A random color generator that works like a color wheel spinner
Staring at a blank canvas, a new brand or an empty slide, it is easy to reach for the same few colors every time.
This random color generator breaks that habit. Press Spin and the color wheel turns and lands on a
color. You get its hex, RGB and HSL codes and a palette of colors that go with it, ready to copy. It is free, runs
in your browser, and needs no account.
The page opens on the color wheel, so you can spin straight away. If you would rather pick a color by name, from
your own list, or from a photo, switch the source under Pick from.
How to spin for a random color
- Choose what to pick from. Color wheel, Named colors, Your colors or From an image.
- Choose a combination. On the color wheel, pick how many colors a spin gives you, from a single color to a full palette.
- Set vividness and brightness. Or leave the pointer on Random and let the wheel decide how vivid each color is.
- Press Spin. You can also click the wheel or press Ctrl or ⌘ plus Enter.
- Copy the codes. One click copies every hex code in the palette.
Four ways to pick a random color
Color wheel. The disc has 360 positions, one for each degree of hue. A spin lands on one of them
and the pointer reads the color there. This is the mode for “give me any color”, and it is the one that builds
palettes.
Named colors. A wheel of 46 colors with names you already know, such as Crimson, Coral, Teal,
Lavender and Charcoal, grouped into nine families. Start from a ready-made set (Rainbow, Basic 11, Primary and
secondary, Pastels or Earth tones), choose whole families, or search for single colors and turn them on or off.
Your colors. Add colors with the color picker, or type a hex code or an rgb() value.
You can paste a whole list at once. The wheel then picks among your colors, up to 60 of them. It is a
quick way to choose between brand colors, paint samples or the options in a design review.
From an image. Choose a picture and the wheel gets its main colors, anywhere from 4 to 12. Click
or tap the picture to add the exact color under your finger. The image is read in your browser and is never
uploaded or saved.
Random color palettes that go together
One random color is a start. Most projects need a few that work as a group, so the color wheel turns the color it
lands on into a palette. The wheel picks the first color. The combination decides which colors join it.
- Monochromatic: two shades and two tints of the same hue. Calm and safe.
- Analogous: the color and its two neighbors, 30° either side. Smooth and natural.
- Complementary: the color and the one opposite it. Strong contrast, and the default here.
- Split-complementary: the color and the two beside its opposite. Contrast with less tension.
- Triadic and Square: three or four colors evenly spaced around the wheel. Bold and playful.
- Tetradic: two complementary pairs. Rich, and harder to balance.
Already have a color? Type it into Palette for a color and the wheel turns to it and shows the
palette for the combination you chose.
Vividness and brightness: how the final color is made
A color has three parts. The wheel decides the hue, which is where the color sits around the circle. The
Vividness slider, or the dot on the pointer line, sets how strong it is, from pale at the center
to full color at the rim. The Brightness slider sets how light or dark it is. With the pointer on
Random, the vividness changes on every spin. Switch to Manual when you want hue to be the only thing left to
chance.
Is the random color wheel fair?
Yes. When you press Spin, the page asks your browser for a secure random number
(crypto.getRandomValues) and turns it into one position on the wheel without favoring any of them.
Every hue position is equally likely, and every color on a named wheel has the same chance, which is 1 in 46
with all of them on. The result is chosen first, then the wheel is aimed at it, so the animation never changes the
outcome. For the detail, read how WheelSpinny picks.
Random does not mean evenly spread. Spin ten times and you may see two blues and no red. That is normal, and a
color is never “due” because it has not come up.
Ideas for using a random color picker
- Art and design challenges. Draw, paint or design using only the palette the wheel gives you.
- Starting a palette. Spin until a color catches your eye, then build the rest around it with a combination.
- Classrooms. Give each child a color to find, mix or draw with. Use the Rainbow set for younger ones.
- Crafts and home projects. Let the wheel pick a paint, yarn or accent color when you cannot decide.
- Games. Name things that are the color the wheel lands on, or find something that color in the room.
- Choosing between options. Give each option a color and let the wheel choose.
A word of caution: random colors do not guarantee readable text on a background. If you use a pair for text, check
its contrast first.
Looking for something other than a color? Try the random animal generator, the
random number generator or the dice roller. Or head to the
main spin the wheel page for any list you like.
Good to know
- Your mode, combination, sliders and own colors are saved in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and a picture is never saved.
- In Named colors, No repeats takes each picked color off the wheel until you put them back.
- The tool works on phones, tablets and desktop browsers, and with a keyboard. The result is shown as text and announced to screen readers, sound is optional, and a device set to reduce motion skips the long spin.
Random color generator FAQ
What is a random color generator?
A random color generator picks a color by chance, so you do not have to choose one yourself. This one is a color wheel: it spins, lands on a color, and shows its hex, RGB and HSL codes along with a palette of colors that go with it.
How do I use the color wheel spinner?
Press Spin. You can also click the wheel or press Ctrl or ⌘ plus Enter. The wheel turns and lands on a color, and the codes appear under the Spin button. Use Pick from to switch between the color wheel, named colors, your own colors and colors from an image.
Is the random color picker free?
Yes. It is free, runs in your browser, and needs no account, sign-up or install.
Is the color really random, and is it fair?
