Free · no sign-up · no emails · runs in your browser
Secret Santa generator: draw names in a minute
Pop in the names, keep partners apart, agree a budget and a date, then send each person a private link on WhatsApp. Nobody has to sign up or hand over an email address, and the names never leave your phone: each person's pair lives only inside their own link.
1 · Who's taking part?
Or paste a list: one name per line, or separated by commas.
2 · Budget, date and rules
Who shouldn't pick whom?
Partners, flatmates or last year's pairs. It works both ways: neither will pick the other.
3 · Send everyone their name
How it works
1
Add the team
Type the names or paste a list from your group chat or a spreadsheet. Give your Secret Santa a name if you like; it shows on every link.
2
Agree the rules
Set the budget in pounds, the date of the swap, a short note, and any pairs who shouldn't pick each other, such as partners or flatmates.
3
Send the links
Each person gets their own link on WhatsApp or by text, and it shows only the name they're buying for. Or print folded slips, or pass one phone around the table.
Secret Santa rules that keep everyone happy
- Agree the budget as a group before the draw and stick to it. The usual grumble is one person splashing out while everyone else kept to the limit.
- Keep it secret until the swap. If you need to know sizes, tastes or allergies, ask the organiser or a mutual friend rather than the person themselves.
- Use the note for 'please no' items: no alcohol, no scented candles, no sweets for anyone avoiding sugar. It saves awkward gifts.
- Say how gifts should be handed over: wrapped, with only a name tag, left at a set spot or opened together at the party.
- If someone drops out after the draw, the organiser redoes it from the backup link and sends fresh links to everyone.
Office Secret Santa etiquette
Taking part should be optional. Some colleagues are saving money, some don't celebrate Christmas and some would simply rather not, so make the invitation easy to decline without anyone having to explain.
Set the budget as a team and keep it modest enough that nobody feels squeezed. Many offices land on a figure around £10 to £15, but the right amount is whatever your group is comfortable with.
Think about who is in the pool. Remote and part-time colleagues can join through a private link, and the draw does not need anyone in the same room. Add partners who work in the same team to the exclusion list so they don't pick each other.
Choose gifts that suit anyone: a nice mug is fine, something very personal is not. Avoid jokes at someone's expense, anything alcoholic unless the whole team is happy with it, and gifts that hint at appearance or health.
Agree a date for the swap and a time that works for shift workers too. A wrapped gift left at someone's desk with a tag is easier than a big reveal if your team is spread over several sites.
Questions about Secret Santa
- How does Secret Santa work in the UK?
- Each person's name goes into a draw and everyone secretly picks up one other name to buy a present for. On the day each person gives one gift and receives one, within a budget the group has agreed, and the giver stays a secret until the reveal, or for ever if you prefer.
- Is this Secret Santa generator really free, with no sign-up?
- Yes. There are no accounts, no email addresses and no phone numbers. The draw happens in your browser and each person's pair travels only inside their own link.
- How much should a Secret Santa gift cost?
- That is for your group to agree before the draw. Offices and schools often choose a modest figure such as £5, £10 or £15; enter whatever you decide into the budget box and it appears on every link.
- Can I stop partners or flatmates picking each other?
- Yes. Add the pair under 'Who shouldn't pick whom?'. The rule works both ways, and if your exclusions make a fair draw impossible the tool tells you.
- Will the organiser see who has whom?
- Not unless they open someone else's link or the backup link. If the organiser wants to join in, they simply open only their own link and keep the backup link private.
- What if someone loses their link, or can't use a phone?
- Keep the organiser's backup link: it restores the draw so you can resend one person's link. For anyone without a phone, print folded slips or pass one phone around the room.
- Can we do Secret Santa with a group that works remotely?
- Yes. Send each person their link on WhatsApp, Teams or by text, agree a delivery deadline and have gifts posted or left at a shared location. Nobody needs to be in the same place for the draw.
- What is the difference between Secret Santa and a White Elephant?
- In Secret Santa each person buys for one drawn name. In a White Elephant, sometimes called Dirty Santa, everyone brings one gift for a pile and players take turns choosing or stealing. Our Secret Santa gift ideas page works for both.