Secret Santa Generator – Frequently Asked Questions

Type names directly into the input box, one per line, or paste a comma-separated list. If your group is in a spreadsheet, export a column of names to a .txt or .csv file and upload it with the file button. The generator accepts any size list — an office of 8 or a school of 300 both work the same way.

No. The generator uses a Sattolo cycle — a mathematical algorithm that guarantees every person gives to exactly one unique person and receives from exactly one unique person. No duplicate assignments are possible. Each run produces a complete, non-repeating cycle through the whole group.

Never — that's the whole point of the Sattolo algorithm. Standard Fisher-Yates shuffling can produce self-assignments, which is why we use Sattolo specifically. It mathematically excludes derangements where any element maps to itself. If a self-assignment somehow appeared, it would indicate a bug in the code — but the algorithm prevents that.

After generating, each person's result shows separately. You can share assignments one at a time — show each person only their own card, or copy individual rows rather than the full list. If you're the organizer, download the full list and message each participant privately with their assignment. There's no built-in email feature, so you control the distribution.

The minimum is 3 people. With 2 people, the only valid assignment is A→B and B→A, which makes it a gift exchange rather than Secret Santa. With 3 or more, the algorithm produces a proper cycle where no one knows who gave them their gift until it's opened.

Yes — click Generate again and it produces a completely new random assignment. However, once anyone has seen their result, re-running changes the fairness of the draw. If someone already knows who they're giving to, they'll get a different person on the next run. Most groups agree upfront whether re-draws are allowed.

No. The entire shuffle runs in your browser using JavaScript. The names you enter never leave your device — nothing is sent to any server. Once you close the page, the data is gone. This also means the tool works offline after the page loads.

Yes, the Download button exports the complete list as a text file. This is useful when you're the organizer distributing assignments manually — you have a reference copy without needing to keep the browser open. The Copy button copies everything to the clipboard if you'd rather paste it into a message or document.

Yes. The interface is responsive and works on iOS and Android browsers without any app installation. The snow animation runs via CSS so it doesn't slow down older phones. If you're running a live event and want to show the draw to a group, the desktop version on a projector works better for visibility.