Secret Santa name picker
The hat, without the hat. Put everyone in, turn on Remove the winner, and spin your way through the list. Nobody gets drawn twice and nobody has to hand over an email address.
Type, paste or delete to change the wheel. It redraws as you go, and your list is kept on this device only. Up to 200 entries.
How to run the draw
- Paste everyone into the entries box, one name per line.
- Tick Remove the winner after each spin. That is the setting that makes this a draw rather than a raffle.
- Person one spins. Whoever comes up is who they are buying for.
- Pass the phone on. Each spin has one fewer name on the wheel, so there are no duplicates.
- Keep your own result to yourself, which is the only actual rule of the game.
The one thing to watch for
A straight draw can land somebody on their own name. If that happens, spin again and carry on, which is exactly what you would do pulling names out of a hat.
If you would rather it could not happen at all, take your own name off the wheel before you spin and put it back for the next person. It takes two seconds and removes the only awkward outcome in the whole game.
Why not one of the big Secret Santa sites
Most of them want everybody's email address so they can send the results out, which means handing over your whole team's contact details to organise a fifteen pound present swap. Some then email the lot of you for the rest of the year.
This wheel asks for nothing. Nothing is sent anywhere, your list stays on your own device, and there is no account to make. If you are all in the same room, which for a team you usually are, a wheel and a passed phone is the entire job.
Setting a budget everyone sticks to
Agree the number before you draw rather than after, and make it low enough that nobody feels obliged to go over it. Ten or fifteen pounds is the usual landing spot for a squad.
Plenty of teams fund the whole thing out of the fines kitty instead, which is a neat trick: a season of fines pays for the presents and nobody is out of pocket in December. That is what the Fine Club app is for.
More wheels
Other wheels for your squad
Every one is free, editable, and loaded with something useful before you start.
FAQ
Questions about the wheel
How do I use this for a Secret Santa draw?
Put every name in the entries box, tick Remove the winner after each spin, then let each person spin once. Each name comes off the wheel as it is drawn, so nobody can be picked twice.
What if someone draws their own name?
Spin again, exactly as you would if you pulled your own name out of a hat. To stop it happening at all, delete your own name from the wheel before your spin and put it back for the next person.
Do I have to give you email addresses?
No. Nothing is collected and nothing is sent. Your list of names is stored on the device you are using and never leaves it, which is the main reason to use a wheel rather than a Secret Santa website.
Can we do the draw if we are not all together?
Yes. Press Share this wheel to copy a link with the names baked in, send that to the group chat, and have people spin in an agreed order, each one deleting the names already drawn. More faff than doing it in a room, but it works.
How much should a team Secret Santa budget be?
Ten to fifteen pounds suits most squads. Agree it before the draw, and consider paying for it out of the fines kitty so nobody is spending their own money in December.