Paste or import a class list and split it into random groups by number of groups or group size, with optional keep-apart rules.
Split a class into fair groups in a few seconds
Paste a class list, choose how many groups you want or how many people should be in each, and press Generate. The names are shuffled with an unbiased random draw and dealt into groups whose sizes never differ by more than one person. If two students should not end up together, add a keep-apart rule and the tool will respect it. Everything happens in your browser.
Features
- Two ways to split. Set the number of groups, or set the group size and let the tool work out how many groups that makes.
- Balanced sizes. No group is ever more than one person bigger than another.
- Keep apart. List students who must not share a group, one rule per line.
- Group leaders. Tick one box to pick a random leader in every group.
- Bring your list. Type, paste, import a TXT, CSV or Excel file, or load a class you saved in your account.
- Show it, print it, keep it. Full screen for the board, print, export to CSV, text, PDF or an image, and save up to 20 results in the browser.
- Private. Names and files stay in your browser and are not uploaded.
Setting up your list
Put one name on each line. A name can include a comma, so "Smith, John" stays one student and is not read as two. If your whole list is on a single line, separate the names with commas or semicolons instead.
Importing a file is the quickest route for a long class. The tool reads TXT, CSV, XLSX and XLS files up to 2 MB. If the first row has a heading such as "Name", "Student" or "Full name", that column is used. If it has "First name" and "Last name" columns, they are joined. Without a heading row, the first column is used. The counter under the box shows how many names were found, and lists of more than 1,000 names are cut to the first 1,000 so the page stays responsive.
Choosing how to split
With the same ten students, here is what each choice gives.
| You choose | You get |
|---|---|
| 3 groups | Groups of 4, 3 and 3 |
| Groups of 4 | 3 groups of 4, 3 and 3 |
| Groups of 3 | 4 groups of 3, 3, 2 and 2 |
| Groups of 2 | 5 pairs |
Related use cases
Random Group Generator for Labs, Projects, and Cooperative Learning
A classroom use case for building lab groups, project teams, jigsaw stations, and review-game teams with fair, unbiased random grouping instead of student self-selection.
Read use caseWhen the numbers do not divide evenly, the extra students are spread across groups rather than left in one small group at the end. You need at least as many names as groups.
Keeping students apart
Open "Keep apart" and write the names that should not share a group, joined with a plus sign, one rule per line:
Ada Lovelace + Alan Turingkeeps those two in different groups.Ben + Cara + Devputs all three in different groups, so you need at least three groups.
Names are matched to your list without regard to capital letters. If a name is not on the list, the tool tells you which one rather than ignoring it, so a typo cannot quietly switch a rule off. If the rules cannot be met with the number of groups you chose, you get a message instead of a wrong result: try more groups or fewer names to separate. There is no keep-together rule and no sorting by ability or gender. If you need those, check the groups and adjust them by hand.
What "random" means here
The shuffle uses your browser's secure random source, and each student is equally likely to land in any group when no rules are set. With keep-apart rules the tool reshuffles until every rule is satisfied, which removes the arrangements that break a rule and keeps the rest equally possible. Press Generate again for a new draw. A random split is a fair starting point, not a guarantee that a group will work well, so look over the result and swap students when you know something the shuffle does not.
Showing, printing and saving
Each group appears as a card. Click a card to copy its names, and use Fullscreen to put the groups on the board. Print gives a clean sheet, and Export saves CSV, plain text, PDF or an image. Add a title such as the class name or activity and it is used for the printout and the file names. "Save" keeps the result, with its names, under that title in this browser, and you can reopen or delete it later from the Saved Groups list. A saved list stays on this device until you delete it, so on a shared computer remove it when you are done.
When groups appear on a screen the whole class can see, consider using first names or initials.
Ways teachers use it
- Stations and rotations. Generate once for the first round and again for the next so the mix changes.
- Project teams. Set the group size to match the number of roles in the task.
- Pairs for peer feedback. Choose groups of 2 and keep apart anyone who tends to talk through the whole task.
For a longer look at classroom use, read random groups for labs, projects and cooperative learning. To pick one student rather than split a class, use the Random Name Generator or the Wheel Of Names, and to plan where everyone sits afterwards, try the Seating Chart Generator.
FAQs
How do I make groups of a set size?
Choose "People per group" above the number box and enter the size. The tool shows how many groups that makes before you generate.
Can I stop two students being in the same group?
Yes. Open "Keep apart" and write their names with a plus sign between them, one rule per line.
Why are some groups one person smaller?
Because the class does not divide evenly. The extra students are spread out so sizes differ by at most one.
Can I import a class list from Excel or a CSV file?
Yes. Use "Choose file" and select a TXT, CSV, XLSX or XLS file up to 2 MB.
Are the names sent anywhere?
No. Typed and imported names stay in your browser, and saved groups are stored on your own device.
How many names can I use?
Up to 1,000. Longer lists are cut to the first 1,000.
Is the result really random?
Yes. Names are shuffled with your browser's secure random source, and pressing Generate again gives a new draw.
