Random Team Generator
Paste your list, choose how many teams (or how big each one should be), and get a fair, truly random split in one click.
Tap a team to copy its roster
Fair teams without the picking-order drama
Picking teams by hand always ends the same way — a captain plays favorites, the same two people always end up together, or someone spends five minutes arguing about who counts as "even." A random team generator removes the social friction: paste the full list, decide how many teams you need (or how big each one should be), and the split is decided by an algorithm that has no opinion about anyone.
How the shuffle actually works
The tool runs the Fisher–Yates shuffle, the standard algorithm computer scientists use for an unbiased random ordering, seeded by your browser's crypto.getRandomValues — the same cryptographically secure random source used for security tokens, not the weaker Math.random() that many quick scripts rely on. Once the list is shuffled, names are dealt into teams one at a time in round-robin order (team 1, team 2, team 3, team 1, team 2…), which is what keeps any leftover people spread across teams instead of dumped on the last one.
Example 1 — even split. 12 people, "Number of teams" set to 4. The list is shuffled, then dealt out one at a time: team 1 gets names 1, 5 and 9 from the shuffled order, team 2 gets 2, 6 and 10, and so on. Every team ends up with exactly 3 members, and the assignment is different every time you click Shuffle.
Example 2 — uneven split, spread evenly. 11 people, 3 teams. 11 ÷ 3 leaves 2 left over, so two teams get 4 members and one team gets 3 — never a single team of 5 with two teams of 3. The result note tells you exactly which teams have the extra person.
Example 3 — splitting by team size. 22 people, "Team size" set to 5. The tool computes 22 ÷ 5 rounded up = 5 teams, then spreads the 22 people across those 5 teams as evenly as possible: sizes 5, 5, 4, 4 and 4, rather than four teams of exactly 5 and a single team of 2 left stranded.
Number of teams vs. team size — which should you use?
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You already know you need exactly 4 groups | Number of teams | Directly sets the team count |
| Each table, court or station only fits 5 people | Team size | Team count is derived from the constraint, not guessed |
| Classroom project, 30 students, groups of about 4 | Team size = 4 | Yields 8 teams, sizes spread 4/4/4/4/4/4/4/2 → 4/4/4/4/4/4/3/3 evenly |
| Company off-site, want exactly 6 teams for 6 activities | Number of teams = 6 | Matches a fixed number of stations regardless of headcount |
Practical notes
- Reshuffle anytime. Clicking the button again runs a brand-new shuffle from scratch — it doesn't reuse the previous split, so you can re-roll until the mix feels right.
- Duplicate names are treated as separate people. If two people share a name, list them both (e.g. "Alex" and "Alex 2") so each gets their own slot on the roster.
- Custom team names are optional. Leave the box empty for "Team 1", "Team 2"…, or supply your own — Red/Blue/Green, table numbers, or project names all work.
- Tap a team card to copy just that roster, or use "Copy all teams" to copy every team as one block of text for pasting into chat, a slide or a spreadsheet.
- Nothing leaves your browser. Your list and settings are saved only in local storage on your device — there's no account, no upload and no server involved.
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
How does the random team generator pick who goes on which team?
Every name is shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm powered by your browser's cryptographically secure random source (crypto.getRandomValues), then dealt into teams one at a time in round-robin order. This avoids the subtle bias of naive shuffles, so every name has exactly the same chance of landing on any team. The draw happens instantly and entirely on your device — nothing is sent to a server.
What happens when the names don't divide evenly into teams?
If your list doesn't divide evenly — say 11 people into 3 teams — the leftover people are handed out one at a time to the first teams in round-robin order, rather than piled onto a single leftover group. With 11 people and 3 teams you'd get team sizes of 4, 4 and 3, so the gap between the largest and smallest team is never more than one person. The tool also shows a short note explaining exactly how many teams received the extra member.
Can I split by team size instead of choosing the number of teams?
Yes — switch "Split by" to "Team size" and enter how many people you want per team; the tool works out how many teams that requires and distributes everyone evenly using the same round-robin shuffle. For example, entering a team size of 5 for 22 people creates 5 teams (22 divided by 5, rounded up) with sizes 5, 5, 4, 4 and 4, instead of four full teams of 5 and one team with just 2 people. This is handy for activities with a fixed group size, like board games or lab stations, where the number of teams depends on the total headcount.
Can I use custom team names instead of Team 1, Team 2?
Yes — type your own names in the optional "Team names" box, one per line, such as Red, Blue and Green for a sports day or Team Falcon and Team Otter for a classroom project. Each line is matched to a team in order, and any teams left over automatically fall back to "Team 1", "Team 2" and so on. Leave the box empty to use the default numbered names for every team.
Is my list of names uploaded anywhere?
No. The names, team names and settings you enter are processed entirely in your browser and saved only in your browser's localStorage so your list is there the next time you open the page. Nothing is uploaded to a server, there's no sign-up, and no one else can see your list — clearing your browser data removes it for good.