Yes. The color is drawn the moment you press Spin, using your browser’s secure random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues) with a method that avoids bias. On the color wheel, each of the 360 hue positions is equally likely. On the named wheel, each color on it is equally likely. The animation is aimed at the result and never changes it.
What do I get when the wheel lands on a color?
You get the color as a hex code, an RGB value and an HSL value, plus the other colors of the combination you chose. Copy all hex codes puts every code in the palette on your clipboard, ready to paste into a design tool, a stylesheet or a document.
How does the wheel of colors choose a color?
The wheel has one position for every degree of hue, 360 in all. A spin lands on one of them. How pale or vivid the color is depends on how far the pointer’s dot sits from the center, and how light or dark it is depends on the Brightness slider.
What is a random color palette?
A palette is a small group of colors that look good together. Here the wheel picks one color at random, and the combination you choose adds the rest by turning around the wheel. Complementary adds the opposite color, triadic adds two more spaced evenly around the wheel, and so on.
What color combinations can I choose?
Single, Monochromatic, Complementary, Split-complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Tetradic and Square. Single gives only the color the wheel lands on. Monochromatic gives two shades and two tints of the same hue. The others add colors at set distances around the wheel. Complementary is the default.
What do vividness and brightness change?
Vividness sets how strong the color is, from pale at the center of the wheel to full color at the rim. Brightness sets how light or dark it is. Together with the hue the wheel lands on, they make the final color.
Can I choose how vivid the color is, or leave it to chance?
Both. With the Pointer on Random, the dot moves to a new distance from the center on every spin, so the vividness is random too. Switch it to Manual to set the vividness yourself with the slider or by dragging the dot on the wheel.
Can I get the palette for a color I already have?
Yes. In Color wheel mode, type a code such as #FF8000 into Palette for a color and press Show. The wheel turns to that color and the result shows its palette in the combination you picked. It accepts three- and six-digit hex codes and rgb() values.
How do I spin the wheel for named colors like red, teal or coral?
Choose Named colors under Pick from. The wheel holds 46 colors, including Crimson, Coral, Teal, Lavender and Charcoal. Start from a ready-made set, choose by family, or open Choose individual colors to search by name or hex code and turn single colors on or off.
What ready-made color sets are there?
Rainbow (7 colors), Basic 11, Primary and secondary (6), Pastels (7) and Earth tones (10). The colors can also be chosen by family: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, pinks, browns and neutrals.
Can I put my own colors on the wheel?
Yes. Choose Your colors, then pick a color with the color picker or type a hex or rgb() code and press Add. To add many at once, open Add several at once and paste hex codes or rgb() colors, one per line or separated by commas. The wheel holds up to 60 colors.
Can I get random colors from a picture?
Yes. Choose From an image, then choose a picture and the wheel gets its main colors. You can read 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 colors, and click or tap the picture to add the exact color under your finger. The picture is read in your browser and is never uploaded or saved.
How do I stop the same color coming up twice?
In Named colors mode, switch on No repeats. Each picked color comes off the wheel when you close its result. Press Put picked colors back to restore them. With it off, every spin is independent, so a color can repeat, just as a dice roll can.
Can I spin for more than one color at a time?
Each spin gives one result. On the color wheel that result is a whole palette, so one spin can give you up to five colors. In the other modes, spin again for another color, and switch on No repeats in Named colors if you want them all to be different.
Will the colors it picks look good together?
Colors picked at random can clash, and that is part of the fun. For colors that are meant to work as a group, choose a combination such as Analogous or Monochromatic on the color wheel. These are starting points, so check the colors on your own design before you rely on them.
Are the random colors safe for text and accessibility?
Not automatically. A random color has no guarantee of enough contrast against a background, so check any text and background pair with a contrast checker before you use it. The tool shows the codes as text, so the result does not rely on color alone.
What is the difference between a color generator and a color wheel picker?
Nothing in the result. Both give you a color. A color wheel picker adds something to watch and lets you see where the color sits among the others, which helps when you want to understand why a palette works, or when a class or a group is waiting for the answer.
Is there a colour wheel spinner with UK spelling?
This page is the colour wheel spinner many people look for under that spelling. The tool is the same, and it works the same way: spin, get a colour, and copy its codes.
How can I use a random color generator?
People use it to start a palette, pick a theme color for a project, set an art or drawing challenge, choose a paint or craft color, give kids a color to find or draw, and settle a choice by giving each option a color. It also works as a color game for classrooms and parties.
Can I use it to make a color-based game?
Yes. Spin the named wheel and everyone finds something in the room of that color, draws with it, or names things that are that color. Switch on No repeats so a round never lands on the same color twice.
Can I pick other random things too?
Yes, with the sister tools. Try the random animal generator, the random number generator, the dice roller, or the main spin the wheel page for any list you like.
Are my settings saved or sent anywhere?
Your mode, combination, sliders and your own colors are saved in your own browser so they are still there when you return. They are not sent to a server or an account, and clearing your browser data removes them. A picture is never saved, so the image mode starts empty each visit.
Does it work on a phone, and is it accessible?
Yes. The controls fit narrow screens and work with a keyboard. The result is shown as text and announced to screen readers. Sound is optional and off until you turn it on. If your device is set to reduce motion, the result appears without the long spin.