Random group generator
Same tool, group-shaped framing: paste a list of names or items, one per line, choose a fixed number of groups or a fixed group size, and get a shuffled, balanced split for a classroom, a breakout session or any activity that needs people sorted into clusters rather than head-to-head teams.
Groups, not just teams
A random team generator and a random group generator are the same underlying job — shuffle a list, then split it evenly — wearing different labels for different contexts. “Team” implies competition: two sides, a scrimmage, a match. “Group” fits everything else that needs people sorted into clusters without anyone winning or losing: a classroom breaking into discussion groups, a workshop splitting into breakout rooms, a book club rotating small-group tables, a committee dividing into working groups.
This page runs the identical shuffle-and-partition logic as the main team generator, framed for that non-competitive use. If you are picking sides for a game, that page's copy may fit your situation better; if you are sorting a roster into non-competing clusters, this one will.
Choosing group count vs. group size
Two modes cover the two constraints that come up in practice:
- Number of groups. You know how many breakout rooms, tables or stations you have, and want the class or team split into exactly that many groups, as evenly sized as possible.
- Members per group. You know each discussion group should hold a specific number of people — four is a common size for classroom group work — and want as many full groups of that size as the list supports, with any leftover people in a smaller final group.
A 26-student class split into 4 fixed groups gives sizes 7, 7, 6, 6. The same class split into groups of exactly 5 gives five groups of 5 and one group of 1 — a useful thing to notice before you commit to a group size, since a lone leftover member can feel awkward. If that happens, try a group size that divides your roster more evenly, or fall back to number-of-groups mode and let the sizes flex by one instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is a "group" here any different from a "team"?
No — it is the same partitioning logic under a different name for a different context. “Team” fits sports and games; “group” fits classrooms, breakout sessions, book clubs and committee assignments. Whatever you call the resulting clusters, the shuffle and the balancing rule are identical.
Can I use this for classroom groups instead of a roster of names?
Yes. Paste one student name per line exactly as you would a team roster, choose a fixed number of groups (for a fixed number of tables or breakout rooms) or a fixed group size (for a fixed number of seats per group), and generate. Nothing about the tool assumes a sports context.
How do I split a list into groups of a specific size instead of a specific number of groups?
Switch the mode to Members per group and enter the size you want each group to hold. Every group gets exactly that many members except the last, which takes whatever is left over — 10 names in groups of 4 comes out as groups of 4, 4 and 2.
Will the same two people always end up in the same group?
Not unless you keep hitting Re-shuffle until they happen to land together. Each shuffle is an independent random draw, so there is no memory of a previous grouping and no bias toward or against any particular pairing.
Does this work for splitting a list of items, not just people?
Yes. The generator treats each line as a plain piece of text — a name, a project title, a table number, anything — and shuffles and splits lines exactly the same way regardless of what they represent.