How to run a Secret Santa draw
- Type everyone's name, one per line. You need at least three people.
- Under Who shouldn't draw whom, pair up couples or anyone who already buys each other presents. Add the budget, the exchange date and a note if you like.
- Press Draw names. Each person gets their own link, and that link shows only who they give a gift to.
- Send every link with WhatsApp, Share or Copy. The list ticks off each link you send, so nobody gets forgotten.
- Each person opens their link, scratches the card and sees one name. Nobody else learns it.
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Who uses it
Families
Relatives in three towns and two group chats? Draw on your phone and send each person a link. Couples stay apart, so nobody ends up buying for their own partner.
Offices
Set a budget and a date, then send the links in private chats. Colleagues who work from home take part like everyone else, and nobody has to hand over an email address.
Classes and clubs
A teacher who isn't taking part can open Show who draws whom and keep the list, in case a child loses their link. Children without phones can get their name on a slip of paper.
Friends far apart
Friends in different countries can swap gifts by post. Put the posting deadline in the date and the address rules in the note, and everyone finds the details in their link.
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Questions about the Secret Santa draw
Is the draw fair?
Yes. Your browser draws the pairs with its built-in secure random generator, and every arrangement that follows your rules has the same chance. Nobody draws their own name, and the people you set apart never draw each other. The tool keeps drawing until every rule is met, so it never quietly breaks one, and nothing goes to a server.
Can the organiser see who drew whom?
Not by accident. The names are scrambled inside the links, and the list only shows who each link is for. Someone determined could still unscramble a link, because there is no server to keep the secret. If you take part yourself, switch on I'm taking part too: the tool will not show you the pairs, and you open only your own link. If even that is too much trust, ask someone outside the group to run the draw.
Why links instead of email?
Email means sign-ups, spam folders and typos in addresses. A link in WhatsApp, Messenger or a text arrives where people already talk, and it opens on any phone without an app. The link carries the result after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server.
What if the tool says the draw is impossible?
Your pairs leave no way to give everyone a recipient. The tool names the people who are stuck, for example four people who could only give to two others. Remove one of their pairs and draw again. With three people, a single couple is already too many: the third person would have to give to both.
Someone lost their link. What now?
The draw is saved in the browser where you made it. Open this page again on the same device and every link is still there, ready to send again. On another device the draw is gone, and a new draw makes new pairs, so everyone needs their new link.
Can two people draw each other?
Yes, just like slips of paper in a hat: Anna can give to Ben while Ben gives to Anna. Nobody can tell from their own link, so the surprise stays the same.
Does it cost anything?
No. It is free, with no limit on people and no sign-up. Once the page has loaded it also works offline, and the page your friends open to see their name has no ads at all.
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