How to run Secret Santa in a Telegram group

Secret Santa works well in a Telegram group, as long as one rule is clear: the bot has to be able to send each person a private message. This guide walks you through a full exchange with Santa Draw, from the first command to the data cleanup after the party.

Santa Draw and the optional helper bots below are made by the same maker who runs this site. The steps use only the commands the bot has today.

Before you start

Decide three things with the group:

• The budget and currency. For example 25 EUR. The currency is a 3-letter code.
• The exchange date. The day you swap gifts, written as YYYY-MM-DD.
• Who organises. The organiser is the person who sends /santa. Only that person can run the draw and end the exchange. It does not have to be a group admin.

Then add the bot to the group. If you have not done this before, see how to add a bot to a Telegram group.

Step 1: Everyone presses Start in the bot

Do this first. Telegram does not let bots start conversations: a person must send the bot a message first. Santa Draw sends each match by DM, so it can only match people who have opened a private chat with it and pressed Start.

1. Post a short message in the group. For example: “Secret Santa this year runs through Santa Draw. Please open the bot and press Start before Friday.”
2. Ask each person to open a private chat with the bot. They can tap the bot’s name in the group or search for it. Menu names differ a little between Telegram apps.
3. Ask them to press Start. Telegram shows a Start button the first time someone opens a chat with a bot. After that, the bot can send them messages.

Warning: A person who taps Join but never pressed Start in the bot cannot be matched. The draw leaves them out. Check this before you draw.

Step 2: Start the exchange and let people join

1. Send the start command in the group. Type /santa 25 EUR 2026-12-20. That is the budget, the currency and the exchange date.
2. Wait for the Join button. The bot posts a message with a Join button.
3. Ask everyone to tap Join. Give people a day or two. Remind anyone who is missing.
4. Collect wishlists. Each person sends /wish socks, a good book, coffee to the bot in a private chat. The bot forwards the wishlist to whoever draws that person.

Tip: Ask people to keep wishlists short and concrete, with one or two ideas inside the budget. It helps the person who draws them.

Step 3: Draw the matches

1. Check the list. Make sure everyone who wants to take part has tapped Join and pressed Start in the bot.
2. Send the draw command. The organiser sends /draw in the group. This closes joining.
3. Let people check their DMs. Each person gets the name of the person they buy for in a private message from the bot. The group sees nothing about the pairs.

On the free plan you get one draw per exchange. You cannot redo it, so check the list well before you send /draw.

Free vs Pro

The free plan works for most families and small teams: up to 10 participants and one draw. For larger groups, or if you need more control, the organiser can buy Pro with /pro. It costs 150 Stars (about $3), paid once, per group.

Pro adds two organiser commands:

• /exclude @alice @bob keeps two people from drawing each other. Use it for couples or for people who live together. Send it before /draw.
• /redraw redoes the draw if a match must be undone. For example, someone dropped out after the draw.

New to Stars? Read how to buy Stars and pay a bot.

Optional: the party and a countdown

If you meet in person to swap gifts, two more bots help.

Event RSVP for the exchange party. Add Event RSVP to the group and post the party: /event 2026-12-20 19:00 Gift exchange party. The card has Going, Maybe and Can’t buttons, and the counts update as people tap. Set your UTC offset first with /tz +2 (use your own offset) so the time is right. Free groups can have 3 active events. Pro for the group, 150 Stars (about $3), removes that cap and posts a reminder one hour before the event.

Countdown Days to the exchange date. Add Countdown Days and send /countdown 2026-12-20 Secret Santa. The bot posts one message and edits it as the number of days changes, so the group always sees how long is left. Set the group’s offset with /ctz +2. Free groups can run 2 countdowns at a time.

Privacy and data deletion

The bot stores the participants, the drawn matches and any wishlist text per exchange, per group. It needs this to send matches and forward wishlists to the right Santa.

• Matches go only by private DM. The group chat never sees who has who.
• The bot deletes the data automatically 30 days after the exchange date.
• The organiser can send /santa end to end the exchange early and delete the data sooner.

Note: If you used /santa 25 EUR 2026-12-20, the data is deleted automatically about 30 days after 20 December. Run /santa end after the party if you want it gone right away.

Common problems

• Someone got no match. They did not press Start in the bot before the draw. On the free plan you cannot draw again. With Pro, ask them to press Start in the bot, then try /redraw.
• The bot ignores /draw. Only the organiser, the person who sent /santa, can run it. A group admin who is not the organiser cannot.
• The /santa command fails. Check the format: a number, a 3-letter currency code, and a date as YYYY-MM-DD. Example: /santa 25 EUR 2026-12-20.
• More than 10 people want to join. The free plan stops at 10 participants. Buy Pro for the group with /pro, or split into two exchanges.
• A couple drew each other. On the free plan you cannot exclude pairs. With Pro, use /exclude before the draw, or /redraw after it.
• A wishlist did not arrive. Send /wish in a private chat with the bot, not in the group.

Looking for more for your holiday group? See Telegram party games for groups and the best Telegram bots for group chats.