How to use
- Enter the participants, one name per line.
- Optionally list people who must not draw each other (one group per line), and add an event name, budget, exchange date and note.
- Click Draw names, then copy each person’s link and send it to them privately.
- Each person opens their link and clicks Reveal my match.
Options explained
- Who must not draw each other
- Each line is a group whose members never draw one another, for example a couple or a family living together. Separate names with commas.
- No two people draw each other
- Prevents pairs where A gives to B and B gives to A, so the exchange feels less like a swap. On by default.
- Show all matches
- Shows the full list to whoever has this page open. Leave it hidden if you are taking part yourself.
Examples
Office party, 12 people. Paste the names, set the budget to $25 and the exchange date, then copy each link into a private chat or email. Nobody, including the organiser, needs to see the full list.
Family with couples. List the family, then add one line per couple or household, such as Anna, Ben and Clara, David, Emma. Partners and people who live together never draw each other, so everyone buys for someone outside their own home.
Long-distance friends. Put each person’s shipping deadline or wish-list link in the note field, so it appears on every reveal page.
Organising tips
Agree on a budget. A single amount keeps gifts fair; $20–30 or £15–25 is common for colleagues.
Set the date first. Leave enough time for online orders — two to three weeks before the exchange works well.
Have a backup plan. If someone drops out after the draw, draw again and resend all the new links, because every match can change.
Frequently asked questions
Can the organiser take part without knowing who drew whom?
Yes. The matches stay hidden unless you click Show all matches; just copy and send the links.
What if I draw again?
A new draw creates new links. Send the new ones, because the old links show the previous result.
Is the draw fair?
Names are shuffled with your browser’s secure random number generator, and draws that break a rule are discarded, so every valid result is equally likely.
Are the names sent anywhere?
No. The draw runs in your browser and each result is stored inside its link. The name in the link is scrambled, not encrypted, so only send links to the people they belong to.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files and text are processed on your device and are never uploaded to our servers.