How to draw names for Secret Santa
- Add the people. Type a name in each card, or use Paste names for a whole list. Enter jumps to the next card. You need at least three people.
- Set the rules. Add couple keeps partners from drawing each other; Can’t draw on a card adds a one-way rule.
- Fill in the details. Event name, Budget, Exchange date, Note for everyone and each person’s Wish-list hint are optional.
- Press Draw names (or Ctrl+Enter). You get one private link per person.
- Send each person only their own link with Copy link, Share, Email or, on a phone, Text, and tick Sent to keep track. Each person opens their link and presses Reveal my person.
How the private links work — and why nothing is stored online
When you press Draw names, your browser makes the matches and writes each person’s match into their own link, encrypted with a key made for that link alone. The key sits after the # sign, a part browsers never send to any server: not ours, and not a chat app’s link preview.
A link works like a sealed envelope: anyone with the complete link can open it, so send each one privately, not in a group chat. A link changed by even one character refuses to open instead of showing a wrong name.
Exclusions, couples and “no swaps”
A couple added with Add couple never draw each other. A Can’t draw rule works one way, for households or a team lead who shouldn’t draw their own manager. No two people draw each other stops Alex and Sam from buying for each other. One big circle puts everyone in one loop, so gifts can be opened in turn around the room.
If the rules make a draw impossible, the tool tells you what to loosen instead of guessing. With exactly three people, every valid draw is one circle, so each person can work out the whole draw from their own match. Add a fourth person to keep the surprise.
Budget, date and wish-list hints
The budget, date and note travel inside every link, so everyone sees the same details. A wish-list hint such as “board games, good coffee” is shown only to the person who draws that name. On the reveal card, Add to calendar saves the date as a calendar file, and Remember on this device keeps the match in case the link gets lost.
Printable Secret Santa cards
For an office without a group chat, or relatives who prefer paper, choose Print cards. Each US Letter or A4 sheet holds four tri-fold cards: the name on top, a panel that folds over, and the match, budget, date and hint underneath. For a PDF, choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog. Whoever prints sees every pair, so if you’re taking part, send links or let someone else print.
Gift exchange generator for work, friends and family
Draw names, Secret Santa style, for any group from 3 to 100 people.
- An office team of 12: set a $25 budget and the date of the team lunch, then paste each link into a direct message. The organizer can join without knowing who drew whom.
- Friends with two couples: add both with Add couple and keep No two people draw each other on.
- An extended family: use Can’t draw so nobody draws their own household, print cards for the grandparents and send links to everyone else.
- Long distance: someone who agrees can put a delivery address in their wish-list hint, which only their Secret Santa sees.
Planning the party? Make holiday party bingo cards, split the room with the team generator, set the gift-opening order with the list randomizer or let the wheel spinner pick who goes first. To just draw names, use the random name picker.
What to look for in a Secret Santa generator
The best Secret Santa generator is the one your group will actually use. Look for one that needs no emails or accounts, handles couples and one-way rules, lets the organizer join without seeing the pairs, offers paper cards and says plainly where your list is kept. This one does all five, free.
Keep it fair and private
My events keeps your event in this browser only, and Delete this event removes it. Organizer backup restores everything, pairs included, so keep it private. Setup link gives a co-organizer the names and rules without the draw.
FAQ
How do I draw names for Secret Santa online?
Type everyone's name, add couples or anyone else who shouldn't draw each other, set a budget and date if you like, and press Draw names. You get one private link per person. Send each link only to its owner; it shows who they are buying for.
Do participants need an email address or an account?
No. Nobody signs up, and this gift exchange generator never asks for an email address or phone number. You deliver each link yourself: in a chat such as WhatsApp or a text message, by email from your own mail app, or on a printed card.
Can I stop couples from drawing each other?
Yes. Add couple picks two people who never draw each other in either direction. For one-way rules, use Can't draw on a person's card. No two people draw each other is on by default, so nobody swaps gifts with the person who drew them.
Can the organizer take part without seeing the pairs?
Yes. After the draw you see names and links, not who drew whom. Send yourself your own link like everyone else. You would see the pairs only through Show all pairs, Print cards or the organizer backup, and each of them asks you first.
What if someone loses their link?
Open the event in My events on the device you organized with and copy that person's link again; links stay there until you delete the event. If you cleared your browser data, use your organizer backup link or run a new draw.
Can I redo the draw?
Yes. Draw again makes a fresh draw with new links and a new draw number. Old links still open and show the old result marked Draw 1, so send only the new ones. To change names or rules, choose Edit people first.
Is our Secret Santa list stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser. Names, rules and links are saved on your device so you can come back later; nothing is stored on our servers. Each link carries its own encrypted match after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server.
How does the Secret Santa generator work?
Unbiased Wheel shuffles everyone with your browser's crypto.getRandomValues and keeps only a draw that follows all your rules, so every valid draw is equally likely. Each link then holds just its own encrypted match. With very strict rules, a step-by-step search still picks at random but can favor some matchings slightly.
Updated November 7, 2026