How to Split People Into Random Groups (Events, Classes, Teams)
2026-06-09
Short answer: paste your list of names, choose either how many groups you want or how many people per group, and let a random group generator deal them out evenly. ToolKoala's Random Group Generator shuffles the list with cryptographic randomness and balances the groups for you — no more pairing friends by hand or arguing about who's on whose team.
Why "just count off 1-2-3" isn't great
The classic "count off around the room" works, but it has problems: people quietly swap numbers to be with friends, latecomers break the pattern, and you can't redo it cleanly if the groups feel lopsided. Doing it by hand on a whiteboard is worse — it always looks like the organizer arranged it.
A random group generator fixes both: it's genuinely shuffled, and you can re-roll instantly if you want a different split.
How to do it
- Open the Group Generator.
- Paste your names, one per line. (It shows the count so you can confirm everyone's in.)
- Choose your split:
- By number of groups — "make 4 teams" → it divides everyone into 4 balanced groups.
- By people per group — "groups of 3" → it makes as many groups of 3 as needed.
- Hit Make groups. Not happy with the mix? Shuffle again for a fresh draw.
When the numbers don't divide evenly, the leftover people are spread one per group, so group sizes never differ by more than one. Everything runs in your browser — the list isn't uploaded or saved.
Where this comes in handy
- Workshops & events — split attendees into discussion tables or breakout rooms.
- Classrooms — fair project or lab groups, without the "can I be with…" negotiation.
- Sports & games — pick even sides quickly.
- Team-building — mix departments instead of letting people clump with their usual crowd.
- Secret Santa / icebreakers — form the pools, then pair them up.
A note on fairness
The shuffle uses crypto.getRandomValues, the same randomness used for security — not a predictable pattern. So when you split a class or a team live on screen, everyone can see it wasn't arranged. If someone grumbles, just hit Shuffle again and draw a fresh set in front of them.
FAQ
What's the easiest way to split a group of people into teams? Paste the names into a random group generator, pick the number of groups (or the size you want), and let it deal them out evenly. It takes seconds and looks fair because it is.
Can I choose group size instead of number of groups? Yes — switch to "By people per group," enter the size, and it makes as many equal groups as needed.
Are the groups balanced? Yes. When the total doesn't divide evenly, the extra people are spread one per group, so sizes differ by at most one.
Does it store the names I enter? No. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded or saved. Refresh and it's gone.
— Milo 🐨