Wheel of Names FAQ

Wheel of Names is a free online spinning wheel that picks a random name or option from a list you type in. Teachers use it to call on students, streamers use it for giveaways, and groups use it to make quick, fair decisions.

Open the Wheel of Names page and type your names into the Entries box, one per line, or paste a column from Google Sheets or Excel. The wheel updates as you type. Add a title in Settings if you like, then click the wheel to spin.

Edit the Entries box directly to add, change, or delete names. “Clear list” empties the wheel, and “Undo” brings the list back. If names were removed during a round, “Restore all” puts them back. The Results tab has its own Clear button.

Yes. Open Settings and drag “Spin time” anywhere from 1 to 20 seconds. Short spins keep a lesson moving, and long spins build suspense for giveaways.

Yes. Each tool page (Wheel of Names, Classroom, Raffle, Yes or No, and so on) remembers its own list. For more wheels, click the share button and bookmark each link. Opening a link loads that wheel.

Your list and settings are saved automatically in this browser, so they are there the next time you visit. To keep a copy or move it to another device, click the share button and save the link.

You can install it without an app store. In Chrome or Edge, click the install icon in the address bar. On iPhone or iPad, tap Share then “Add to Home Screen.” On Android, open the Chrome menu and choose “Install app.” Once installed, it works offline.

Use your device’s built-in screen recorder. On iPhone, use Screen Recording in Control Center. On Android, use Screen record in Quick Settings. On Windows, press Windows + Alt + R. On Mac, press Command + Shift + 5. Recording is a good way to prove a giveaway result.

Click the share button to copy your wheel’s link. In PowerPoint, select some text or a shape, press Ctrl + K (Command + K on Mac), and paste the link. During the slideshow, click it to open your wheel in the browser, spin, then switch back to your slides.

Copy your wheel’s share link, select text or an image in your slide, press Ctrl + K (Command + K on Mac), and paste it. In Present mode, clicking the link opens your wheel in a new tab, ready to spin.

Open your wheel, click the full-screen button, then share your screen or browser tab. Turn on “Share sound” in Zoom, or “Include audio” in Meet or Teams, so everyone hears the spin.

There is no bot. Paste your wheel’s share link into the channel so everyone can open the same wheel, or stream the browser tab with Discord’s screen share so everyone watches the same spin.

Yes. There is nothing to download and no account to create. Your names stay in your own browser and are never uploaded to our servers. The site runs over a secure HTTPS connection.

Yes. It is a free tool with no sign-up, payment, or personal details. You can check how winners are picked on our fairness page, which includes a test that runs thousands of spins in your browser.

The pointer always lands on the winner that was picked, and every entry has exactly the same chance unless you add weights. The randomness comes from your browser’s cryptographic generator, the same kind used for security keys.