🪄 Generators

Seating Chart Shuffler

Paste a roster, pick a rows × columns layout, and shuffle everyone into a random seating chart. Extra seats become empty seats — scattered randomly or collected at the back, your choice. Redraw with one click, then print the chart or copy it as tab-separated text. Everything stays on your device.

How to use

Paste your roster with one name per line, set the number of rows and columns (1–10 each), and press "Shuffle seats". The roster is shuffled fairly with the Fisher–Yates algorithm and assigned to seats from the front-left onward. When there are more seats (rows × columns) than people, the leftovers are shown as "Empty" — turn on "Scatter empty seats randomly" to make their positions part of the draw, or leave it off to collect them at the back. If there are more people than seats you get a "Not enough seats" error; increase the rows or columns.

Not happy with the draw? Press "Shuffle again" as many times as you like. Once settled, "Print" gives you a chart to post on the wall, and "Copy as text" copies it with one line per row and tabs between seats — paste it straight into a spreadsheet or chat.

Seat shuffling, the Japanese classroom way

In Japanese schools, sekigae (席替え, "seat change") is a small monthly event: the whole class redraws seats by lottery, often with an amidakuji ladder or numbered slips, so nobody keeps a window seat or a back-row seat forever. The front label on this chart marks the teacher's desk, mirroring how Japanese classroom charts are drawn. The same fair-draw approach works anywhere — for meeting rooms, workshops, wedding tables or dinner parties — whenever you want seat assignments that nobody can argue with.

Examples

  • 6 people in 2×3 → a perfect fit; great for dinner tables or workshop groups
  • 28 students in 5×6 → 2 empty seats; off = both at the back, on = anywhere at random
  • 8 people in 3×3 → one empty seat scattered into the grid, so no one can claim seat bias

FAQ

Is my data sent to a server?
No. The shuffle runs entirely in your browser; the roster is never transmitted or stored externally, so school or company name lists are safe to use.
Is the shuffle fair?
Yes. The roster is shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm, so every arrangement is equally likely. Press "Shuffle again" to redraw as many times as you like.
What happens when there are more people than seats?
You get a "Not enough seats" error. Set rows × columns so the total number of seats is at least the number of people. When there are more seats than people, the extra seats are shown as "Empty".
Can I control where the empty seats go?
Yes. Turn on "Scatter empty seats randomly" to spread them across the chart; leave it off to collect them at the back (end).
Can I print or copy the chart?
Yes. "Print" prints the chart, and "Copy as text" copies it with one line per row and seats separated by tabs, ready to paste into a spreadsheet.