Secret Santa Generator
Draw names with couples kept apart and no two people drawing each other. Everyone gets a private link that opens like a present; nobody is shown the full list, not even you.
Put everyone's name in the hat, keep couples apart, set a budget and a date, and draw. Each person gets a private link that opens like a present to show who they've drawn, and nothing else. Nobody sees the whole list, not even you.
There is no sign-up and nothing is stored on our servers: the draw happens on your device and each link carries only one person's result. Send the links by WhatsApp or email, then forget about it until the party.
How the draw works
Every name buys for exactly one other name and is bought for by exactly one, with nobody drawing themselves. Pairs you have kept apart (a couple, two housemates, last year's match) are never matched in either direction.
By default no two people draw each other, because a pair who swap each learn who their own Santa is the moment they see the other's gift. With a small group and a lot of exclusions there is sometimes no such draw, so the tool allows swaps for that draw and tells you. You can also switch swaps on yourself if you don't mind.
The draw is picked at random from the arrangements that obey the rules. Keeping a pair apart does shift the odds a little for everyone else, as it must: if Alice can't draw Bob, someone else has to. Redraw shuffles the whole hat again.
What each person sees
Their link opens to a wrapped present addressed to them. Tapping it reveals the name they've drawn, the budget, the date and your note. That is all the link holds: not the full list, not who drew them, not anyone else's match.
Send each person their own link and only theirs. If you post them all in a group chat, anyone can open anyone's and the secret is gone.
- Copy link puts the bare link on your clipboard, for any messaging app.
- WhatsApp opens a message with the link and the budget and date already written, ready to pick a contact.
- Email does the same in your mail app.
Privacy, honestly
Nothing is stored on our servers: no account, no database, no cookies. The draw happens in your browser, the page's own address is what carries your group (your browser also remembers it for next time, as with every tool here), and each link carries one person's result. Each link is scrambled so that it cannot be read by pasting it into a decoder, which stops an organiser peeking by accident. It is not encryption, so treat a link like a sealed envelope rather than a safe: don't open other people's, and the surprise holds.
Because nothing is kept on our side, a lost link cannot be looked up. Keep this page open, or bookmark its address, until everyone has theirs. If someone loses theirs, copy it again from here; a redraw changes everyone's.
Running a good Secret Santa
Most of what goes wrong is about expectations, not the draw. Set them once, in the note, and send the links at least two weeks before the exchange.
- Pick a budget people will actually stick to. £10 to £20 is typical for an office; say "about" if a little over is fine, and "maximum" if it isn't.
- Name the day and the place. "Gifts on the 18th, at the lunch" beats "before Christmas".
- Ask for wishlists. Three ideas each, posted where everyone can see them, saves the bath-set lottery. Nobody has to use them.
- Decide on wrapping and labels. Labelled "To Sam" with no "From" keeps it a secret; a big reveal round at the end is the fun part.
- Plan for a drop-out. If someone leaves, redraw rather than reassigning by hand, or quietly buy for their person yourself.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the organiser see who drew who?
- No. The organiser's page lists one link per person and never shows the matches. Only the person who opens a link sees their own draw, and the organiser gets a link of their own like everyone else.
- How do I stop couples drawing each other?
- Pick the two names under "Keep apart" and add the pair. Neither will draw the other, in either direction. Add as many pairs as you need; the tool tells you if they leave no possible draw.
- What if two people end up with each other?
- By default the draw avoids that, so nobody can work out their own Santa. If your exclusions leave no other arrangement, one swap is allowed and a note says so. You can also turn swaps on if you don't mind them.
- Someone has lost their link. Can I get it back?
- Yes, as long as you still have the organiser's page: the same address reopens to the same draw, so copy their link again from the list. Links are never stored on our servers, so there is nothing to look up if the page is gone; in that case, redraw and send everyone a new link.
- Can I add someone after the draw?
- Adding or removing a name clears the draw, because the old links would point at the wrong people; so does changing a pair kept apart or the swaps setting. Add them and draw again, then send everyone their new link.
- Does it work without email addresses or phone numbers?
- Yes. Nothing is sent by the tool itself. Each person's link is just text, so copy it into any chat, or use the WhatsApp and Email buttons, which open your own apps with the message written.
- How many people can take part?
- From 3 up to 40. With two people there is no secret to keep; for a bigger group, run two draws.
- Is it really free, with no sign-up?
- Yes. No account, no app, no cookies, no emails from us, and the draw never leaves your browser.
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