Last updated 2026-05-25

Secret Santa Picker

Run a Secret Santa draw with verified random pairings. Free, ad-free, no email or app install required. Works for offices, families, and Discord groups.

A Secret Santa picker assigns each participant a random gift recipient without telling anyone else. With NamesOnWheel, the simplest workflow is to spin the wheel privately for each participant on their own device — they tap to reveal who they're buying for, then close the tab. The cryptographic randomness guarantees fair assignment; the lack of any backend means the picks never touch our servers.

Auto-spin

Pick winner(s)

Tip: click a name to rename it · drag to reorder · tap N× to cycle chances · right-click the color dot to reset it.

Why an ephemeral wheel beats apps that email pairings

Most Secret Santa apps email each participant their assignment, which means the app's database knows every pairing forever. NamesOnWheel doesn't store anything on a server — picks happen in your browser, vanish when the tab closes. For groups that care about minimal-data approaches, this is the safest design.

How to use this picker

1

Build the participants list

Add names via the Entries tab (type and press Enter), or switch to Bulk edit to paste the whole group at once. Save the URL via the share dialog so you can re-load the same list.
2

For each participant: spin and reveal privately

Hand the device (or share the URL privately), let them spin, view the result, then close the tab. The wheel is reset; the next participant won't see the previous pick.
3

Use 'Remove winner' to avoid duplicates

After each successful pick, tap Remove so two people don't end up giving to the same person.
4

Add a self-skip rule

If someone draws their own name, tap Spin again. (Some groups disallow self-pick; others find it fine.)

Frequently asked questions

How do I make sure no one ends up giving to themselves?

Each participant should re-spin if they draw their own name. NamesOnWheel doesn't auto-exclude because that would require the wheel to know whose turn it is — which means a backend, which means we'd see your group's pairings. Privacy first.

Can I do this without sharing my phone with everyone?

Yes. Use the share dialog to copy the wheel URL. Send it privately (DM, email, encrypted chat) to each participant — they spin on their own device, see only their own pick, and close the tab. No one sees anyone else's pick.

What if some people are buying for multiple recipients (e.g. two-name pulls)?

Set 'Pick N winner(s)' to the number you want each person to draw. The result modal shows the picks in order; each participant reveals on their own device.

How private is this — can NamesOnWheel see the pairings?

We can't. The wheel runs entirely client-side; there's no API call, no analytics on names, no cloud sync. Names you paste never leave your device. We literally can't see who got assigned to whom.

What if our group needs gift exclusions (couples can't draw each other)?

Have couples spin first, with each other temporarily removed from the wheel. Add them back for the rest of the group's spins. It's manual but transparent — and you keep ownership of the exclusion logic.

Is there a maximum group size?

1,000 names per wheel. Real-world Secret Santa groups topping out around 30-50 work flawlessly.