Secret Santa generator with exclusions

How to draw names for Secret Santa

1. Add names. Type a name and press Add, or choose Paste a list to add many at once, one per line. You need at least 3 people and can add up to 50. Each name must be unique (capital letters don't count as different), so add an initial if two people share a name, like "Sam K." and "Sam P."
2. Add exclusions (optional). Pick two people and choose Neither draws the other for couples, or One-way when only one direction matters.
3. Add event details (optional). The event name, budget, exchange date and a short note appear on every person's reveal.
4. Press Draw names. Everyone gets exactly one person to buy for, nobody draws themselves, and every exclusion is respected.
5. Send the links. Press Copy link next to each name and send it to that person privately, by text, chat or your own email. Copy all links, Download and Print keep a full list for your records.
6. Open and reveal. Each person opens their link and taps Reveal to see "You're buying for…", plus the budget, date and note. Nobody else's match is shown.

How exclusions work

An exclusion stops one specific draw. Two-way (Neither draws the other) suits couples, housemates and anyone who already swaps gifts. One-way blocks a single direction: if Sam can't draw Alex, Alex can still draw Sam. Use it when someone drew the same person last year.

Every exclusion removes options, and small groups run out fast. With three people, one couple makes the draw impossible: both partners could only draw the third person, and nobody can be drawn twice. The generator checks whether any valid draw exists before it starts. If none does, it names the people who are stuck so you can remove an exclusion or add someone. Learn more: How ExesTools draws names.

Single loop is off by default. Turn it on to put everyone in one chain: Ava buys for Ben, Ben buys for Cal, and so on until the last person buys for Ava. Nobody ends up in a pair buying for each other. It's stricter, so a long list of exclusions can make a single loop impossible even when a normal draw works. If that happens, switch it off.

Private reveal links, not emails

ExesTools has no accounts and doesn't keep your lists on a server, so there's nothing to email from. Instead, each person's match is packed into the part of their link after the # sign. Browsers don't send that part to our server, and chat apps that preview links only see the general Secret Santa page, never the name. When the page opens, it moves the match out of the address bar and keeps it in that browser tab.

The match inside a link is scrambled so it can't be read at a glance. That's obfuscation, not encryption: anyone who has the link can open it, and someone determined could decode it. Treat each link like a folded slip of paper and send it only to the person it's for.

The organizer can see the results if they choose to. Show all matches stays off until you switch it on, so you can join your own draw without spoiling it. Your list and latest draw are saved only in this browser; Reset clears them. Copy setup link sends the names and exclusions, but not the results, to a co-organizer. See our Privacy Policy.

Ways to use the Secret Santa generator

• It works for any exchange where each person buys for one other person, including Kris Kringle, as it's often called in Australia.
• Office Secret Santa. Paste the team from a spreadsheet, set a budget and the party date, then message each colleague their link. Nobody hands over an email address.
• Family gift exchange. Add a two-way exclusion for each couple so nobody draws their partner. In bigger families, exclude people who live in the same house too, so gifts cross households.
• Friends. Run the draw, then send each link in a private message, not the group chat. Use the note for the plan: "Gifts open at Jess's on the 20th."
• Remote and hybrid teams. Everyone opens their link on their own device, wherever they are. Put a shipping deadline in the note so gifts arrive before a video-call reveal.
• Classrooms. No student accounts are needed. With younger students, switch on Show all matches and print assignment slips to hand out; older students can get links. Follow your school's policy on student names; first names or initials are enough.

Tips for a smoother gift exchange

• Set a budget range. "$20–$30" or "£15–£20" sets clearer expectations than a maximum alone. The budget field is free text, so use your own currency.
• Give budget ideas. For small budgets, suggest a theme instead of a price: a favorite book, a local treat, something homemade or something cozy. A theme stops everyone from defaulting to a gift card.
• Use the note for house rules. Wrap and label gifts, a shipping deadline, or "no joke gifts".
• Don't paste the full list into a group chat. Copy all links includes everyone's link. Send links one by one.
• Redraw with care. Each link carries its own result, so links sent before a redraw still show the old matches. Every reveal shows a short draw code; after a redraw, ask everyone to check theirs matches.