Secret Santa Wheel
The hat, replaced. Each person spins in turn, the name they draw leaves the wheel, and the whole thing is over in the time it used to take to find the paper.
Loading the wheel…
Editing the entries only changes your copy. Press Save in the Saved wheels panel to keep it, or reset to start again.
Keyboard shortcuts
- Space Spin the wheel
- R Spin again
- F Full screen
- S Open settings
- Esc Close a dialog or leave full screen
While you are typing in a box, these keys belong to the box — only Escape stays global.
How to use this template
- Paste the group over the sample names — one per line.
- Leave “Remove the winner after each spin” on. It is what stops two people being assigned the same recipient.
- Take turns: each person spins once and keeps their result to themselves. Whoever is spinning should be the one looking at the screen.
- If somebody draws themselves, switch their own name off, spin again, and switch it back on for the next person.
- Set a budget and a date before you start. Half the arguments are about those, not the names.
What people use it for
- An office Secret Santa where people are in on different days.
- A family exchange spanning two households, run on a shared screen over a call.
- A club or team gift swap that has outgrown a hat.
- Deciding a gift theme as well as a recipient — spin a second wheel for the category.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop someone drawing their own name?
Switch that person’s name off under “Weights, colours and on/off” before they spin, then switch it back on afterwards. It takes two clicks and it is the only reliable way — a wheel cannot know who is holding the mouse.
Everyone is in a different place. Can we still use this?
Share the wheel link and have each person spin on their own screen, but be careful: separate wheels do not know about each other’s draws. For a remote group it is better to run one screen on a call, with each person taking their turn while the others look away.
Are the names sent anywhere?
No. The list stays in your browser and is never uploaded. If you share a wheel link, the entries travel inside the link itself — so treat that link as private, because anyone who has it can read the names.
How do we start over if it goes wrong?
Reset the entries panel to put every removed name back, or reload the saved wheel. Do it before anyone has bought anything.
Related templates
- 8 entries · ready to spin Giveaway Wheel A draw people can see is a draw people believe. Import your entrant list, spin on camera, and download the record afterwards.
- 6 entries · ready to spin Who Goes First Wheel Every game starts with the same thirty seconds of negotiation. Put the names on the wheel, spin once, and start playing.
- 8 entries · ready to spin Prize Wheel The wheel a stand needs: prizes on the slices, odds you set yourself, and a spin big enough that a crowd stops to watch it land.