Random Picker

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 5 October 2026

One line equals one option. For weights use: option|weight

Pick result

Click "Pick for me"

When any choice is fine and nobody wants to choose

Enter options and let the tool pick one at random. For giveaways, task assignment and deciding where to eat.

Some decisions are not worth deliberating over. Which of five restaurants, who reviews the pull request, which of three equally good names — a coin flip is the efficient answer.

It is also the fair one when a person picking would look partial. Random selection is defensible in a way that 'I chose you' is not.

How to use

Enter the options, one per line.
Press to choose — the calculator takes one option with equal probability.
Draw again if you want another go: each draw is independent of the last.
If the answer clearly disappoints you, that is an answer too — a coin is often less for deciding than for finding out what you wanted.

What an equal-probability pick means

The figures in the table are the probability of one option coming up in a fair draw. It is one divided by the number of options and depends on nothing else.

The last column explains the usual complaint about drawing lots: across ten independent draws from five options, the chance that some option never appears is still substantial. An option missing from a run is ordinary behaviour, not a sign of an unfair draw.

Probabilities for a fair, equal-weight draw.
Options	Chance of one	At least once in 10 draws
2	50%	99.9%
3	33.3%	98.3%
5	20%	89.3%
10	10%	65.1%

What this calculator shows

One option selected at random from your list
Equal probability for every entry
Fast re-rolls when you want another draw

What to keep in mind

Every option has the same chance unless you deliberately repeat one.
Uses pseudo-random selection — fine for choices and draws, not for anything security-related.

FAQs

Is the selection genuinely fair?

Yes, every option has equal probability and each pick is independent of the last, so the same option can come up twice running. A picker that avoided repeats would not be biased so much as dependent: every pick would be shaped by the ones before.

Can I make one option more likely?

Add it to the list more than once. Three entries out of ten gives that option a 30% chance.

How many options can I add?

As many as you like. Fairness does not degrade with list length.

Can I use it for a prize draw?

For informal draws, yes. Regulated prize promotions usually require an auditable process, which a browser tool cannot provide.

Is the draw genuinely even?

Yes: every option gets the same chance regardless of its place in the list or of what came before. The order of the lines does not affect the outcome.

Why does the same option come up twice in a row?

Because the draws are independent and a lot has no memory. With five options, two in a row happen about one time in five — expected, not broken.

Worked example

Five options

Input: Five restaurants

Output: One name, at 20% probability each

Note: To weight an option, list it twice. Two entries out of six gives it a one-in-three chance.

Useful links

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