Free Secret Santa generator
Add names, keep couples apart, add wish lists, then send each person a private link that shows only who they’re buying for. No sign-up and no email addresses needed.
Draw names
How to draw Secret Santa names online
- Add everyone taking part. Type a name and press Enter for the next row, or paste a list. You need 3 to 100 people.
- Add any rules. Press Details next to a name to pick their partner (couples never draw each other) or tick people they shouldn’t draw, like last year’s match.
- Fill in the details (optional). Group name, budget, exchange date, a note for everyone and wish lists.
- Press Draw names. The draw happens instantly in your browser. Nobody, including you, sees the pairs unless you choose “Show all pairs”.
- Send the links. Each person gets their own link by WhatsApp, text, email or copy and paste. They tap Reveal to see who they’re buying for, with that person’s wish list, the budget and the date.
Your privacy: how this works
GiftShuffle doesn’t need anyone’s personal details on a server. Here is exactly what happens:
- The draw runs on your device. The names, emails and wish lists you type stay in your browser. The random draw uses your browser’s built-in cryptographic random number generator. Once the page has loaded, you can even switch your connection off and still draw.
- Each link carries its own details. A reveal link looks like
…/reveal/#v1.Xk2…. Everything after the#holds that one person’s match, the wish list, budget, date and note. Browsers never send the part after#to a web server, so our hosting never receives it. - Scrambled, not encrypted. The details are scrambled so a name isn’t readable at a glance, but this is not encryption: anyone who has a link and knows how it works could read it. The organizer creates all the links, so the organizer is trusted not to peek. Send each link only to its person.
- No email or text is sent by us. The Email, WhatsApp and Text buttons open your own apps with a message ready to go. Email addresses are never put into the links.
- Saved only on this device. Your groups are kept in your browser’s local storage (up to 20) so you can come back to them. Use “Delete this group from this device” or “Delete all data” whenever you like.
- Analytics. Google Analytics runs on every visit to count page views and feature use (for example “a draw for 6–10 people happened”). It never receives names, emails, wish lists or link contents. See the privacy policy.
What this generator does (and doesn’t do)
| Feature | How it works here |
|---|---|
| Exclusions | Partners never draw each other, plus any other “can’t draw” rules. Impossible rules are explained. |
| Fair draw | Every valid arrangement is equally likely in normal use. Nobody ever draws themselves. |
| Wish lists | Up to 300 characters per person, shown to their Secret Santa only. |
| Private links | One link per person, sent by WhatsApp, text, email or copy. No app or account needed to open it. |
| No email needed | Names are enough. Emails are optional and only open your own email app. |
| Saved groups | Up to 20 groups on this device, with “Duplicate for next year”. |
| Paper option | Print draw slips to fold and hand out at a party. |
What it doesn’t do: send messages for you, keep a copy of your group anywhere but your device, or ask anyone to sign up. You can redraw at any time, but links you already sent still open the old result, so send everyone their new link.
Tips for a smooth Secret Santa
- Agree on the budget and the exchange date before you draw, and put both in the details so they appear on every reveal.
- Draw about three to four weeks before the exchange, and earlier if gifts have to be posted.
- Ask everyone for a few wish-list ideas, plus anything to avoid (allergies, “no more mugs”).
- Send links in private chats, never in the group chat.
- Agree what happens if someone drops out: copy the template on the Secret Santa rules page.
- New to Secret Santa? Read how Secret Santa works.
Secret Santa generator questions
How does a Secret Santa generator work?
You type in everyone’s names, add any rules (for example couples who shouldn’t draw each other) and press Draw. The generator randomly assigns each person someone to buy for, so that nobody gets themselves and every rule is followed. You then send each person a private link that shows only their own match. Everything happens in your browser: nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
Do I need email addresses?
No. Names are enough. You share each person’s private link however you like: WhatsApp, a text message, a chat app or by copying it. If you add an email address, it’s only used to open a pre-filled message in your own email app when you press Email; the site itself never sends anything.
Can the organizer see who has whom?
Not by accident. The pairs are hidden after the draw, and seeing them takes a deliberate click on “Show all pairs” plus a confirmation. Be aware that the organizer creates every link and could open them, because the details are scrambled inside the link rather than truly encrypted. If the organizer wants to stay fully in the dark, they shouldn’t open other people’s links, or the group can draw paper slips instead.
How do I keep couples from drawing each other?
Open Details next to one partner’s name and choose the other person under “Partner”. Partners can’t draw each other in either direction. For other rules, tick names under “Who can’t … draw?”, for example to stop someone drawing the same person as last year. If the rules leave no possible draw, the generator tells you which people are blocking it.
What if we have an odd number of people?
That’s fine. Secret Santa doesn’t need pairs: each person gives one gift and receives one gift, and the gifts form loops (Alex buys for Sam, Sam buys for Jo, Jo buys for Alex). Any group of 3 or more works, odd or even.
Is my data stored anywhere?
Only on your own device. Your groups are saved in this browser’s local storage so you can come back to them; you can delete one group or everything with one click. Each reveal link carries its details after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server. The site uses Google Analytics to count visits, but it never receives names, emails, wish lists or link contents.
Can someone guess or read a reveal link?
Guessing one is not practical: each link contains its own random code. But a link is private, not secret: anyone who has it can open it, and the details inside are scrambled (obfuscated), not encrypted. Send each link only to its person. Changing even one character makes the link stop working.
What if I lose the links?
They’re saved with your group on this device. Open the generator in the same browser and your groups are there, links included. If you cleared your browser data or used another device, draw again and send everyone the new links.
More answers on the Secret Santa FAQ page.
Updated · Written by the GiftShuffle team