White Elephant Generator

Draw a fair turn order, set steal rules, or roll the dice game with a hidden timer. Names stay on this device.

1. Pick the game

2. Add players

3. Start

More rules

Keep this screen on — some phones pause timers when locked.

Names never leave your device.

How it works

Order & steal is the usual office White Elephant. Dice & timer matches the parcel games played with a hidden clock.

  1. 1. Pick the game

    Order & steal is the usual office White Elephant. Dice & timer matches the parcel games played with a hidden clock.

  2. 2. Add players and rules

    Paste names or enter a headcount from 2 to 100. Choose a preset, then change steals, steal-back, the final swap, dice, or the timer.

  3. 3. Play, share, or print

    Reveal the order one person at a time, pass the phone to draw a number, or roll and start the timer. Copy the list, copy a link, or print cards.

Random White Elephant Number Generator

A white elephant number generator puts the draw in a random order so the host is not accused of picking favorites. Paste every name, or switch to numbers only and type how many people are in the room. Each name appears once.

Reveal the next person, or pass one phone around the table. Each tap draws a single number. Up to 100 people fit one circle. A share link holds the order in the address itself. Nothing is stored on a server.

Online White Elephant Dice Game

The online white elephant dice game maps each face to a plain-language action. The last five rolls stay on screen.

Round 1 usually takes wrapped gifts from the center. Round 2 runs against a timer. Hide remaining time is on by default: the page never shows minutes left or a countdown in the tab title. Set 1 to 60 minutes, or a random range such as 8 to 15. Keep the phone awake.

Printable White Elephant Numbers & Rules

Looking for white elephant numbers printable for the hat? The number cards run from 1 to your player count, about eight to a page, with cut lines.

The rules card and the dice chart match what is on screen. Letter is the default paper in English, and A4 is on the same control. File names describe the document and the date. They never include a participant's name.

How the White Elephant Generator Works

Everything happens in the browser. The shuffle is a Fisher-Yates pass driven by the device's cryptographic random source, so each position is equally likely. Dice use that same source.

Names are not sent in analytics. A share link packs the game into the fragment after the #. If a chat cuts a long link, copy the list or print the cards.

White Elephant Rules (Classic + Popular Variations)

Classic White Elephant, also called a Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa in many offices, starts with one wrapped gift per person and a random order.

  1. On your turn, open a new gift from the pile or steal one opened gift from someone else.
  2. A stolen gift may be stolen again until it hits the steal limit. Classic play freezes a gift after it has been stolen 3 times.
  3. No steal-back means you cannot immediately steal the gift that was just taken from you. You open a new one or steal a different gift.
  4. When the last player has gone, player #1 may swap once more if that rule is on.

Unlimited steals drop the freeze. Once per round lets each gift move only one time. The dice variation replaces the free choice with a chart. The left-right variation is a read-aloud: the gifts travel whenever the story says left or right. Bring a story you already like. This generator does not write one.

Set a budget before people shop. A common US office figure is about $25. Say whether handmade or joke gifts are welcome. Put the budget on the rules card so the invitation and the party match.

White Elephant Dice Game Rules

Read the face, do the action, pass the dice to the next person. If a face has no line in the chart, nothing moves.

  • Classic dice: 1 steal, 2 pass left, 3 pass right, 4 or 5 open a new gift, 6 trade with anyone.
  • Kid-friendly: no stealing. Gifts pass left or right, new gifts get opened, and a 6 trades with the person beside you.
  • Schrottwichteln: every face does something, from taking a center gift to choosing who must trade. Start a timer first.
  • Sinterklaas: round 1 empties the center. Round 2 is timed and takes gifts from people.
  • Pakkeleg: a 6 takes a parcel, or you can switch to a chart where every face has a job. An option requires doubles when you roll two dice.
  • Julklappsspelet: 1 or 6 takes from the pile, then from other people once the hidden timer starts.
  • Pakkelek: 6 takes from the pile, then steals while a random hidden timer runs, then everyone opens gifts in turn.

With two or three dice, each die is shown on its own. Turn on doubles only when you want a pair to be the sole result that counts.

White Elephant vs Yankee Swap vs Dirty Santa

These three names are regional labels for one gift exchange. A yankee swap generator and a dirty santa number generator use this same draw.

NameWhere you hear itWhat people expect
White ElephantMuch of the United StatesRandom order, open or steal, often a 3-steal freeze
Yankee SwapNew England and many officesThe same draw and the same steal
Dirty SantaThe South and plenty of friend groupsThe same game, sometimes with meaner joke gifts

Put the steal limit on the card. The argument is about steal-back and whether player #1 gets the last word. Dice games such as Schrottwichteln and pakkeleg live on this page in the local language.

Tips for Hosting a White Elephant Gift Exchange

Eight to twenty people is a comfortable room. Past forty, run two circles.

Plan about a minute per person for a steal game, or 10 to 20 minutes once the dice timer starts. One die is enough for a small table. This page never offers more than three.

On a video call, share the link and reveal one name at a time. Print number cards for a physical draw, and tell guests the budget before they shop.

White Elephant FAQ

How does a white elephant number generator work?

It shuffles the names you paste, or shuffles a headcount if you choose numbers only. Each person gets one place in line. You can reveal the line one name at a time or draw private numbers on a passed phone.

How many times can a gift be stolen?

Classic rules freeze a gift after 3 steals. You can set 1 to 5, or turn the cap off for unlimited steals. Once per round uses a single steal.

Can you steal back a gift?

Not if No steal-back is on, which is the default. The person who just lost a gift opens a new one or steals a different gift. Turn the switch off if your house allows an immediate steal-back.

Does player #1 swap at the end?

In the classic preset, yes. After the last turn, player #1 may swap once more. Unlimited steals keeps that ending. Once per round turns it off. The switch on the page is the rule that prints.

How do you play the white elephant dice game?

Roll, read the line for that face, and do it. Round 1 takes from the center. Round 2 usually runs against a timer. Kid-friendly play removes stealing.

What's the difference between white elephant, Yankee Swap and Dirty Santa?

The draw and the steal are the same game. The name depends on where you live. Put the steal limit and the steal-back rule in writing so the name does not matter.

How much should you spend?

About $25 is a common US office budget. Type any amount on the rules card. Say whether joke gifts and handmade gifts count.

How do you play white elephant on Zoom?

Generate the order, copy the share link into the chat, and reveal one name at a time. Each person opens a gift on camera or steals one that was already shown.

How many people do you need, and what about large groups?

You need at least 2. One circle holds up to 100. Split anything larger into two circles and generate a list for each.

Can I print white elephant numbers?

Yes. Print number cards from 1 to your player count, with cut lines, or download the PDF. The rules card and the dice chart print as well.