❓ Frequently Asked Questions

The Wheel of Name is a free online random name picker and decision-making tool. You enter names or options, spin a virtual wheel, and one entry is selected at random. It's used in classrooms, giveaways, office games, party activities, and wherever you need a fair, unbiased way to choose from a list.

Type or paste your entries into the input box — one name or option per line. The wheel updates in real time as you type. You can also upload a plain text file, CSV, or JSON file to quickly import a large list without typing each entry manually.

The wheel supports a large number of entries and performs well with lists of several hundred names. For very large lists (500+), the wheel segments become thin but the randomization still works correctly. Most users find 2–50 entries to be the most practical range.

All core features are completely free — no account required, no credit card, no time limits. The site is supported by advertising. We do not charge for any standard use of the wheel.

The wheel uses your browser's built-in pseudorandom number generator (the same engine used by JavaScript's Math.random()) to determine the spin result. Each segment has an equal probability of being selected regardless of its position on the wheel or its visual size. We do not influence, weight, or manipulate outcomes.

Yes. Enable the "Remove after win" option and the selected entry will be automatically removed from the wheel after each spin. This guarantees every entry is chosen exactly once before any repeats — useful for raffle draws and classroom selection where you want to cycle through everyone.

With removal enabled, each spin reduces the pool by one, so every entry will be selected exactly once before the wheel empties. Without removal, the wheel keeps all entries on every spin — the same name could theoretically come up multiple times in a row. Choose based on what fairness means for your situation: cycle-through fairness (remove) vs. independent-draw fairness (keep).

Yes. You can change the color palette of the wheel segments through the customization panel. This is useful for color-coding groups — for example, assigning red segments to one team and blue to another, or just making the wheel match your classroom or event theme.

Yes. Export your name list as a text, CSV, or JSON file using the export option, then re-import it the next time you need it. For classroom use, teachers often keep a saved text file with their class list ready to drag-and-drop into the tool each session.

Yes. The Share feature generates a link that encodes your current wheel configuration. Anyone with the link can open the same wheel with your entries pre-loaded. This is useful for teachers who want students to access a specific wheel, or for event organizers sharing a raffle wheel with colleagues.

Yes. The Wheel of Name is fully responsive and works on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. The spin animation and touch interaction are optimized for mobile screens. Tap the wheel to spin on a touchscreen device, just as you would click on desktop.

The tool works in all modern browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and their mobile counterparts. No plugins or extensions are required. For the best experience, keep your browser updated to a recent version. Internet Explorer is not supported.

Yes, and this is one of the most popular classroom uses. Open the site on the classroom computer, connect to the projector, and students can watch the wheel spin from their seats. The animation is sized for visibility at a distance and the result text is displayed prominently when the wheel stops.

No. The names and options you type into the wheel are processed entirely in your browser. They are not transmitted to or stored on our servers. When you close the tab or browser, the entries are gone. The only exception is the Share link feature, which encodes your entries in the URL itself — but even then, nothing is stored server-side.

Yes. Because names are never sent to our servers (see above), using the tool with student names raises no data privacy concerns under FERPA, COPPA, or similar regulations. The names exist only in your browser's memory during the session. For extra caution, some teachers use student numbers or first names only rather than full names.

First, make sure you've added at least one entry to the wheel. The spin button is disabled on an empty wheel. If entries are present and spinning still doesn't work, try refreshing the page, clearing your browser cache, or opening the tool in an incognito/private window. If the problem persists, try a different browser.

The spin animation is GPU-accelerated and should run smoothly on most devices. If you see choppy animation, close other browser tabs to free up memory, make sure hardware acceleration is enabled in your browser settings, or try reducing the number of entries on the wheel (very large lists with 200+ entries can slow rendering on older hardware).

For text files, make sure each entry is on its own line with no extra blank lines at the start or end. For CSV files, use a single column of values with no header row. For JSON, the expected format is a simple array of strings: ["Alice", "Bob", "Carol"]. Files larger than a few hundred entries may take a moment to parse.

Yes. Screen-share the wheel during a video call (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) and students can watch the spin in real time. This works particularly well for remote participation selection — students in hybrid classes find it fair and engaging, since the randomness is visible to everyone simultaneously.

Yes. Add all participant names, enable "Remove after win" so winners aren't repeated, and spin on a shared screen. For high-stakes giveaways, consider recording your screen during the draw so the process is transparent and you have a record of the results. The wheel has been used successfully for social media giveaways, classroom prize draws, office holiday raffles, and live event contests.

Functionally, the probabilities are equivalent — each entry has an equal chance of being selected. The practical advantages of the digital wheel are: it's faster to update (add or remove names instantly without re-writing slips), the spin is visible to everyone in the room which builds trust in the process, the result is displayed clearly, and you can save and reload your list. The spectacle of the spinning wheel also adds an element of excitement that a paper slip draw doesn't have.

Email us at support@thewheelofname.com . We aim to respond within one business day. For common issues, visit our Troubleshooting page first — most problems are resolved there in under a minute.