List randomizer
Put one item on each line and the list is mixed up with an unbiased shuffle. Keep only the first few to draw winners, number the result for a ranking, and press the button for a new order.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Type or paste one item per line.
- Optionally enter how many items to keep from the top, or tick Number the result.
- Press Shuffle again for another order and Copy to take the result. Editing the list shuffles it again.
How it works
The lines are trimmed and empty ones dropped. The shuffle walks from the last item to the second one and swaps each with a randomly chosen item at or before it (Fisher–Yates). The random choice uses the browser’s cryptographic generator and rejects values that would favour some positions, so the result has no bias.
Worked example
For six lines Pizza, Sushi, Tacos, Curry, Pasta and Falafel there are 720 possible orders, each equally likely. With “Keep only the first N items” set to 2 and numbering on you might get “1. Tacos” and “2. Pizza”.
Tips
To split people into groups, use the team generator. For a single pick with a visual, the wheel spinner does the same job. Keep a copy of the result if you need proof of the order.
Frequently asked questions
Is the shuffle really random and fair?
It uses the Fisher–Yates algorithm with numbers from the browser's secure random generator, drawn without modulo bias, so every possible order is equally likely. Nothing is sent to a server.
How do I pick random winners?
Put every entry on its own line, set "Keep only the first N items" to the number of winners and press Shuffle again. The shuffled list is cut to its first N lines, so every entry has the same chance.
What happens to blank lines and duplicates?
Blank lines and spaces around a line are removed. Identical lines are kept as separate items, so an entry listed twice has two chances.
Why does the list look unshuffled for a moment when the page loads?
The page is prepared ahead of time and random numbers are only drawn in your browser, so the first view shows the list as it was typed. It shuffles as soon as the page is ready.
Can I get the same order again?
No. Every shuffle is new and there is no seed to repeat it. Copy the result if you need to keep the order.