List

Shuffle List

Details

How to use Shuffle List

What the tool does, how to run it, and what to expect from the result.

How to shuffle a list into random order

Paste your items with one on each line. Blank lines are removed and the remaining lines are shuffled with a Fisher-Yates pass, so every possible ordering is equally likely.

The result appears immediately, and a new shuffle is generated each time the tool runs, so copy the order you want before you change the input. For a random sample rather than a full reorder, take the first few lines of the shuffled result.

  • Paste the items into the input box, one per line.
  • Read the shuffled order in the output panel.
  • Press Copy result straight away, because the order cannot be reproduced later.
  • Take the first n lines if you need a random sample rather than a full reordering.
Tips

Getting a better result out of Shuffle List

Specific settings and thresholds, not general advice.

  • The shuffle is a Fisher-Yates pass, which gives every ordering an equal chance, but the randomness comes from the browser's ordinary random number generator, not a cryptographic one. It is fine for picking a lunch order and not fine for anything that has to be defensible.
  • For a prize draw, a giveaway, or anything a participant could dispute, use a method that produces an auditable record. A browser shuffle leaves no trace of how the order was produced and cannot be verified afterwards.
  • There is no seed, so a shuffle cannot be reproduced. If you need the exact order again, copy it out now, because it will not come back.
  • The order is stable once produced. It reshuffles when you change the input, not when you press Copy, so the order you read is the order you get.
  • Blank lines are dropped before shuffling, and lines are not trimmed, so a line's indentation travels with it to its new position.
Limits

What Shuffle List does not do

The honest boundary, so you do not lose time finding it yourself.

  • The random source is not cryptographically secure and the result is not auditable.
  • There is no seed and no way to reproduce a given shuffle.
  • It cannot pick n items, it always returns the entire list in a new order.
  • There is no weighting, no grouping, and no constraint such as keeping two entries apart.
At a glance

Who Shuffle List is for

A quick way to understand who this helps, what it solves, and where it connects next.

Best fit

Writers, students, editors, marketers, and developers working with text.

Ideal for

Quick, private text work without installing an app or trusting a server with your content.

FAQ

Common questions

Short answers for the questions people usually have before trying a utility like this.

Does my data get uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything runs locally in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.

Is this free to use?

Yes. It is completely free, with no account, no signup, and no usage limits.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. The page runs in any modern mobile browser, on iPhone and Android alike, with no app to install.

Can I use this to pick a giveaway winner?

For a low-stakes internal draw, yes. For a public giveaway with a real prize, no. The shuffle cannot be audited, the random source is not cryptographic, and there is no record of how the order was produced, so a losing entrant has nothing to check and you have nothing to show them.

Can I get the same shuffle back?

No. There is no seed, and a new order is generated each time the tool runs. Copy the result before you change anything, because that particular order cannot be reproduced.

Why did the order change while I was looking at it?

The shuffle is recomputed whenever the panel re-renders, which includes typing in the input box. Copy the order as soon as you have one you intend to use.

Can it pick three items at random from my list?

Not directly, but it amounts to the same thing: shuffle the whole list and take the first three lines. Since every ordering is equally likely, the top of a shuffled list is a fair random sample.

Are blank lines and indentation preserved?

Blank lines are removed before the shuffle. Indentation is kept on the line it belongs to, so an indented line will still be indented wherever it lands.

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