🎅 Secret Santa Generator for Large Groups
Free Secret Santa generator for large groups, offices and families. Paste up to 500 names, keep couples apart, and send each person a private link.
About this generator
Secret Santa is the easiest way to run a gift exchange for a family, a group of friends, a school class or a whole office. Each person is secretly given one other person to buy a present for, so everybody gives one gift and receives one gift. This Secret Santa generator does the drawing for you, fairly and instantly, with no sign-up and no emails. It's built to work for big groups as well as small ones: you can paste in up to 500 names at once.
To start, paste your list of names, one per line, or separated by commas. Copying a column from a spreadsheet works well. You can add a gift budget, and you can add groups of people who shouldn't be matched with each other, such as couples, households or members of the same team. The generator makes a random match where nobody is ever matched with themselves.
Then choose how people find out who they got. In a small group, pass the device around: each person taps their name, checks nobody is looking, and sees who they're buying for. For a large office, a big family or a team that isn't in the same room, create a private link for each person and message it to them. Each link shows only that person's match and opens on this page. Nothing is stored on a server, and the match is carried inside the link itself.
If you're organising, there's also a list of every match that you can copy or download as a spreadsheet file, which is handy as a backup. Be aware that the organiser list and the private links show you all of the matches, so skip them if you want to be surprised as well.
How to run Secret Santa for a large group
- 1. Collect the names: Gather everyone taking part. For an office, a shared spreadsheet or a sign-up thread works well. Use full names or add a last initial so that two people never share a name.
- 2. Set a budget and a date: Agree an amount and a deadline before you draw, so gifts are about equal in value and everyone has time to shop. Add the budget in the box above, and it will show on each person's match.
- 3. Add any 'can't draw' groups: In a big group, add the couples, households or teams who shouldn't be matched together. Put each group on its own line.
- 4. Draw the names: Paste the list, add the budget, and press Draw names. If the result doesn't suit you, redraw as many times as you like before anyone has looked.
- 5. Share the matches privately: Create a private link for each person and send it by message or email, or pass a device around in the room. Don't post the links in a group chat.
- 6. Collect wish lists and give on the day: Ask people to share a few ideas, and set a day for the exchange. Our Secret Santa gift ideas page has suggestions for every budget.
Tips for offices and very large groups
- Use team groups to mix people: Put each team on a line in the 'can't draw' box so people get matched with someone from a different team. It's a nice way to bring a big workplace together.
- Keep the budget modest and equal: A clear, low limit stops anyone feeling awkward and keeps it fun for all, including newer or junior colleagues.
- Make it optional and inclusive: Not everyone wants to take part, and not everyone celebrates. Make joining voluntary and consider a non-holiday theme.
- Plan for drop-outs: If someone leaves after the draw, the simplest fix is to redraw for everyone before gifts are bought. Once gifts have been bought, you can pair the person who was buying for them with the person they were due to receive from.
- Remote teams: Use private links, and ask people to send gifts with a postal address you collect separately, or use e-gift cards if you can't ship.
- Save your list: Copy or download the matches before you close the page. Nothing is stored, so a reload clears the draw.
FAQ
How many people can I add to the Secret Santa generator?
Up to 500 names. Paste them in one per line, or separated by commas, and the generator handles the rest.
How do I do Secret Santa for a large group or office?
Paste your list of names, add a budget, and press Draw names. Then create a private link for each person and message it to them, so nobody has to be in the same room. You can also add teams or couples who shouldn't be matched together.
How do people find out who they got if we're not together?
Use the private links. Each link opens this page and shows only that one person's match. Send each person their own link and don't share them in a group chat.
Are the private links secure?
They keep a gift swap private, because the match is hidden inside the link and isn't sent to any server. It isn't strong encryption, so someone determined who gets a link could decode it. That's fine for a Secret Santa, but don't use it for anything truly sensitive.
Can I stop people on the same team or in the same family from drawing each other?
Yes. Open 'Keep certain people from drawing each other' and put each group on its own line, for example 'Alex & Sam' or 'Jo, Chris, Pat'. Everyone on a line won't be matched with anyone else on that line.
Can someone draw their own name?
No. The generator never matches anyone with themselves.
What if someone drops out after the draw?
The simplest option is to redraw for everyone before any gifts have been bought. If gifts are already bought, give the dropped person's recipient to whoever was due to buy for the person who left.
Is anything stored or sent to a server?
No. The draw only exists in your browser. If you reload the page it's lost, so copy the links or download the list first.
Is it free?
Yes. There's no sign-up, no email collection and no limit on how many draws you do.
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