Random name picker for raffles, giveaways and classrooms
Add names, press draw, and watch a slot-machine reel slow to a stop on a fair winner. Pick several winners, redraw absentees, split teams and export results.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no sign-up
- Works offline
Today's prize draw
Add your entrants to begin
No entrants yet
Upload a file, paste names, or try the sample list.
Start with your entrants
Everyone has been drawn. to draw again.
- Remaining
- 0
- Drawn
- 0
- Entries
- 0
Saved on this device only.
Draw a winner in three steps
No account, no install, nothing to configure before your first draw.
Add your entrants
Upload an Excel (.xlsx, .xls) or CSV file, paste names straight from a spreadsheet, or type one name per line. Extra columns such as team, department or entry number come along and show up on the winner plate.
Press draw
Choose how many winners you want, add a prize label if you like, then press Space or the big button. The reel speeds up, runs for the time you chose (5 seconds to 5 minutes), then slows to a smooth stop. The name on the plate is the winner.
Confirm, redraw or export
Archive confirmed winners, put an absent winner back in the pool and redraw, undo mistakes with one click, then download the results as Excel or CSV, copy them, or print a clean report.
Fair by design, private by default
A raffle only works if everyone trusts the result. Here is what the tool does so that trust is earned, not assumed.
- Unbiased selection. Your browser's secure random generator picks the winner using rejection sampling, which removes the tiny bias that a simple random-number shortcut can introduce.
- A record you can show. Every winner is stamped with the draw time and the size of the pool they were drawn from, and both are included in the export.
- Your list stays on your device. Names are read and drawn inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no account to create and no list to leak.
- You are in control. Redraw an absent winner, undo a mistake, archive confirmed winners and keep the history, all without starting again.
Read the full explanation in how the draw works.
Made for the moments that need a fair pick
- Office and event raffles. Import the attendee sheet, label each prize and draw live on a projector in Stage mode.
- Classrooms. Call on students fairly, choose presenters and split the class into groups in seconds.
- Online giveaways. Paste exported entrants, draw on screen-share and keep a timestamped record of the result.
- Team building. Turn any list into balanced random teams, then reshuffle until everyone is happy.
- Meetings and standups. Choose who goes first, who takes notes or who hosts next week, without the awkward silence.
- Streams and communities. Make the reveal part of the show with custom colours, sounds, logos and confetti.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Draw. Press again to skip the spin |
| A | Archive the current winner |
| R | Redraw if the winner is not present |
| F | Stage mode for projectors |
| T | Split into teams |
| S | Sound on or off |
| ? | Show every shortcut |
Guides for Random Name Picker
Practical, plain-language advice written alongside the tool.
- Raffles
How to run a fair raffle, step by step
A raffle succeeds when every entrant believes the result was fair. Most disputes come from unclear rules and a messy…
6 min read - Spreadsheets
Pick random winners from an Excel or Google Sheets list
If your entrants already live in a spreadsheet, you do not need to retype anything. Here is how to get from a sheet to…
5 min read - Education
Random name picker for the classroom: 8 ways to use it
Teachers use random selection to keep every student involved without the pressure of being singled out. Here are eight…
5 min read
Quick answers
How long does a draw take, and can I change it?
You choose the spin length under Customize, Draw: 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 45 seconds, or 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes. That is the actual time from pressing Draw to the reel stopping, and a countdown shows what is left. Under 10 seconds the reel speeds up, peaks and slows to a stop. Longer spins go straight to peak speed, vary between medium and peak in the pattern you pick, and slow down smoothly over the last 5 to 10 seconds.
Is this random name picker really random?
Yes. Every draw uses your browser's cryptographically secure random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues) combined with rejection sampling, so each eligible entry has exactly the same chance. Nothing is weighted and nothing is decided on a server.
Are my names or files uploaded anywhere?
No. Excel, CSV and pasted lists are read and drawn entirely inside your browser and are never sent to us. If "Remember my list" is on, your list is saved in your browser's own storage so a refresh does not lose your raffle. You can switch that off or clear it under Customize, Data.
Can the same person be drawn twice?
Not within one raffle. Once someone is drawn they move to the Winners list and cannot be drawn again unless you put them back in the pool. If you want repeat wins, use "Put all winners back in the pool" or add them again.
What if the winner is not present?
Use Redraw. The absent winner goes back into the pool and a replacement is drawn immediately. The person who was just put back is excluded from that one redraw so you do not draw them again straight away.
Can I give some people more chances?
Yes. Each row is one entry, so a name listed three times has three chances. Paste or import the name as many times as you want to grant entries, or add entrants one by one.