ONE LINK FOR YOUR GIFT EXCHANGE
Secret Santa generator: draw names online.
Does your group live in different places, or only meet on gift day? An online name draw gives each person a secret recipient without meeting beforehand to draw paper slips.
My Dirty Santa organises secret recipient assignments for your group. Nobody draws themselves, and each person gives and receives one gift. Choose traditional Secret Santa presents or agree to exchange quirky pre-owned finds.
1. Prepare the participant list and date
The organiser creates a group and adds the participants’ names. A private name-list round needs at least three people, including the organiser, and offers up to 50 places. Agree on the date, meeting place, budget and rules together.
Use distinguishable display names when participants share a first name, so everyone selects the right entry. Check who wants to take part before adding them. A reliable list makes the draw easier.
2. Share the invitation link and sign in
Share the group link, for example on WhatsApp or in your team chat. Each person opens it, selects their prepared name and links it to their own account. Email sign-in uses an access code, so there is no password to create.
The draw works in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Personal group features require sign-in. Share the group link only with the intended participants.
3. Set exclusions before drawing
If a certain pairing should be avoided, the organiser sets the exclusion before the draw. This can help when two people already exchanged gifts last year. Too many exclusions can make a complete assignment impossible; the app checks whether the requirements can be met.
When you create a new round from an existing group, existing exclusions carry over and last year’s pairings become additional exclusions. Review these settings before opening the next draw.
4. Release the list and draw secret recipients
Once the list is correct, the organiser releases the draw. Invited participants can then draw their recipients themselves. Releasing the draw fixes the agreed group rules. Before the event day, each person can only see their own result.
From midnight Austrian time on the event day, the organiser can view all assignments to help with absences. The draw therefore does not stay permanently hidden from the organiser.
5. Resolve open invitations before gift shopping
In a private name-list round, planned participants may still accept their invitation after the draw is released. Using “Finish drawing”, the organiser closes invitations and adjusts assignments to the people actually taking part. A previously drawn recipient may change.
Resolve outstanding invitations early and tell the group when you will finish the draw. Check your recipient again afterwards before preparing or sending a personalised gift.
Secret Santa draw or a Dirty Santa party?
An online draw suits an exchange where everyone gives to a specific person. In a dice game, Dirty Santa or White Elephant, everyone brings a gift for a shared pile and the game determines who gets each one. That format does not need a secret recipient draw.