With or without replacement?

Without (default) means each pick is unique — no item can be chosen twice. With replacement allows repeats. Use without for raffles and unique selections; use with for things like random sampling a stream.

Can I weight the picks?

Yes — prefix lines with a number (5 alice, 1 bob) and the tool treats them as weights. Alice is 5× more likely to be picked than Bob. Useful for biased fair selection (giveaway entries with multiple tickets).

Does it support shuffling instead of picking?

Yes — set N equal to the list length and 'without replacement' to randomise the whole list. Useful for setting up tournament brackets or randomised quiz orders.

shuffle · pick · unbiased · local

Pick something at random

Drop a list, hit Pick. Set the count, decide whether repeats are allowed, or shuffle the whole list. Web-Crypto-grade randomness, nothing leaves your browser.

Random Picker

Items

input

Pick count

no repeats

Selected

—

Output

0 B

idle

input · list (8)

output · picks (0)

Drop a list and click Pick

Quick Start

How to pick or shuffle

Type or paste one item per line. Pick draws a sample. Shuffle returns the whole list in random order.

01
Drop a list
One item per line — names, options, dishes, anything.
Inputs are treated as UTF-8 throughout the pipeline and validated client-side as you type — nothing dispatches until the value is well-formed.
inpututf-8client-sidevalidated
n · text8 · set
```
Pizza
Sushi
Burger…
```
loaded · parsedclient-side
02
Pick count
How many should be drawn at once.
Each toggle re-computes through a memoised hook, so flipping options never resets your input and the UI stays snappy on large inputs.
countoptionslivememoisedtoggles
k · memoised3 · live
```
k = 3
```
options set · memoisedlive
03
Pick or shuffle
Pick samples k items. Shuffle returns the whole list reordered.
Randomness — where used — comes from crypto.getRandomValues, never Math.random. Heavy work sits in useMemo.
pickcomputeinstantlocaldeterministic
mode · instantpick · computed
```
Tacos
BBQ
Ramen
```
computed · instantinstant
04
Copy or download
Plain text, one entry per line.
Copy writes through navigator.clipboard and downloads use a Blob — zero network traffic. Same input plus same options always yield the same bytes.
exportcopydownloadzero-networkreproducible
ok · copiedtxt · copied
```
Copied
```
shipped · ready to shipsuccess

Pro tips

Pro tips for everyday utilities

Reach for crypto.getRandomValues

Cryptographically random for IDs, tokens, salts. Math.random is for animation and games, not security.

Sort IDs lexicographically

UUID v4 has no time ordering. Use ULID or UUID v7 if you need sorted IDs.

Mock data with seeds

Faker-style libraries can be seeded so tests are reproducible. Embed the seed in the fixture file.

Reference cards beat memory

Cheatsheets for Vim, Git, Docker, Linux signals are faster than man pages when you’re mid-flow.

Browser APIs vary

Touch events, gamepads, and clipboard differ across vendors. Feature-detect before use.

Persist in the right place

localStorage for user preferences, sessionStorage for transient state, IndexedDB for structured data.

Use Cases

When to delegate to randomness

Standups, lunch picks, giveaways, fair selection.

Standup order

Randomise who speaks first — fair every day. Random values come from crypto.getRandomValues — cryptographically secure for tokens, salts, and session IDs. Math.random is deterministic enough for animations but predictable enough to be a security bug.

CSPRNG-backed

Lunch decision

Settle the eternal 'what's for lunch?' question. Pair with hashids, ULID, or UUID v7 when you need both random and sortable — useful for primary keys, public-facing IDs, and event log ordering without a sequence column.

reproducible

Giveaways

Pick a winner without bias or repeats. Output is deterministic given the same seed, so fixtures and tests stay reproducible across CI runs and contributor machines. Embed the seed in the fixture file for full replay.

snappy

QA test data

Shuffle a fixture list to vary test inputs. Heavy work runs through useMemo so the UI stays snappy on large inputs. Same input + same options yields identical bytes — the kind of stability snapshot tests rely on.

feature-detected

Pair programming

Pair people up without playing favourites. Storage tools persist to the right backend: localStorage for user preferences, sessionStorage for transient state, IndexedDB for structured data. Pick the right shelf and quota worries disappear.

deterministic

Workshop seating

Randomise small-group assignments. Browser feature detection: clipboard, fullscreen, gamepad, and Web Bluetooth APIs gracefully fall back when unavailable. No surprise white screens on Safari or older Firefox.

production-ready

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How is randomness generated?

We use Math.random under the hood, seeded by the browser. For cryptographic fairness use crypto.getRandomValues directly.

What does unique do?

Picks without replacement — every selection is distinct. Disable to allow duplicates.

Why does Shuffle return everything?

Shuffle reorders the entire input list. Pick samples a smaller subset.

Is there a size limit?

Anything that fits the textarea works — thousands of items run instantly.

Is anything sent to a server?

No — shuffling and picking runs locally in your browser.

Suggest a tool

Something missing?

Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.

47 in queue·8 shipped this month

Request queued. Thanks!