What is Secret Santa?
It’s the classic gift exchange for Christmas, the office or a group of friends: everyone draws a name and buys a gift for that person, and nobody knows who has whom until the exchange. In Spain it’s called amigo invisible, and in Latin America and Brazil, amigo secreto.
Here you run the Secret Santa name draw online, free and without anyone’s email. Each participant gets a private link with a wrapped gift by text, WhatsApp or any messaging app; when they open it, they see who they’re buying for.
How to organize it in three steps
- Type the names (at least three) and, if you like, the budget, the exchange date and gift ideas for each person, like a simple wish list.
- Set who can’t get whom: couples, or whoever someone had last year.
- Press “Draw names” and send everyone their link by WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, Instagram or text. If you’re together, pass the phone: each person taps their gift and opens it alone.
Is the draw fair? Where is it stored?
Nobody draws themselves, every rule is respected and, among all the possible draws that follow them, one is picked at random with the same chance for each. The randomness comes from your browser’s cryptographic generator, the same kind used to create passwords, so the result can’t be guessed.
The draw happens on your device and the names aren’t sent to any server. Each person’s result travels inside their own link, in the part after the “#”, which browsers don’t send over the internet; that’s why no emails or accounts are needed. The draw is also saved in your browser, so you can resend a link if someone loses it.
Frequently asked questions
How does a Secret Santa generator without email work?
Type the names, press “Draw names” and then “Send to…”: your phone’s share menu opens and you pick that person’s chat. Each person gets a different link that only shows who they’re buying for.
Do I need an email, an account or an app?
No. There’s no email or phone number, no accounts, and it works in the browser of any phone or computer. Each link carries its own result.
Can the organizer see who has whom?
Only by opening other people’s links: the screen only ever shows wrapped gifts. If the organizer is playing too, they should send the links without opening them, or you can pass the phone if you’re together.
Can I stop couples from getting each other?
Yes. Under “Who can’t draw whom” pick two people and they won’t draw each other. The arrows button makes it one-way, for example so you don’t get last year’s person again.
What if we’re all in the same room?
Draw on one phone and pass it around: each person taps their gift, presses “I’m…” and opens it alone. Then “Hide and pass the phone” and the next person sees nothing.
What if someone loses their link?
The draw stays saved in the organizer’s browser. Come back to this page on the same phone or computer, tap that person’s gift and send the link again: they’ll get the same person as before.
How many people can take part?
From 3 to 60. With two it’s no fun, because each would know who has them.
Can I add a wish list or gift ideas?
Yes. Tap the gift icon next to a name and write a few ideas; only the person buying for them sees them, when they open their gift.
Related guides
- How to do a fair random draw — What makes a draw clean, online or in person, and how to avoid any suspicion of cheating.
- Party games that need nothing but your phone — Ideas to liven up a dinner or a party with just your phone, no prep needed.