What is the secret santa wheel?
The secret santa wheel is a free online spinner loaded with 8 starter entries, such as Ava, Liam, Noah, Emma. You can change every slice, add your own items, set odds and keep a record of each result. People also search for it as “secret santa spinner”, “gift exchange picker”, “random secret santa”.
Because every slice is on screen and the spin plays out in front of everyone, the result feels fair. That matters when people care about the outcome.
How to use the secret santa wheel
Check or edit the entries
The starter list is loaded. Edit it in the Entries tab, paste your own list or upload a CSV, then press Apply List.
Pick a mode
Leave it on standard for independent spins, or switch on Elimination, Multiple winners or Fair Rotation in Design or Smart.
Reveal the winner
Tap the wheel or press Spin. The pop-up lets you remove the winner, copy the result or spin again.
Ways to use the secret santa wheel
Office parties
Draw names at the start of December.
Family gatherings
Spin over a video call with relatives.
Friend groups
Make the draw part of the fun.
Classrooms
Organise a small gift swap.
Tips for the secret santa wheel
- Have each person spin privately and close the popup before passing the device on.
- If someone draws themselves, press Undo and spin again.
- Set a price limit before the draw.
How to run a Secret Santa draw with the wheel
Paste every participant's name and turn on automatic removal. Each person, in turn, spins privately to reveal who they're buying for, and that name comes off the wheel. If someone draws their own name, put it back with Undo and spin again. When everyone has drawn, every person is giving one gift and receiving one gift. For in-person groups, each person can spin while others look away; for remote groups, the organiser can draw on everyone's behalf and message each person their match privately.
Organiser-only draws
If keeping it secret from everyone except the organiser is acceptable, the organiser spins for each giver in order and notes the matches. Then they send each person a private message with their recipient. This is fastest for large groups, offices and families spread across locations. Keep the notes somewhere safe and don't share your screen during the draw.
Rules to agree before the draw
Set a spending limit, such as £10, $20 or €15, and stick to it. Choose an exchange date and place, or a delivery deadline for remote groups. Decide whether couples or members of the same household can draw each other. If not, the organiser can re-spin if a match breaks the rule. Agree whether gifts should be themed: handmade, second-hand, under a fiver or "something to read".
Wish lists
Ask everyone to write a short wish list with three ideas at different prices, sizes and favourite colours, plus anything they don't want. The organiser forwards each list to the right giver. Wish lists reduce stress for givers and wasted gifts for receivers.
Office Secret Santa tips
Keep gifts inclusive and appropriate for work. Avoid alcohol unless you know it's welcome, and avoid anything personal or jokey that could embarrass. Make participation optional, and don't pressure colleagues who don't celebrate. Consider a "Secret Snowflake" or "Winter Gift Swap" name for a more inclusive feel. Hybrid teams can post gifts or send digital vouchers.
Variations
White Elephant: everyone brings a wrapped gift, and the wheel decides the order in which people choose or steal gifts. Secret Santa with a theme: spin a theme wheel (cosy, edible, desk upgrade, book) for each pair. Reverse Santa: draw names to decide who receives a gift from a shared pot. Book exchange: each person draws a recipient and gives a favourite book with a note.
Beyond Christmas
The same draw works for Eid gift swaps, Diwali exchanges, birthday clubs at work, end-of-year class presents, or a "kindness buddy" scheme where each person secretly does small kind things for their match for a week.
Revealing the gifters
Some groups like a reveal at the end: everyone guesses who their Santa was, and the wheel's history (kept privately by the organiser) confirms the answers.
Keep the wheel saved until the exchange is over, in case anyone forgets who they drew.
Secret santa wheel features
Made for holidays
Templates, images and colours make it fit your activity.
Odds you control
Change any entry's weight and its slice resizes to match its chance.
No-repeat and multi-winner
Remove winners automatically, or draw a whole set in one round.
Images, colours, sound
Pictures on slices, custom colours, tick and fanfare sounds.
Share, fullscreen, OBS
Send a link, project it, or put it on stream as an overlay.
History and receipts
Every spin is logged with a time and code. Export it to CSV.
Odds on the secret santa wheel
With equal weights each of the 8 entries has a 12.5% chance on every spin. Change a weight and that entry's chance becomes its weight divided by the total. Elimination removes winners and recalculates the odds for the rest. Test any setup on the randomness audit.
Secret santa wheel FAQs
What if I draw my own name?
Press Undo to restore the list and spin again.
Can it stay secret?
Pass the device round so each person sees only their own result.
Can I use it for Kris Kringle or White Elephant?
Yes. It works for any name-draw gift game.
Is the secret santa wheel free?
Yes. The secret santa wheel on WheelSpinner is free, with no sign-up or entry limit.
Is the secret santa wheel truly random?
Each spin uses your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so with equal weights every visible entry has the same chance.
Can I save and share my secret santa wheel?
Entries save automatically in this browser, and Share copies a link with your list included.