How this random team generator works
Splitting a group into teams sounds simple, but doing it fairly by hand is fiddly — especially when the number of people does not divide evenly. This generator does it instantly. You paste your list of names, decide whether you want a fixed number of teams or a fixed team size, and the tool handles the maths and the randomness for you.
When you click Generate, the tool reads your list, removes blanks and duplicates, and randomly shuffles everyone. It then deals the names out one at a time across the teams, the way you would deal a deck of cards. Dealing round-robin keeps every team within one person of every other team, so the groups are always as even as possible.
Reference note: the shuffle uses crypto.getRandomValues for cryptographically strong randomness when your browser supports it, falling back to Math.random only if it does not. Your list never leaves your device.
Ways to split a group
The two modes below cover almost every situation, from a quick game of pickup to organising a classroom or a workshop.
| Mode | You choose | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Number of teams | How many teams (e.g. 2, 3, 4) | Tournaments, debates, head-to-head games |
| Team size | People per team (e.g. 3, 4, 5) | Project groups, lab pairs, breakout rooms |
Frequently asked questions
- How does the team generator work?
- Paste a list of names, choose whether to split by number of teams or by team size, then click Generate. The tool removes blanks and duplicates, randomly shuffles the names, and deals them out one at a time across the teams so the groups stay as even as possible.
- Is the team generator random and fair?
- Yes. The shuffle uses crypto.getRandomValues for cryptographically strong randomness when your browser supports it, falling back to Math.random only if it does not. Every name has an equal chance of landing on any team.
- Can I split by team size or by number of teams?
- Both. Pick “Number of teams” to set how many teams you want, or pick “Team size” to set how many people go on each team. The tool works out the rest automatically.
- How are uneven groups handled?
- When the names do not divide evenly, the remainder is spread one person at a time across the first few teams. So 10 names into 3 teams become teams of 4, 3 and 3 rather than leaving one team much larger than the others.
- How many names can I add?
- As many as you like. You need at least 2 names to form teams, and there is no fixed upper limit — the tool comfortably handles small classrooms and large groups of hundreds of names.
- Is my list saved or sent anywhere?
- No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Your list of names is never uploaded, sent to a server, or stored, and it disappears as soon as you close or refresh the page.