How to spin the wheel

Paste names, press Spin or Space, and read the winner. Open the homepage wheel to do it now.

Open the wheel of names

Wheel of Names · Secure random selection

The three steps

Paste a list, spin, see the winner. You do not need an account. The same three steps work on a phone or a projector.

One name per line. Numbers and short choices work too. The winner is chosen before the wheel moves. Then the spin aims at that slice.

That is how to spin the wheel online with NamesWheel. You do not install an app unless you want one later. You do not make an account. If the sample names are still there, replace them. A spin on sample names is a demo, not a real draw.

Keyboard and buttons

Press Space to spin. The big Spin the wheel button under the wheel does the same job. The hub in the center also spins.

Mute from Sound if you need a quiet room. Present or fullscreen fills a board. Reduced-motion still returns a fair winner.

The hub in the middle of the wheel is a second spin control. The big button under the wheel is the one a room can read: Spin the wheel. If you teach this to a class, point at that button first. Space is for when your hands are on the keyboard.

Remove winners and spin again

After a spin you can spin again, remove the winner, or copy the name. Don’t repeat winners removes picked names automatically.

Use remove when you need first, second, and third place. Use a new round when the pool is empty and you want everyone eligible again.

Don’t repeat winners is the switch for an elimination wheel. The raffle wheel and the student picker start with it on. The homepage wheel starts with it off, because a lunch pick can repeat. Turn it on when repeats would look unfair.

Save and share

The current list stays in this browser. Share copies the winner or a link. Named wheels live under Wheels.

Nothing is uploaded when you only spin. A share link is optional. If you change devices, paste the list again.

Named wheels help when you have more than one list, such as Period 1 and a giveaway. Share is for a winner or a link, not for moving a whole school roster to the cloud. There is no cloud roster here. That is on purpose.

Which tool for which job

Use the student picker for class. Use the raffle wheel for a giveaway. Use the decision wheel or yes or no for choices. Use the number wheel for a range. Use the team picker for groups.

The homepage wheel accepts any list if you are not sure. Classroom, giveaway, and decision pages start with the job already set so you skip setup.

The flowchart below is the short map. Class goes to the student picker. Giveaway goes to the raffle wheel. Choices go to the decision wheel or yes or no. Numbers go to the number wheel. Teams go to the team picker. Open the matching page so the first-use list already fits the job.

If you came here to learn how to use wheel of names online, the next click is the homepage wheel. Paste your list. Press Spin the wheel or Space. Then pick a special tool only if the job is class, a raffle, teams, or a number range. The flowchart is the map. The randomness page is the method. You can mute, go fullscreen, and save a named wheel after the first spin. You cannot make the animation choose the winner. That is already done before the wheel moves. If you need every name once, turn on Don’t repeat winners. If you need a range of numbers, open the number wheel instead of typing 1 to 10 by hand. If you need groups, open the team picker and paste the same names. If you need a raffle, open the raffle wheel instead of the homepage. That is the whole map.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spinning the sample names and calling that a real draw.
• Forgetting Space and hunting for a tiny control.
• Picking a special tool when the homepage wheel already fits.