Spin the wheel
Put names or choices on the wheel, one per line, then spin. The pick is random and fair every time.
Runs in your browser. Your list stays on this device.
Or draw without spinning:Pick winnersMake teamsShuffle order
Draw without the wheel: winners, teams or order
Uses the same list as the wheel.
How to use it
Type or paste your names or choices, one per line, and the wheel fills in as you type, with a slice for each. Press Spin or tap the wheel. When it stops, the name under the pointer at the top is shown underneath. Remove from wheel takes that name off so it can't come up again, which is how you draw a first, second and third prize or go round a class without repeats. Up to 100 entries fit on the wheel.
The quick wheels put up a Yes or no wheel, numbers 1 to 10 or Heads or tails without touching your saved list. Full screen fills the screen with the wheel for a classroom board or a video call, and Esc or the button again brings it back.
Is the wheel fair?
Yes. The winner is chosen first, with your browser's cryptographic random generator, giving every slice exactly the same chance. The wheel then turns to that slice, with a few full turns and a random stopping point inside it so the spin looks natural. How hard or how often you press doesn't change the odds, and the same name can win twice in a row unless you remove it. We tested the picking part with 6,000 spins of a 6-slice wheel: every slice came up between 850 and 1,150 times, close to the even 1,000.
| Slices on the wheel | Chance for each | Chance a given name wins at least once in 10 spins |
|---|---|---|
| 2 (yes or no) | 50% | 99.9% |
| 6 | 16.7% | 83.8% |
| 10 | 10% | 65.1% |
| 30 (a class) | 3.3% | 28.8% |
The last column is 1 − (1 − 1/n)10. It shows why a class of 30 will see some students picked twice and others not at all in ten spins, unless winners are removed as you go.
Drawing several names, teams or an order
The wheel picks one name per spin. For more at once, use Draw without the wheel under it, which works on the same list. Pick winners draws as many different names as you ask for, so nobody wins twice in one draw; tick "Remove winners" to take them off the list before the next prize. Make teams shuffles the list and deals it out like cards, one name per team in turn, so team sizes never differ by more than one. Random order shuffles everyone into a turn order. All three use the Fisher–Yates shuffle with your browser's cryptographic random generator, so every order is equally likely.
| People | Teams | Team sizes |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 4 | 6, 6, 6, 5 |
| 23 | 6 | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3 |
| 10 | 3 | 4, 3, 3 |
| 30 | 5 | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
"Ignore duplicate names" counts "Ana" and "ana" as one person, so someone who entered twice doesn't get double the chance. Untick it if your rules allow several entries per person. One name per line works best, and you can paste straight from a spreadsheet column; without line breaks, names are split at commas.
Ideas
- Classrooms: pick who answers next, split a class into project groups, or set the order of presentations.
- Giveaways and raffles: spin on a shared screen so everyone sees the draw happen live, or draw three winners at once.
- Teams for games and sports: enter the players and the number of teams.
- Work: pick a meeting facilitator or set a rotation for chores or on-call.
- Secret Santa: use Random order, and each person gives to the next name on the list, the last to the first.
- Decisions and games: where to eat, a plain yes or no, truth or dare, or who goes first.
Making a draw people trust
For a public giveaway, write the rules down before you draw: who can enter, how many winners, and whether one person can win twice. Spin or draw on a shared screen or record it, and keep the list you used. The order you paste names in makes no difference, and the random generator can't be predicted from earlier results.
Questions
Is my list saved?
The list you type or paste is kept in this browser so it is there next time, for both the wheel and the draw. Clear empties the box and the saved list, for example on a shared classroom computer. Nothing is sent to a server.
How do I make random teams?
Put everyone's name in the list, open Draw without the wheel, choose Make teams and type how many teams you want. The list is shuffled and dealt out one name per team in turn, so sizes differ by one person at most. Press Make teams again for a fresh split.
Is there a yes or no wheel?
Yes. Tap Yes or no under Quick wheels for a two-slice wheel with an even 50% chance each. It doesn't replace your saved list, which comes back when you reload the page.
Can I use it to pick a raffle winner?
Yes. Paste the entrants, then spin once for each prize and press Remove from wheel after each one, or use Pick winners below the wheel to draw several at once. For a public raffle, share your screen while you spin so everyone can see the draw.
How many names can I use?
The wheel shows up to 100 slices. Draw without the wheel works with hundreds or thousands of names, since everything runs in your browser.
Can the same name win twice?
Yes, every spin is independent, just like rolling a die. Use Remove from wheel after each pick if each name should win only once.
Can I put the same name in more than once?
Yes. Each line gets its own slice, so writing a name twice doubles its chance. That is a simple way to give one option more weight.