How it works
- 1 Add everyone’s names.
- 2 Under Exclusions, choose two people and tap Add. Repeat for every couple or pair.
- 3 Tap “Draw names”.
- 4 Send each person their private link, or pass the phone around.
Who usually goes on the exclusion list
- → Couples. They’d buy for each other anyway, so Secret Santa adds nothing.
- → People who live together, so the gift can stay a surprise until the exchange.
- → Last year’s pairs, to keep things fresh in groups that do it every year.
- → Parents and their young kids in a family draw, if the kids get help shopping.
When exclusions make the draw impossible
Too many exclusions can leave no valid draw. The smallest example: three people where two are a couple. Both of them would have to buy for the third person, and someone gives two gifts. The generator checks every possibility and tells you if this happens instead of quietly breaking a rule.
The fix is usually to remove one exclusion or add one more person. In groups of six or more with only couples excluded, a valid draw always exists.
Questions
Do exclusions work both ways? +
Yes. If you exclude Sam and Alex, Sam can’t draw Alex and Alex can’t draw Sam.
Can one person have several exclusions? +
Yes. Add as many pairs as you like. Just keep in mind that every exclusion makes the draw tighter in a small group.
Can I stop two people from simply swapping gifts? +
The generator already avoids A-gives-to-B, B-gives-to-A swaps whenever another valid draw exists, so nobody can guess their Secret Santa just from who they drew.
Is this Secret Santa generator really free? +
Yes. There is no sign-up, no email and no paid version of the generator. You type the names, draw, and send each person their link.
Do you store our names or matches? +
No. The draw happens in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Each match is packed into that person’s link, and your browser keeps the last draw so a reload doesn’t lose it. Clearing your browser data deletes it.