Randomize Lines
Paste a list below to randomize lines in one click: every line becomes an item and the order is shuffled fairly. Free, no signup, and nothing you paste ever leaves your browser.
What does randomizing lines do?
The tool treats every line of your text as one item, shuffles the items with the Fisher-Yates algorithm, and prints them back in the new order. Fisher-Yates is the standard way to shuffle because it gives every possible ordering exactly the same chance; nothing about a line's position, length, or content makes it more likely to land first.
The randomness comes from your browser's cryptographic random number source when available, and each shuffle is completely independent of the one before. Your original list stays untouched in the input box the whole time, so experimenting costs nothing.
Why shuffle a list?
The honest answer is: to remove your own bias about order. Students shuffle flashcards and quiz questions so they stop memorizing the sequence instead of the content. Teachers shuffle the same question bank into different orders for different groups. Whoever runs the Monday standup shuffles the name list so the same person does not always go first.
Developers and testers feed shuffled fixtures into code that should not care about input order, because a bug that only appears with a particular ordering is exactly the bug worth finding. Writers and editors shuffle headline variants or product lists to judge them fresh, without the halo of being first. One tool, one honest job: a fair reordering on demand.
How to randomize lines of text
- Paste your list into the box above, one item per line. The line count updates as you paste.
- Choose how to treat empty lines. Leave Remove empty lines first ticked so blank rows do not end up scattered through the result, or untick it to shuffle them along with everything else.
- Click Randomize Lines and copy the result. Hit Shuffle again until the order feels right. Your input stays untouched above.
Before and after
A five-name reading order, shuffled once:
Alice Ben Carmen Diego Emma
Diego Alice Emma Ben Carmen
Run it again and you will almost certainly get a different order; with five items there are 120 possible arrangements and each one is equally likely. That is also why the example above says one possible shuffle: there is no fixed answer to show, only a fair draw.
The counter under the result reports how many lines were shuffled and how many empty ones were removed first, so you can confirm at a glance that no item was lost on the way through.
How random is it, honestly?
Random is a big word, so here is exactly what you get. The shuffle uses Fisher-Yates, which is unbiased by construction, driven by the browser's crypto-grade random source where supported. There is no seed and no history: the tool cannot reproduce yesterday's order, and two shuffles of the same list are unrelated. If a particular result matters, copy it when you see it.
What this is not: a certified draw. For casual picks, who presents first, which flashcard comes up, it is more than fair enough. For regulated raffles, lotteries, or anything a third party might audit, use a system that records and proves its draws; a browser shuffle leaves no evidence trail, and honesty matters more than convenience there.
Where a shuffle helps most
Study and teaching
Shuffle flashcards, vocabulary, and quiz questions so recall comes from memory, not from position in the list.
Names and turns
Reorder participants for standups, presentations, and review rotations without anyone picking the order.
Test data
Feed order-shuffled fixtures into scripts and imports to catch code that silently depends on input order.
Content drafts
Shuffle headline options or product lineups to judge each one fresh instead of favoring the first.
Three practical shuffle recipes
Pick one casually. Paste the candidates, shuffle once, and take the top line. This gives you a quick selection for everyday use; for anything with money, formal rules, or independent oversight attached, use an auditable system instead.
Split into random groups. Shuffle the full list once, then cut the result in half, or into thirds, top to bottom. Because the order itself is random, the slices are random groups; no second tool needed. Copy each block where it needs to go.
Build quiz versions. Paste the same question bank, shuffle, copy the result and label it version A. Shuffle again for version B, and again for C. Each version is an independent ordering of identical content, which is exactly what you want for side-by-side test groups. The input box never changes, so you can always return to the original order.
What random means on this page
The tool uses a Fisher-Yates shuffle, an established method that walks backward through the list and swaps each position with a randomly selected earlier position. When the browser provides secure random values, the page uses them; otherwise it falls back to the browser's ordinary random-number function. Every line is treated as one item, and duplicate lines remain separate items with the same text.
A random order does not guarantee that nearby items will look evenly mixed. Three similar entries can still land next to one another by chance, and a second shuffle can occasionally resemble the first. That is normal. If you need balanced groups by category, difficulty, language, or another attribute, a simple shuffle is not enough. Split or label the groups first, then use a method designed for balanced assignment.
When to use a more auditable process
This browser tool is useful for quizzes, presentation order, workshop prompts, testing lists, and other everyday jobs where you only need a fresh ordering. It does not expose a seed, save an audit log, or let another person reproduce the exact same shuffle later. Do not use it as the sole mechanism for regulated drawings, prizes, security decisions, scientific randomization, or any decision where fairness must be independently verified.
For those higher-stakes cases, use a system that records the input, algorithm, random seed or public randomness source, timestamp, and final result. That evidence lets another person replay or audit the selection. TextCleanly intentionally keeps no copy of your list, which is good for quick private work but means the page cannot provide that history for you.
A practical shuffle and review routine
First remove accidental empty lines and decide whether duplicates are intentional. Keep a source copy, paste the list here, and compare the input and output line counts. After shuffling, confirm that the sorted output contains the same items and duplicate counts as the source. For quiz versions, save each result with a clear label such as A, B, and C while leaving the original question bank unchanged.
If you are assigning people or tasks, review privacy before pasting names or sensitive details. Processing stays in your browser, but anything you copy can remain in your device's clipboard and anything you paste into another service follows that service's rules. Use anonymous IDs when names are not necessary, and clear the page after finishing on a shared computer.
FAQ
Is my list uploaded to a server?
No. The shuffle runs as JavaScript in your browser. Your text is never sent, stored, or logged, and the page does not keep a copy after you leave. See our Privacy Policy for details.
How random is the shuffle?
It uses the Fisher-Yates algorithm driven by your browser's cryptographic random number source when available, so every ordering is equally likely. Each shuffle is independent of the previous one.
Can I get the same shuffle again later?
No. There is no seed, so a past order cannot be reproduced. When a shuffle is one you want to keep, copy the result right away.
Is this suitable for prize draws?
For casual, everyday picks it is fine. For regulated raffles, lotteries, or anything that needs an audit trail, use a system that documents and verifies the draw; a browser shuffle leaves no evidence.
What happens to duplicate lines?
They are kept. If a name appears three times, it appears three times in the shuffled result too. Deduplicate your list first if that is not what you want.
What happens to empty lines?
With the default option they are removed before shuffling, which is what most lists need. Untick the option and empty lines are shuffled as items like any other line. For heavier blank-line cleanup, use the empty line remover.
Does shuffling change my original list?
No. The input box keeps your original order. Every shuffle only rewrites the result box, so you can always start over.
Is there a length limit or a price?
No limit and no price. The tool is free, needs no account, and runs entirely on your device, so long lists are fine.
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