How to Pick a Random Name
A name picker chooses from the list you give it. An accurate list and a clear repeat rule matter more than a dramatic reveal.
Prepare the participants
Start by deciding who is eligible for this particular turn. A meeting list may include only people present; a classroom activity may include everyone except someone who has already completed the task. Orbit does not know attendance or eligibility. Update the list before drawing rather than treating an ineligible result as an app error.
Use one entry per person for equal chances. Check duplicates, spelling and missing participants. Two people with the same name should have distinct labels, such as Alex A and Alex B, rather than one ambiguous entry. A duplicate of the same person gives that person an extra chance, even if the duplicate was accidental.
Open and edit the Names preset
The Random Name Picker page opens a Names wheel with a small example list. Replace the examples with the participants you actually want. Opening the page again reuses an existing matching local preset instead of creating endless copies. Your other local wheels and their history are not erased.
Keep weights equal unless you deliberately have a different rule. If weighted selection is enabled, inspect each weight, not just the labels. A name's length, its position in the list or an attached image does not give it a larger probability. Selection depends on the enabled weighting rule.
Optional images help a group recognise a participant, but only upload pictures you are entitled to use. Add a readable name even when an image is present. For a classroom or workplace, consider whether initials or a nickname would be sufficient. Publishing a remote share is a separate action that may disclose those labels and images.
Decide how repeated turns should work
If everyone should get one turn before anyone repeats, enable removal after a result. The remaining list then represents the people still waiting. If you leave the winner on the wheel, each spin is a new draw from the current list and the same person may be selected again. Neither rule is inherently wrong; they serve different purposes.
For choosing two different game captains, remove the first selected person before the second draw. For assigning everyone to whole groups, use Team Generator instead. It shuffles the full participant list once and distributes everyone into balanced headcounts, which avoids manually tracking a long sequence of wheel results.
Agree on what to do if someone declines a turn. You might remove them for this round or defer the activity. Decide this before selecting rather than repeatedly spinning until a preferred person appears. That keeps the process understandable to participants even though Orbit itself cannot enforce your agreement.
Run and review the selection
Press Spin once the list is ready. Browser Web Crypto chooses the result before animation. Fullscreen helps a group see the selected label without the editing panels. Keyboard controls and reduced-motion behavior give other ways to run the same selection. Changing the reveal style does not change anyone's chance.
Local history lets you review the names selected in this browser. It is useful for remembering turns, but it is editable local data, not a certified attendance or contest record. If you need a formal record, use an agreed process outside the picker. Keep identifying information out of screenshots you intend to publish.
A .orbit backup saves your local setup and referenced images for later restoration. Store it somewhere appropriate for the data it contains. If you publish a share, the snapshot stays separate from later edits to your local list; anyone with its link can access it or make a copy. A local fullscreen session is often enough when the goal is simply choosing a person in the room.