Random group generator

How the groups are made

Paste the names one per line, straight from a register or a spreadsheet column. Choose how many people go in each group, or how many groups you want, and press Make groups. Shuffle again deals the whole list from scratch, so press it until the groups suit you.

When the names do not divide evenly, the groups differ by one person at most, and nobody is left on their own: 30 names in groups of 4 make six groups of 4 and two of 3, and an odd number of names in pairs makes one group of three.

Keep apart and keep together

Add a rule for any two names. Keep apart is never broken: those two are never put in the same group. If the groups are too small to keep every keep-apart rule, whoever cannot be placed is listed under Not placed, so you see the problem straight away rather than in the lesson.

Keep together is a preference. The two go in the same group whenever a group has room for both, and the result says when a pair could not be kept, for example when you ask for pairs and give someone two partners.

These are the rules the seating planner’s auto-seat follows, worked out by the same code, so a pair kept apart here stays apart when the groups become tables.

From groups to seats

Copy puts the groups on your clipboard, one name a line, ready for a slide or a message. Print gives a sheet of the groups alone, with a short tablout address at the foot. Seat these groups in the planner opens the seating planner with one table per group and everyone in a seat, and from there you can set the tables out the way the room is. To plan a whole room of rows, pods or a horseshoe, the classroom seating chart guide walks through it.

Nothing is uploaded. The names stay in this browser tab, and there is no account to make.

Common questions

Is the random group generator free?

Yes. There is no account and no limit on how often you shuffle. The names stay in your browser tab and are never uploaded.

What does keep apart do?

It stops two people being put in the same group, every time. If the group sizes make that impossible, the person who cannot be placed is listed under Not placed instead of going into a group that breaks the rule.

What if a keep-together pair cannot be kept?

Keep together is a preference, so the groups are still made. The pair are put together whenever a group has room for both, and the result names any pair it had to split.

How are uneven numbers handled?

The groups differ by one person at most, and no one is left alone. In pairs, an odd number of names makes one group of three.

Can I seat the groups at tables?

Yes. Seat these groups in the planner opens the seating planner with one table per group and each person in a seat. The rules come with them, so the planner’s auto-seat keeps them too.

How many names can I use?

Up to 1,000. To seat the groups in the planner, they need to fit on 100 tables of up to 24 seats.