How to use the name picker
- Type or paste your names into the box, one per line. Blank lines are ignored.
- Choose what to do: pick winners, shuffle the whole list, or make teams.
- Press the button. The result appears below, ready to copy, and is read out by screen readers.
Picking winners
- Choose how many names to pick. One draw never picks the same line twice.
- With Remove picked names from the list on, the winners are taken off the list after each draw, which suits drawing several prizes one at a time.
- Every draw is added to Draws so far with its time, until you reload the page.
- A short drawing animation plays first, unless your device is set to reduce motion.
Making teams
- Split by number of teams, or by people per team. Team sizes never differ by more than one: 10 people with 4 per team make three teams of 4, 3 and 3.
- Give teams your own names, one per line. Any teams without a name are numbered.
- Keep together puts everyone on a line in the same team. Keep apart puts everyone on a line in different teams. Names in rules must match names in the list, ignoring capitals.
- Without rules, every possible split is equally likely. With rules, teams are still chosen at random from the splits that follow them, though some may come up slightly more often than others.
Running a fair draw
Results come from your browser’s cryptographic random number generator, and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. To let others see that a draw is fair, share your screen or project it, show the complete list first, agree how many names will be picked, then press the button once while everyone watches. The history and the time of each draw help if anyone asks later.
Limitations
- Lists can have up to 10,000 names.
- Each line counts as one entry, so a repeated name gets an extra chance. Repeats are pointed out.
- Rules can’t use a name that appears more than once in the list, because they wouldn’t know which one is meant.
- Results and history are lost when you reload the page. Copy anything you need to keep.
- This tool is for everyday draws. Lotteries and prize draws run as a business may have legal requirements that a web page can’t meet on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Is the draw really random?
Yes. Every pick uses your browser’s cryptographically secure random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues), the same source used to create encryption keys. Results are chosen with rejection sampling, so every name has exactly the same chance, and nobody, including NiftyKit, can predict or influence the outcome.
Is my list saved or uploaded?
No. Names stay in this browser tab and are never sent anywhere. The history of draws lasts until you reload or close the page, so copy the results if you need to keep them.
What happens if a name is on the list twice?
Each line is one entry, so a name that appears twice has twice the chance of being picked. That is useful for weighted draws, such as one entry per raffle ticket. The tool points out repeated names so that duplicates are never accidental.
How do I pick several winners for different prizes?
Turn on Remove picked names from the list and draw one prize at a time. Each winner is taken off the list, so nobody can win twice, and the history shows every draw in order. If you remove a name by mistake, Put names back restores the list.