly allow visible results.
How much should a Secret Santa budget be?
Agree on a budget the whole group is comfortable with; $10, $20, $25 and $50 are useful starting points. Include the currency, exchange date and any delivery expectations in the event message. The dedicated gift ideas and White Elephant pages are planned for a later release.