How are people split when the number doesn’t divide evenly?

Slots are created so that team sizes differ by at most one person, and then people are assigned. 23 people into 4 teams gives 6, 6, 6 and 5; 25 people into 4 teams gives 7, 6, 6 and 6. The key point is that which team ends up smaller is fixed before the draw. If the size distribution is laid out as slots in advance, there is no need to adjust after seeing the result with “just this team is one short”, and no room for it to look arbitrary. The same applies when you specify the team size: 23 people at 4 per team makes 6 teams, evened out to 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 and 3.

Can I keep experienced members and beginners from clustering in one team?

Yes. In the name list, write the attribute after the name separated by a comma, like “Tanaka, Experienced”. When you choose “Deal so tiers are balanced”, people are first grouped by tier and then dealt to each slot in turn, so the difference in the number of people from each tier stays within one across all slots. A breakdown table by tier appears under the result, so you can check on the spot that the tiers are actually balanced. The order within a tier is random every time, so no one is deciding who goes into which team.

What if there are people who need accommodations or whose spot is already decided?

If you write “Tanaka = Team A” or “Sato = Seat 1” in the list, that person is placed in that slot before the draw, and the draw is held only among the remaining slots and remaining people. Handle circumstances that can’t be left fully to chance here first, such as eyesight or hearing, wheelchair routes, or wanting one qualified person in each team. If you move people after the draw, the draw becomes a mere formality at that point. It is enough to explain the reason in general terms, such as “Some people see better from the front, so seats 1 and 2 were decided first.”

How can I get everyone to accept that it’s fair?

Announce how you will split beforehand, run it just once in front of everyone, and record and share the result on the spot. If these three are in place, you can explain the outcome whatever it is. The statement shown on screen puts the number of slots, the sizes, the dealing method and how redoes are handled into plain sentences, so simply reading it aloud before running counts as advance disclosure. The result can be copied in two forms, for chat and for spreadsheets, so paste it and share it right away. Redrawing without fixed conditions is what draws the most suspicion.

I always end up on the same team with the same people.

If you save the result with “Save to the log”, then the next time you assign, the tool counts and shows how many pairs landed in the same slot as last time. When too many combinations overlap, swapping just the duplicated pair is quicker than redrawing. Redrawing changes everyone’s combinations, which makes comparing with last time meaningless. The log keeps the date, the slot layout, the method used and the number of runs, so you can answer straight away when asked how you split last time.

Can it also be used for seating changes and role assignment?

Yes. If you choose “Arrange slots yourself”, each line becomes one slot (capacity of one person). A numbered series like seats 1 to 30 can be created with a button, and you can also list role names such as “Facilitator, Note-taker, Presenter”. If you number the seats on a seating chart, list those numbers as slots and then enter names in order, there is no room for anyone to suspect you of adjusting while looking at the result. Writing “Team A x6” makes a slot for six people, so team splits and seating orders can be handled on the same screen.

Can it make a duty roster too?

Yes. Once you save a result that decides the order to the log, the “Log & duty roster” tab can map that order onto dates. Set the start date, the interval (daily, weekdays only, weekly, every other week, monthly) and how many people are on duty each time, and you get a table of date, weekday, person on duty and which round it is, ready to copy. It also shows how many turns it takes for everyone’s counts to even out, which you can use to check for imbalance. If someone is absent that day, swap them with the next person in order rather than skipping them. Skipping means the more someone is absent, the fewer duties they get.

How is this different from an amidakuji or a roulette?

An amidakuji (ladder lottery) links entrances to exits one to one, so using it for team splits takes the effort of lining up results for each person, like “Team A on 6 lines, Team B on 6 lines…”. A roulette picks one item from the candidates, so you would need to spin once per person and remove each team as it fills up. This tool creates the slots and assigns people in one go, so you only enter the number of people and the number of teams. On the other hand, if you want to show the drawing process live and build excitement, an amidakuji or roulette is better suited.

Team & Group Splitter

Paste participants’ names one per line and choose either the number of teams or the size of each team. The tool builds slots so team sizes differ by at most one person, then assigns people at random. It also handles one-person-per-slot assignments such as seat numbers and roles, a stratified deal that spreads experienced members and beginners across teams, and a two-step draw that first places people who need accommodations and then draws the rest. You also get a statement to read aloud before drawing, results you can paste into chat or a spreadsheet, a duty roster built from the order, and a check for pairs who ended up together again as last time.

