Free Secret Santa Generator
A Secret Santa generator draws names for a gift exchange so nobody picks themselves and nobody sees anyone else's match. Add your group, set a budget, exclude couples if you need to, and send each person a private link. No account, no app to install.
Participants
3 of 30How to use this Secret Santa generator
- 1
Name your exchange and set the details
Type a group name, an optional budget, the exchange date and a short note for participants. All of it is included in every reveal link.
- 2
Add participants
Enter at least three names. Add an email for each person if you want the generator to send their match for you.
- 3
Add exclusions if you need them
Open Exclusions on any row and tick the people that person should not draw, for example a partner or a sibling.
- 4
Draw names
The generator assigns everyone a match. Nobody draws themselves and every exclusion is respected. Redraw as many times as you like.
- 5
Share the private links
Copy one link per person, copy all of them as a WhatsApp-ready block, or email everyone their match in one click.
Secret Santa rules
Secret Santa is a gift exchange where every participant is secretly assigned one other person to buy for. Everyone gives one gift and receives one gift, and the giver's identity stays hidden until the exchange, or forever if the group prefers. The rules most groups use:
- 1
Everyone who joins buys one gift and receives one gift.
- 2
Names are drawn at random. You cannot draw yourself, and you must not tell anyone who you drew.
- 3
One budget applies to everybody. Spending far above it puts pressure on the rest of the group.
- 4
Gifts are wrapped, labelled with the recipient's name only, and handed over together on the exchange date.
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If someone drops out, the organizer redraws or quietly buys for the orphaned person, so nobody is left without a gift.
How to set a Secret Santa budget
Set the budget before you draw names, not after. Type it into the budget field above and it travels with every reveal link and every email, so nobody can say they missed it. A single number works better than a range: "$25" is clearer than "$20 to $30", which people read as either end.
Pick the number for the person with the least to spend, not the most. For a workplace, $20 to $25 is common. For a family exchange that replaces buying for everyone individually, $30 to $50 is normal because each person now buys one gift instead of ten. For students or a big friend group, $10 to $15 keeps it fun rather than stressful.
Say whether the budget is a ceiling or a target. "Spend up to $25" and "spend about $25" produce different gifts. Most groups want the second: a $4 gift next to a $25 gift feels worse than either one alone.
Secret Santa with exclusions (couples, siblings, housemates)
An exclusion is a rule that one participant cannot draw a specific other participant. The usual reasons: couples already buy each other gifts, siblings share a household, or two people were matched last year and want someone new. Open Exclusions on a row, tick the names, and the generator will never pair them.
Exclusions are one-way, so set them on both people if the rule should go both ways. If you add too many, a valid draw may not exist. With three people, a single exclusion already makes the draw impossible, so the generator will tell you rather than loop forever. Groups of six or more can carry several exclusions without trouble.
Secret Santa ideas by group
Office Secret Santa
Keep the budget at $20 to $25, draw at least two weeks before the party, and ask everyone to fill in a short questionnaire so matches are not guessing. Skip anything too personal.
Family Secret Santa
Exclude partners so couples draw outside their own household. Let kids join with a smaller budget, or run a separate kids-only draw with the same tool.
Friends Secret Santa
Add a theme: something handmade, something from a local shop, or "a gift that starts with your recipient's initial". Themes make small budgets feel deliberate.
Remote teams
Email the matches from this page, ask everyone for a shipping-friendly wishlist link, and set the exchange date a week before your call so parcels arrive in time.
Running a white elephant instead? Read the white elephant rules. Want better gifts? Send participants the Secret Santa questionnaire or read Secret Santa wishlist ideas.
Secret Santa generator FAQ
Is this Secret Santa generator free?
Yes. The Ouish Secret Santa generator is free with no limits on draws, no premium tier and no ads. Emailing matches to participants is free too.
Do participants need an account?
No. Nobody needs an account, including the organizer. Each participant gets a private reveal link that opens in any browser. Names and matches are encoded in the link itself, so nothing is stored on our servers.
Can I redo the draw?
Yes. Press Draw again for a fresh set of matches. Old links keep working, so only share the links from the draw you want to keep.
Can I exclude couples from drawing each other?
Yes. Open Exclusions on a participant and tick anyone they should not draw. Set it on both partners so neither draws the other. The generator also prevents anyone from drawing themselves.
How do I run Secret Santa remotely?
Add an email for each participant and use Email everyone their match. Each person receives a private link and only they see who they drew. Set a shipping-friendly budget and ask everyone to make a wishlist so gifts can be sent straight to their door.
What is a good Secret Santa budget?
Most groups pick between $15 and $30. Office exchanges often sit at $20 to $25, family exchanges at $25 to $50 and friend groups anywhere in between. Pick one number, state it clearly, and treat it as a ceiling rather than a target.
Give your Santa something to work with
Each participant can make a free Ouish wishlist: paste links from any store, share one link, and your Santa reserves an item without you seeing who picked it.
More tools: Christmas wishlist maker · Secret Santa questionnaire · White elephant rules