How do I pick a random name from a list?

Paste the names into Entries, one per line, then click the hub or press Ctrl + Enter. The wheel stops on a name chosen at random before the spin started.

How do I avoid picking the same name twice?

Turn on “Remove winner after spin” in Settings, or press Remove in the result window. The name leaves the wheel and the next spin chooses from the rest.

Can I paste names from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes. Copy a column and paste it into Entries; each cell becomes one line and one sector. Empty lines are ignored.

How many names can the wheel hold?

Up to 1000. With long lists the labels get smaller, and very long names are shortened on the wheel but shown in full in the result.

Random Name Picker — Spin a Wheel of Names

Paste your names, spin, and the random name picker chooses one. Turn on elimination to draw names without repeats — made for classrooms, giveaways and deciding who goes first.

Pick a name in three steps

Paste the list. Type names or paste a column from a spreadsheet into Entries — one name per line. The counter shows how many are on the wheel.
Spin. Click the hub, press Ctrl + Enter or flick the wheel. The name is drawn by your browser’s cryptographic random generator the moment the spin starts.
Keep going. The result window shows the winner. Press Remove to take that name off the wheel, or Spin again to keep everyone in.

Shuffle mixes the order on the wheel and Sort makes a long list easy to scan. Clear empties the list, and Undo brings it back if you clicked by accident.

Classroom and team ideas

Cold calling without favourites. Students see the wheel choose, so nobody feels singled out.
Presentation order. Turn on “Remove winner after spin” and spin until the wheel is empty — the Results tab now holds the full order, ready to copy.
Who goes first. Board games, stand-ups, karaoke, washing up.
Pairs and roles. Spin once for a partner, then again for a role: reader, writer, timekeeper.

On a projector, Fullscreen shows only the title and the wheel; press Space to spin and Esc to exit.

Giveaways and raffles

For a giveaway, paste the entrants and spin live. With “Remove winner after spin” on, each winner leaves the wheel, so the second and third prizes go to different people. Mystery hides the names while the wheel turns, which keeps everyone watching the needle instead of guessing.

If someone has more entries, open Advanced and give them a higher weight instead of typing their name twice; their sector grows to match.

Fair and private

Every spin is independent and the winner is drawn before the animation begins, so the speed of a flick does not matter. Your list stays in your browser. Share creates a link that carries the names and settings inside the URL itself, so you can send the same wheel to colleagues without uploading anything.

Ready-made wheels

Start from a template

FAQ

Questions

How do I pick a random name from a list?: Paste the names into Entries, one per line, then click the hub or press Ctrl + Enter. The wheel stops on a name chosen at random before the spin started.
How do I avoid picking the same name twice?: Turn on “Remove winner after spin” in Settings, or press Remove in the result window. The name leaves the wheel and the next spin chooses from the rest.
Can I paste names from Excel or Google Sheets?: Yes. Copy a column and paste it into Entries; each cell becomes one line and one sector. Empty lines are ignored.
How many names can the wheel hold?: Up to 1000. With long lists the labels get smaller, and very long names are shortened on the wheel but shown in full in the result.