1. Enter the name list

12 people

Name, tier: write an attribute you don’t want to be lopsided, such as experienced or beginner, and people are spread across the slots.
Name = slot name: for people whose spot is already decided. They are placed before the draw, and only the rest are drawn.
Lines starting with # or //: leave out absent people without deleting them.

2. Create the slots

Number of teams

Slots created

Team A3 peopleTeam B3 peopleTeam C3 peopleTeam D3 people

Total slots 12 ÷ list 12Fits exactly

3. Declare, then run

Deal so tiers are balanced(Available when you write attributes as “Name, tier” in the list)Allow one redo only (included in the statement)

Statement to read aloud before running

12 people will be split into 4 groups of 3 each. The assignment is fully random. Only one redo is allowed. No more than that will be done.

Each assignment is decided by random numbers every time you run it, and repeating the same operation cannot reproduce the same result. The name list and log are saved only in this device’s browser and are never sent to a server.

ABOUT

About Team & Group Splitter

The Team Splitter is a tool that randomly builds evenly sized teams just by pasting participants’ names, one per line. You can split by the number of teams (into 4 teams) or by the size of each team (4 people per team), and when the numbers don’t divide evenly, it automatically assigns people so that sizes differ by at most one. 23 people into 4 teams gives 6, 6, 6 and 5. It also supports one-person-per-slot assignments such as seat numbers and roles, a deal that spreads experienced members and beginners so they aren’t lopsided, and a two-step draw that first places people who need accommodations and then draws only the rest. The statement to read aloud before the draw, results you can paste straight into chat or a spreadsheet, a duty roster that maps the order onto dates, and a check for pairs who landed in the same slot as last time are all handled on one screen.

How to use Team & Group Splitter

1Paste participants’ names, one per line (put # at the start of a line to exclude someone who is absent)
2If there is an attribute you don’t want to be lopsided, write the tier as “Name, Experienced”
3For people whose spot is already decided, specify it as “Name = Team A”
4Choose “Split by number of teams”, “Split by team size” or “Arrange slots yourself”, then enter the number
5Check that the slots created (Team A: 6, Team B: 6, …) add up to the total number of people
6Read the displayed statement aloud to everyone, then press “Assign”
7Copy the result into chat or a seating chart, and save it for next time with “Save this result to the log”

Great for

Split 24 people into 4 evenly sized teams for a training session or workshop
Form groups of 4 per team to match the number of desks or cars
Assign names to seat numbers when changing seats in a classroom or office
Decide roles such as facilitator, note-taker and presenter at random on the spot
Decide the order for cleaning duty, class monitor or taking out the trash, and turn it into a dated duty roster
Build teams so that experienced members and beginners are spread equally across every team
Decide the seats for people who need accommodations first, then draw only the remaining seats
Share the split on screen in an online meeting, paste the result into chat, and enter it into breakout rooms
Check that the same people aren’t gathered in the same team as last time before finalizing

Good to know

When the number of people doesn’t divide evenly, slots are created so sizes differ by at most one. 23 people into 4 teams gives 6, 6, 6 and 5; 23 people at 4 per team gives 6 teams of 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 and 3. Which slot ends up smaller is fixed when the slots are created, so no one can influence it after the draw.
A person specified with “Name = slot name” is placed into that slot before the draw. If the specified slot can’t be found, or it is already full, a note is shown and that person goes into the draw instead.
When you choose “Deal so tiers are balanced”, the difference in the number of people from each tier stays within one across all slots. Within a tier the order is fully random, but the assignment as a whole is no longer fully random.
Lines that start with # or // are skipped. This lets you leave out people who are absent that day without deleting them from the list.
Each assignment is decided by random numbers every time you run it (cryptographic random numbers in supported browsers). Repeating the same operation does not reproduce the same result, so you cannot aim for a particular outcome.
The number of runs is shown on screen. Redoing is not blocked, but which run a result came from is also kept in the log.
The duty roster rotates in name order for one-person-per-slot assignments and in team order for team splits. You can choose daily, weekdays only, weekly, every other week or monthly, and up to 120 turns can be shown.
The name list, settings and log are saved only in this device’s browser and are never sent to a server. The log keeps the latest 50 entries and can be deleted at any time.
The list can hold up to 200 people and there can be up to 40 slots.

