Secret Santa Generator
Draw names, then send each person a private link — no emails, no sign-up, nothing stored.
The draw happens in your browser — names are never uploadedDraw names and send each person a private link — no emails
1 Tell the group
Paste this into the exchange’s group chat. You can edit it first (add the place or the time).
2 Send each person their private link
✓ Done! Everyone has their link.
If your browser closes halfway through, the organizer link brings the draw back with the same links.
Keep it to resend a lost link later. It contains every match — don’t share it.
Pass the phone around: each person taps their name, sees who they are buying for, and hides it before passing it on.
You’re buying a gift for
Your Secret Santa match is ready. Make sure nobody can see your screen.
You’re buying a gift for
To see it again, open the same link you were sent.
What now?
Save the exchange date
Got another gift exchange?
Set one up for your family, work or friends in a minute: no emails, no sign-up, and everyone gets their link by text or WhatsApp, just like you did.
Playing White Elephant at the party? Run the turns and the steals here →
Paid link Secret Santa gift ideas on Amazon →
We earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Your own Secret Santa needs ideas too
Someone drew your name. Write a short wish list and send it to the group chat — whoever has you will find it there. The link carries only what you type, never who you drew.
Prefer answering questions? Use the Secret Santa questionnaire →
How this Secret Santa generator works
Quick answer: type everyone's name, one per line, press Draw names, and send each person the link next to their name — by WhatsApp, text or any chat. Each link opens a page that shows that one person who they are buying for, and nothing else. Nobody needs an email address, an account or an app, and the organizer's list tracks who has been sent a link without showing who got whom.
The draw runs in your browser. Each person's match travels inside their own link, after the # sign — the part of a web address that browsers never send to a server — so the names are not stored anywhere on this site, and the page strips that part from the address bar before any analytics load. There is no account to create because there is nothing to keep.
The rules cover what real exchanges need. List couples, siblings or whole households on the exclusions line ("Alice, Bob") and none of them will draw each other; nobody ever draws themselves; and by default two people never draw each other, so the gifts do not simply trade places. If the rules make a draw impossible — say, three people where two are a couple — the tool says so instead of quietly breaking a rule. Otherwise it reshuffles the whole list until every rule holds, so every valid draw has the same chance; only with very tight rules does it switch to a guided random search to find one.
For a party in person, pass-the-phone mode skips the links: each person taps their name, confirms it is them, sees their match, and hides it before handing the phone on. The organizer link saves the whole draw, so a link lost in a chat can be sent again days later without redrawing.
One honest limit, true of any tool without accounts: the draw is made on the organizer's device, so an organizer who wants to peek can. The full list only appears if someone presses Show all matches and confirms it — that button exists for organizers who are not playing. If everyone, organizer included, wants a surprise, have someone who is not taking part press Draw names.
How to organize a Secret Santa, step by step
- Agree on a budget and a date first, and fill them in: they travel with every link, so nobody has to ask again. Write the date the way you would say it ("December 19, 7 pm") and each person can add it to their calendar from their link.
- Type every participant, one per line. Use a last name or an initial when two people share a first name — the tool refuses duplicates so no link goes to the wrong person.
- Add exclusions for couples and households, one group per line, separated by commas.
- Press Draw names. Paste the ready-made message into the group chat (date, budget, rules — no matches), then send the private links: Next offers one person at a time with a WhatsApp button, and the counter shows how many are left.
- Copy the organizer link and keep it somewhere private, in case someone loses their link.
- At an in-person party, use pass-the-phone mode instead: each person taps their name, sees their match and hides it before passing the phone.
When a draw is impossible
Exclusions can leave no valid draw. The rule of thumb: a group that must be kept apart cannot be bigger than everyone else combined, because each of its members needs someone outside the group to buy for.
| Situation | Possible? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 3 people, one couple excluded | No | Both members of the couple would have to buy for the third person. |
| 4 people, two couples excluded | Yes | For example Alice → Carla → Bob → David → Alice. |
| 4 people, a household of 3 | No | All three would have to buy for the fourth person. |
| 6 people, a household of 3 | Yes | The household buys for the other three, who can buy for anyone. |
| 3 people, no mutual pairs | Yes | The only valid draws are the two circles A → B → C → A and A → C → B → A. |
Secret Santa, White Elephant and Yankee Swap
| Format | How it works | Needs a name draw? |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Santa | Names are drawn in advance; each person secretly buys for one specific person. | Yes — this tool |
| White Elephant / Yankee Swap | Everyone brings one wrapped gift; players take turns opening a new gift or stealing an opened one. | No — a random turn order (White Elephant generator) |
| Themed Secret Santa | A normal draw plus a rule for the gift: handmade, secondhand, a book, under a set price. | Yes — write the theme in the event name |
FAQ
How do I do Secret Santa over WhatsApp without emails?
Type the names, press Draw names, then tap WhatsApp next to each name: it opens WhatsApp with a short message and that person's private link, and you pick the chat. On a phone, Send opens the share sheet instead, so any messaging app works; on a computer it copies the message to paste anywhere. Each person opens their link and sees only their own match.
Can the organizer see who got whom?
Only by choosing to. The list of names shows who has been sent a link, never the matches; the full list appears only after pressing Show all matches and confirming. Because the draw happens on the organizer's device, a determined organizer could look, which is true of any tool without accounts. If the organizer is playing and wants a surprise too, let someone who is not taking part run the draw.
How do I stop couples from drawing each other?
Write them on one line in the exclusions box, separated by commas — "Alice, Bob". A line with three or more names ("Carla, David, Emma") keeps a whole household apart. The draw respects every line. If the exclusions make it impossible, for example when one household is bigger than everyone else combined, the tool tells you instead of breaking a rule.
What if someone loses their link?
If you copied the organizer link after the draw, open it: the same draw comes back, and you can send that person their link again. Without it, the only fix is to redraw and send everyone a new link, because the matches were never stored anywhere — that is the price of not keeping your names on a server.
What is the difference between Secret Santa and White Elephant?
In Secret Santa, names are drawn in advance and each person buys a gift for one specific person, in secret. In White Elephant (also called Yankee Swap), everyone brings one wrapped gift, and players take turns opening a gift or stealing one already opened — no names are drawn. This tool handles the Secret Santa draw; for White Elephant, the White Elephant generator draws the turn order and keeps track of the steals.
How do wish lists work without accounts?
After revealing their match, each person can write a short wish list — things they would love, things to avoid, sizes, favorite colors and up to three links — and send its link to the group chat. Whoever drew them finds it there. The list travels inside its own link, carries only what that person typed and never who they drew, and nothing is stored on this site.
How does a color exchange work?
Tick “Color exchange” before drawing and each giver also gets a gift color (red, green, gold and so on), shown on their private link: the gift they give should be in that color. Colors are spread out so none repeats until all twelve are in use.