How to use it
Enter names or items in the “List (one per line)” box, one to a line. Blank lines and spaces at the start or end of a line are ignored, and a count such as “4 items” under the box shows how many entries were recognized. Then choose one of three options under “Action”.
Pick winners
Enter the “Number to pick” and press “Pick”. Pick one and the name appears in large type. Pick several and you get a numbered list in the order they were drawn.
- With “Allow repeats (the same item can be picked more than once)” off, which is how it starts, no line comes up twice within one draw. With it on, every single pick is made from the full list again.
- With “Remove picked items from the list” on, the picked lines are deleted from the list box straight away. Use it for a draw in stages, such as picking first prize and then picking second prize from whoever is left.
Shuffle order
Press “Shuffle” to see the whole list in a random order. The list box itself stays as it was. Only the results show the shuffled order.
Split into teams
Enter the “Number of teams” and press “Split” to get a roster for each team, labeled “Team 1”, “Team 2” and so on. If the group doesn’t divide evenly, the lower-numbered teams take one extra person each, so team sizes never differ by more than 1. Seven people in 3 teams come out as 3, 2 and 2. Ten people in 4 teams come out as 3, 3, 2 and 2.
Whichever action you use, you can export from “Results” with “Copy all” or “Download as .txt” (result.txt).
The list is saved in this browser, and removing drawn rows cannot be undone. Clear the list after using a shared device.
Each line is one entry, not each name
Think of every line in the list as one raffle ticket. Lines with the same text are not merged. Suppose the list looks like this:
Alice
Alice
Alice
Bob
CharlieWhen one person is picked, Alice has a 3 in 5 chance, which is 60%, and Bob and Charlie have 20% each. That makes a draw where people have different numbers of entries easy: write each name as many times as that person has entries. On the other hand, if everyone should have the same chance and you pasted the list together from several places, check first that no name went in twice.
Each action draws in a slightly different way.
- Pick winners with “Allow repeats” off chooses one of the remaining lines, takes that line out of the running, and repeats until it has the number you asked for. The earlier someone is picked, the lower their number.
- Shuffle order uses the Fisher–Yates shuffle. Starting from the last position, it fills each spot with one of the items not yet placed, which makes every possible order equally likely.
- Split into teams first shuffles everyone the same way, then deals them out in that order: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, back to Team 1, one person at a time.
The random numbers come from the browser’s crypto.getRandomValues, not Math.random(). Using the remainder of a raw random number divided by the number of items would give lines near the top of the list a very slight edge, so the numbers that cause that tilt are thrown away and drawn again.
Settings for common situations
| What you want to do | Action | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Decide 1st to 3rd prize in one draw | Pick winners | “Number to pick” 3, “Allow repeats” off. Number 1 in the results is 1st prize |
| Call on one presenter at a time, skipping anyone who has already gone | Pick winners | “Number to pick” 1, “Remove picked items from the list” on |
| Pick whose turn it is for a chore, with everyone back in the draw each time | Pick winners | “Number to pick” 1, both options off |
| Set the full order for presentations or speaking | Shuffle order | None |
| Form groups or split into teams for a game | Split into teams | “Number of teams” set to how many teams you want |