Secret Santa generator
Draw names for your gift exchange in a minute. Keep couples from drawing each other, set a spending limit and a date, then send each person a private link that shows only who they’re buying for. Free, with no email and no sign-up.
One person per line. Put a couple on one line (Ana & Ben) and they won’t draw each other.
People who shouldn’t draw each other
One rule per line. Cy & Flo: neither draws the other. Gus > Ana: Gus doesn’t draw Ana (who he had last year, say).
Shown on every link with the limit and the date.
Add at least three names.
Give the exchange its own page
Make a party site for the gift exchange: the date, the place and the spending limit on one page, with everyone on the list already on its guest list, so they can say they’re coming and see the details on their phone. Free to make and publish.
A name draw in three steps
- The names
- Everyone taking part, one per line, with couples together on a line. Add anyone else who shouldn’t draw each other.
- The draw
- Everyone gets one person to buy for and nobody gets themselves. If the rules leave no way to do it, you’ll see which rule is in the way.
- The links
- Send each person their own link from your phone. It shows their match, the limit, the date and your note, and nothing about anyone else.
Planning the party too? Make a potluck sign-up sheet or work out the drinks, or send online invitations with RSVP.
Questions
How does the Secret Santa generator work?
Type everyone’s name, one per line, and press Draw names. Each person gets one other person to buy for, and nobody draws themselves. You get a private link for each person; send each link to its owner by WhatsApp, text or email, and when they open it they see who they’re buying for, the spending limit, the date and your note.
Can couples avoid drawing each other?
Yes. Put a couple or a household on one line, as “Ana & Ben”, and none of them draws another. For anyone else who shouldn’t draw each other, add a line under “People who shouldn’t draw each other”. “Gus > Ana” keeps it one way, which is handy for not getting the same person as last year.
What if no draw is possible?
With too many rules there may be no way for everyone to have someone. The generator checks before it draws and tells you which people are boxed in, for example a couple of two in a group of three, so you know which rule to take out.
Can people see who drew them?
Not from their own link: it only shows who they are buying for. The match is in the link itself, scrambled so the name doesn’t show in a chat preview, but that is not a lock. Anyone holding a link can open it and see what’s in it, so send each person only their own link and don’t post the list of links in a group chat.
Do people need an email address or an account?
No. Nobody signs up and we don’t send any email. You send the links yourself from your own phone, and the names never reach our server. This browser keeps your list and the draw so you can come back and send the links later.
Can I use it as a name draw or gift exchange generator?
Yes. Any gift exchange where each person gives to one other person works the same way: an office gift swap, a family name draw, a book exchange or a cookie swap. Rename the exchange, set the limit and the date, and draw. For a game where gifts get opened and stolen instead, see the white elephant rules.
What is a good Secret Santa spending limit?
Somewhere between $20 and $50 is common, with $25 or $30 the usual pick at work and a little more among family and close friends. Set it low enough that nobody feels stretched; a clear limit stops one person spending three times as much as everyone else.
Someone dropped out after the draw. What now?
Take their name off and draw again, then send everyone their new link; the old links still show the old draw, so tell people to use the new one. If you changed only the limit, the date or the note, the names stay the same but the links change, so send those again too.