White elephant number generator
This white elephant number generator replaces the hat full of paper slips: set how many people are playing, pass the phone around and let each guest tap once to draw a number. Every number from 1 to your group size comes up exactly once, and the list shows who goes first, second and last.
How it is calculated
In a white elephant gift exchange the players choose gifts in a fixed order, and that order is usually set by drawing numbers before the game starts. This white elephant number generator hands out the numbers 1 to N at random, each exactly once.
How to draw the numbers
- Set “Last number” to the number of people playing – one number per wrapped gift.
- Hand the phone to the first guest. They press “Draw a number” and remember the number shown.
- Pass the phone on. Each tap gives a number nobody has had yet.
- When everyone has drawn, number 1 opens the first gift.
Prefer to announce the order yourself? Set “Numbers per draw” to the group size: one tap lists all numbers in random order. Read the list against your guest list from top to bottom – the first guest gets the first number shown, and so on.
White elephant rules in short
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before the party | everyone brings one wrapped gift, usually of similar value |
| Draw | numbers decide the order of play |
| Player 1 | picks a gift from the pile and opens it |
| Every later player | either opens a new gift or “steals” one that is already open |
| If your gift is stolen | you open a new gift or steal from someone else |
| Steal limit | a gift can only be stolen a set number of times – two is common – then it stays with its holder |
| End | the game is over when everyone has a gift; in some versions player 1 may make a final swap |
The same game is known as a Yankee swap or Dirty Santa. House rules differ, so say the steal limit and the final-swap rule out loud before the first gift is opened.
Why not just count off around the room?
The order matters: the last players see most of the gifts before they choose, and number 1 often gets the final swap. Seating order or “youngest first” always favours the same people. A random draw gives every guest the same chance of each position – with 12 players, the chance of drawing any particular number is 1/12, about 8.33%.
Useful settings
- Host goes first or last: type that number into “Numbers to leave out” and keep it for yourself.
- Late guests: raise “Last number” by one; the numbers already drawn stay as they are.
- Office party on a video call: share your screen and draw for each colleague in turn, or send the share link so everyone sees the same list.
- Wrong tap: “Take back the last draw” returns the number to the hat.
Other gift exchanges
For a Secret Santa, where each person is assigned one recipient, use the Secret Santa generator. To draw prize winners from numbered tickets at the same party, the raffle picker is the better fit.
Frequently asked questions
How do you draw numbers for a white elephant gift exchange?
Set the last number to the number of players and let each guest press “Draw a number” once. Each number from 1 to the group size is given out exactly once, in random order.
Can two people get the same number?
No. A number that has been drawn is removed from the hat until you press “Start again”.
How many numbers do I need?
One per player, which is also one per gift. With 15 players, set the last number to 15.
Can I generate the whole order at once?
Yes. Set “Numbers per draw” to the number of players (up to 50 at a time). One tap then shows all numbers in random order.
Is number 1 the best or the worst number?
That depends on your rules. Without a final swap, number 1 has no chance to steal; with the final swap, number 1 gets the last choice of all. Agree on this before drawing.
How many times can a gift be stolen?
That is a house rule. A common limit is two steals per gift; after that the gift stays with the person holding it.
Does it work for a Yankee swap or Dirty Santa?
Yes. These are other names for the same kind of exchange, and the order is drawn the same way.
Do guests have to install anything?
No. The generator runs in the browser of one phone that is passed around, or on a shared screen.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia – White elephant gift exchange (order “often determined by numbers randomly drawn prior to the start of the game”; open or steal; steal limit; also called Yankee swap or Dirty Santa)
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()
- Fisher–Yates shuffle (Durstenfeld 1964)
As of: · Editorial policy
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