Random team generator. Fairness, by cryptography.

How to use the Random Team Generator

This generator splits a list of names into random, evenly sized groups. It shuffles the list with your browser's cryptographic random number generator, then deals the names into groups so no two groups differ by more than one person. It can also keep chosen pairs apart and name a leader in each group. Use it for classrooms, sports, workshops, hackathons or chore lists.

Step by step

1. 1
   Enter the names

   Type or paste names into the Names box, one per line. Blank lines are ignored. The box starts with ten sample names, and whatever you type is remembered for your next visit. Leave Ignore duplicate names ticked to drop repeats, matched without regard to capital letters.

2. 2
   Choose how to split

   Under Split mode, pick Number of groups and set How many groups (it starts at 2), or pick Group size and set People per group (it starts at 3). In Group size mode the number is a maximum: 10 people at 3 per group gives four groups of 3, 3, 2 and 2, not a group of 1.

3. 3
   Keep certain people apart

   In Keep apart, list pairs joined with & and separated by commas, for example Alice & Bob, Carlos & Dina. Both names must match names in your list. The tool tries up to 400 shuffles to separate every pair.

4. 4
   Pick labels and leaders

   Under Group labels, choose Team 1, Team 2, Group 1, Group 2, a Custom prefix such as Squad, or Fun team names drawn at random from a built in list. Tick Pick a leader in each group to star the first person in every group.

5. 5
   Generate and reshuffle

   Press Generate teams. Press Reshuffle for a new draw using whatever is in the form at that moment. Your previous three draws are kept under History, last 3 shuffles until you leave the page.

6. 6
   Share the result

   Use the small copy button on a group to copy just that group, Copy all for every group, .txt for teams.txt, .csv for teams.csv with Group, Member and Role columns, or Print for a sheet that shows only the teams.

Reading the result

• The line above the groups shows how many groups were made and how many people were placed, for example 2 groups · 10 people with the sample names.
• The number beside each group name is its size. Sizes never differ by more than one.
• A starred name marked (leader) is the leader for that group. Because the list is shuffled first, the leader is also chosen at random.
• An amber warning lists any keep apart pairs that could not be separated, usually because there are too few groups. Add a group or make groups larger and press Reshuffle.
• If you ask for more groups than there are names, the tool makes one group per name and says so.

Tips and common mistakes

• Check the spelling in Keep apart. A pair whose names do not match the list is skipped, and a short message names the entries that were ignored.
• Untick Ignore duplicate names only if two different people share a name. Otherwise a pasted list with repeats puts the same person in two groups.
• You need at least two names before the tool will make groups.
• For a fair draw in front of a group, project the page and press Generate teams once. Reshuffling until you like the result defeats the point.

Privacy and limits

Everything runs in your browser. Your name list is saved only in this browser's local storage so it is there next time, and it is never uploaded. Group results and history are not saved and disappear when you close the tab. Clear the Names box, or your site data, to remove the saved list.

Back to the tool

Everything a team picker should do.

Frequently asked questions.

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