Seating Chart Maker

Classroom seating chart ideas

A classroom seating chart works best when the layout matches the lesson: rows for tests, pairs for partner work, groups of four for projects, a U-shape for discussion. Each is one click here, and the shuffle, the rules and the saved class carry over between them.

• Rows for tests: Single desks in columns and rows, every seat in view of the front; shuffle so friends do not sit side by side.
• Pairs for partner work: Desks of two: the shuffle pairs people up at random, and Keep together puts a buddy pair on one desk.
• Groups of 4 for projects: Tables of four (five or six if you need them), everyone at a table counts as a neighbour, so Keep apart spreads the talkers across tables.
• U-shape for discussion: One horseshoe with the open end at the front, good for debates and read-alouds; the two seats nearest the front count as the front row.

Picking who answers next once everyone is seated? Add a spin wheel to your slides with Spin Wheel Maker in Canva. The same class list splits into random groups in the Random Team Generator (its saved lists load here), the Classroom Timer keeps the group work on time, and the Bingo Card Generator makes a game for the last ten minutes.

Random seating chart generator with rules

A random seating chart that still follows your rules: every Shuffle seats draws a fresh arrangement from the browser's cryptographic random generator, then keeps only the ones that meet the rules you set. Keep apart puts two names on seats that are not neighbours (side by side in a row, the same desk, the same table, or next to each other at a long or round table). Keep together does the opposite. Front row puts a name in the first row, and a pinned seat keeps its occupant through every shuffle. The tool tries up to 120 arrangements; if a rule cannot be met it says which one in plain words ("could not satisfy: Sam and Lee are still neighbours") instead of quietly ignoring it.

Weekly rotation makes week two fair as well: save the class, and New week shuffles again while steering away from everyone's past neighbours in the last 12 saved arrangements, last week's pairs first, then shows "0 repeated neighbours" (or how many could not be avoided in a small room) and the mix-up meter. Each saved class keeps its last 12 arrangements.

Re-seat every few weeks without repeats

Give every saved class a rhythm and the tool keeps the routine for you: set Re-seat every to 2, 3 or 4 weeks (3 by default, or Off), and when a class's last arrangement is older than that it shows in a "Due to re-seat" strip at the top of the tool, for example "Period 3 Science · 22 days · New week". One tap opens the class and runs New week, which looks back over the last 12 arrangements, avoids last week's neighbours first, and then shows the mix-up meter: "everyone has sat next to 9 of 23 classmates on average", plus the student with the fewest new neighbours, so you can swap them by hand. Add re-seat reminder downloads a repeating "Re-seat class" event for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook, with a link back to this page and no class or student name in it.

When you are out, the chart goes with the sub plan: Share chart, then Copy view link, gives a link that opens a read-only chart on any phone, with the front of the room at the top, a Teacher view flip, a Find a name box that highlights the seat while the sub calls roll, and Print sub sheet, which prints the chart with a blank attendance column. The names are in the link itself, after the # sign, not on our server; share it only with people who should see your class list. Share room setup sends only the layout and its size, so a colleague can open the same room with a sample class and paste their own list.

Wedding and party seating charts

For a wedding or a party, switch to Event: paste the guest list, choose round tables with 6 to 12 seats each or long tables with a set number of seats a side, and the tool works out how many tables you need, numbers them, and can mark table 1 as the head table. Shuffle the guests or seat them by hand with drag or tap, keep the two cousins apart and the couple's friends together, then print the table plan or download it as a PNG for the sign at the door.

What this tool does not do: it is not a venue floor-plan editor. There is no room shape, no dance floor, no table coordinates to drag around, and no RSVP tracking. It gives you a clear table-by-table plan with everyone's full name, which is what most guests and caterers actually need.

Are the names uploaded anywhere?

No: the names stay in your browser. The chart is built and drawn on your device, saved classes and events live in this browser's local storage under one key (qrdy.seating.v1, up to 20 of them), and nothing is sent to a server: not the names, not the class or event name, not even to analytics, which only receive the layout, the number of people as a range and the number of rules. The page URL carries only the mode (?mode=class or ?mode=event); a view link you choose to share carries the chart after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server, and a room link carries no names at all. Clearing site data removes the saved classes; with storage blocked, the page still works but forgets them when you leave, and says so.