How are the teams made?

The names are shuffled with a fair Fisher–Yates shuffle and dealt out one by one, like cards, so team sizes never differ by more than one person.

Can I pick a random name instead of teams?

Yes. Press “Pick names” to draw one or more different names from the list, for example to choose a volunteer or a prize winner.

Can I show the teams on a projector?

Yes. Press “Fullscreen” at the top of the tool and the teams fill the screen, so a class or group can find their team at a glance. Press Esc or “Exit fullscreen” to go back.

Random Team Generator & Name Picker

What is a random team generator?

A random team generator splits a list of people into groups by chance. Picking teams by hand often leaves the same people chosen last or puts all the friends together. A random split is fair, fast and hard to argue with. This tool also works as a random name picker: draw one or more names from your list for a volunteer, a winner or the next speaker.

How to make random teams

Enter the names in the box, one per line. You can paste a column straight from Excel, Google Sheets or a class register. The counter shows how many names you have.
Choose how to split:
- Number of teams: for example 4 teams, however many people that puts in each.
- People per team: for example teams of 3, and the tool works out how many teams that makes.
Press Make teams. Not happy? Press it again for a completely new random split.
Press Copy result to paste the teams into a chat, email or document.

Fullscreen: press Fullscreen at the top of the tool to show the teams large on a projector or screen, so everyone can find their group at once. Press Esc to go back. With 🎨 Colors & effects you can set your own background and button colors (or a green screen for streaming) and choose whether the result is shown big with fireworks.

How to pick random names

Set Names to pick to the number you need and press Pick names. The picked names are always different people, so nobody is chosen twice in the same draw. Your list stays in the box (and in your browser for next time), so you can draw again whenever you like.

How the split works, and why it's fair

The tool shuffles the list using the Fisher–Yates shuffle, a well-known method that gives every possible order the same chance. The randomness comes from your browser's secure random number generator. It then deals the shuffled names into the teams one at a time, like dealing cards. Because of that, team sizes never differ by more than one person. With 10 people in 3 teams you get teams of 4, 3 and 3, never 6, 2 and 2.

Your list is saved only in your browser's local storage, so it is still there next time on the same device. It is never uploaded, which matters when you are working with pupils' or colleagues' names.

When to use it

Teachers: Make group-work teams, pair students up (choose teams of 2), pick who answers a question, or set the presentation order.
Sports and PE: Split players into fair sides for football, basketball or five-a-side without captains picking.
Work: Mix people from different departments for workshops, hackathons or team-building, or pick who runs this week's meeting.
Quizzes and game nights: Divide guests into quiz teams, or draw who goes first.
Secret-Santa-style draws and giveaways: Draw a winner from a list of entries in front of everyone.

Tips

Want skill-balanced teams? Run the generator once for your strongest players and once for everyone else, then combine one team from each run. This is still random but more even.
Duplicate names are treated as different people, so add an initial (“Anna K”, “Anna M”) to tell them apart.
Prefer a draw everyone can watch? Paste the names into the spin wheel and tick “Remove winner after spin”.