Random name picker
Paste a class list, a team roster or raffle entries. Draw one name or several, and choose whether drawn names go back in the hat.
Press Draw to pick a name.
12 of 12 in the hat
Using it in class
Cold-calling with a random picker keeps everyone ready to answer, and a visible, fair draw heads off the "you always pick him" complaint. Paste your roster once; it stays in this browser for the next lesson. Hat mode means every student is called once before anyone is called again, and the "Already drawn" list doubles as a record of who has had a turn.
Other quick uses: draw 3 names for a group job, pick the order of presentations (set "Names to draw" to the full class size and the list becomes a random running order), or choose who takes the register. For splitting a whole class, the random team generator does it in one go.
Using it for a giveaway or raffle
Paste one line per entry. Keep duplicates if people earned extra entries; remove them if it is one entry per person. Set how many winners you need and draw them in one go: the multi-draw never picks the same line twice. Share a screen recording for transparency. PickSpin is a picking tool, not a lottery service, so it does not collect entries or hold prizes.
How the draw works
The winners are chosen the moment you press Draw, by a partial Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by crypto.getRandomValues. The flicker of names you see afterwards is decoration. The fairness page explains why that matters.
Questions people ask
How do I pick a random name from a list?
Paste the names into the box, one per line (copying a column from Excel or Google Sheets works), choose how many to draw and press Draw. Each name has an equal chance.
Can I stop the same student being picked twice?
Yes. Leave "Draw from a hat" switched on: each drawn name is set aside until the hat is empty or you press Put everyone back. Turn it off and every draw uses the full list again.
Is it fair for a giveaway or raffle?
Every draw uses crypto.getRandomValues with rejection sampling, which gives each entry exactly the same probability. For a public giveaway, record your screen or take a screenshot of the result so entrants can see it. Check your local rules on prize draws before running one.
What happens to duplicate names?
By default duplicates are kept, so someone with two raffle tickets has two chances. Tick "Remove duplicates" to give everyone one entry.
Is my class list uploaded anywhere?
No. The names stay in your browser. They are saved in localStorage so the list is still there next lesson, and the Privacy page has a button to wipe it.