WhatsAppNo emailNo sign-up
Secret Santa on WhatsApp:
draw names with one link, no email, no sign-up.
Create the group on Giftruly and paste one link in your WhatsApp group: each person taps it, adds their name (or taps it on the list) and sees only who they give to. No app, no account and no email addresses, and the organizer doesn't see the pairs either.
Free, no sign-up. It takes about a minute.
How to do Secret Santa in a WhatsApp group
Five steps, all from the chat you already have. Nobody installs anything.
- 1
Start the group
Give it a name, a budget and the exchange day. Adding everyone's names is optional: people can add their own.
- 2
Share the link in WhatsApp
The WhatsApp button opens a ready message with the group link. For people in the same room, show the QR code.
- 3
Everyone claims their name
Each person opens the link on their phone and taps their name, or writes it. They can set a 4-digit PIN to open it on another phone later. You see who's in and who hasn't opened it yet.
- 4
Draw the names
When everyone's in, tap “Draw the names”. It works from 3 to 50 people and keeps couples apart if you add them under “Pairs who shouldn't draw each other”. Someone who joins late slots in without a redraw.
- 5
Each person sees their match
Everyone unwraps one name: who they give to, that person's wishes and gift ideas within the budget. They can ask their person a question without giving themselves away.
Why not draw names in the chat itself?
WhatsApp is the right place to gather the group. It can't keep a secret, though.
In the chat, or on paper
Names drawn in the group, or slips pulled out of a hat and sent round, mean everyone sees the result or one person knows every pair. Someone who joins late means a new draw.
Email-based generators
Most Secret Santa sites email each person their name, so the organizer first collects everyone's address. Many family groups only have each other's numbers.
One link in the chat
Giftruly needs the link and nothing else. Each person sees only their own name on their own phone, the organizer included.
More for your Secret Santa
Secret Santa on WhatsApp: questions
Do people need to download an app?
No. The link opens in the phone's browser, straight from WhatsApp. There is a Giftruly app for iPhone and Android, but nobody needs it to take part.
Do I need everyone's email address or phone number?
No. The draw only needs first names, and people can add their own. The link goes to the WhatsApp group you already have, so you never type a number. An email address is optional, for anyone who wants reminders.
Can the organizer see who has whom?
No. The names are drawn on our server and each person is only sent their own match, the organizer included, so the organizer can take part like everyone else. After the exchange, the organizer can reveal the whole circle if the group wants.
What if someone changes phone or loses their name?
On the same phone, the link remembers them. On another phone, they open the link and use the 4-digit PIN they set, or a code sent to their email if they added one. Without either, the organizer sends them a new personal link from the group, and the old one stops working.
Can couples be kept from drawing each other?
Yes. Add two names under “Pairs who shouldn't draw each other” and they won't draw each other, in either direction. Add as many pairs as you need: the draw tells you if the rules leave no fair way to draw.
How many people can take part?
From 3 to 50 people per group. An odd number works too, because the draw makes one loop. For a bigger crowd, split it into a few groups.
Is it free?
Yes. There's no account, nothing to pay and no ads. Giftruly earns a small commission when someone buys a gift through an Amazon link, which never costs you anything extra.
Start a group for WhatsApp
Free, no sign-up. It takes about a minute.
Start a group for WhatsAppBy the Gift DeskUpdated November 2026