Questions this tool answers

Use Team & Group Splitter for searches like these:

I want to paste a name list and split it into random teams
I want to know how to split into teams when the number doesn’t divide evenly
I want to split 24 people evenly into 4 teams
I want to form teams so that experienced members and beginners are balanced
I want to decide a seating chart at random
I want to decide roles such as facilitator or note-taker on the spot
I want to make a cleaning duty or class monitor roster
I want to check that no one is on the same team as last time before splitting
I want to fix the team split beforehand for online meeting breakout rooms

FAQ

How are people split when the number doesn’t divide evenly?: Slots are created so that team sizes differ by at most one person, and then people are assigned. 23 people into 4 teams gives 6, 6, 6 and 5; 25 people into 4 teams gives 7, 6, 6 and 6. The key point is that which team ends up smaller is fixed before the draw. If the size distribution is laid out as slots in advance, there is no need to adjust after seeing the result with “just this team is one short”, and no room for it to look arbitrary. The same applies when you specify the team size: 23 people at 4 per team makes 6 teams, evened out to 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 and 3.
Can I keep experienced members and beginners from clustering in one team?: Yes. In the name list, write the attribute after the name separated by a comma, like “Tanaka, Experienced”. When you choose “Deal so tiers are balanced”, people are first grouped by tier and then dealt to each slot in turn, so the difference in the number of people from each tier stays within one across all slots. A breakdown table by tier appears under the result, so you can check on the spot that the tiers are actually balanced. The order within a tier is random every time, so no one is deciding who goes into which team.
What if there are people who need accommodations or whose spot is already decided?: If you write “Tanaka = Team A” or “Sato = Seat 1” in the list, that person is placed in that slot before the draw, and the draw is held only among the remaining slots and remaining people. Handle circumstances that can’t be left fully to chance here first, such as eyesight or hearing, wheelchair routes, or wanting one qualified person in each team. If you move people after the draw, the draw becomes a mere formality at that point. It is enough to explain the reason in general terms, such as “Some people see better from the front, so seats 1 and 2 were decided first.”
How can I get everyone to accept that it’s fair?: Announce how you will split beforehand, run it just once in front of everyone, and record and share the result on the spot. If these three are in place, you can explain the outcome whatever it is. The statement shown on screen puts the number of slots, the sizes, the dealing method and how redoes are handled into plain sentences, so simply reading it aloud before running counts as advance disclosure. The result can be copied in two forms, for chat and for spreadsheets, so paste it and share it right away. Redrawing without fixed conditions is what draws the most suspicion.
I always end up on the same team with the same people.: If you save the result with “Save to the log”, then the next time you assign, the tool counts and shows how many pairs landed in the same slot as last time. When too many combinations overlap, swapping just the duplicated pair is quicker than redrawing. Redrawing changes everyone’s combinations, which makes comparing with last time meaningless. The log keeps the date, the slot layout, the method used and the number of runs, so you can answer straight away when asked how you split last time.
Can it also be used for seating changes and role assignment?: Yes. If you choose “Arrange slots yourself”, each line becomes one slot (capacity of one person). A numbered series like seats 1 to 30 can be created with a button, and you can also list role names such as “Facilitator, Note-taker, Presenter”. If you number the seats on a seating chart, list those numbers as slots and then enter names in order, there is no room for anyone to suspect you of adjusting while looking at the result. Writing “Team A x6” makes a slot for six people, so team splits and seating orders can be handled on the same screen.
Can it make a duty roster too?: Yes. Once you save a result that decides the order to the log, the “Log & duty roster” tab can map that order onto dates. Set the start date, the interval (daily, weekdays only, weekly, every other week, monthly) and how many people are on duty each time, and you get a table of date, weekday, person on duty and which round it is, ready to copy. It also shows how many turns it takes for everyone’s counts to even out, which you can use to check for imbalance. If someone is absent that day, swap them with the next person in order rather than skipping them. Skipping means the more someone is absent, the fewer duties they get.
How is this different from an amidakuji or a roulette?: An amidakuji (ladder lottery) links entrances to exits one to one, so using it for team splits takes the effort of lining up results for each person, like “Team A on 6 lines, Team B on 6 lines…”. A roulette picks one item from the candidates, so you would need to spin once per person and remove each team as it fills up. This tool creates the slots and assigns people in one go, so you only enter the number of people and the number of teams. On the other hand, if you want to show the drawing process live and build excitement, an amidakuji or roulette is better suited.

Special Thanks

SOLO GUILD | サービス作るAIエンジニア

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