Create A 'Wheel of Fortune' Spinning Name Selector in PowerPoint

In this tutorial I'll show you how to align shapes radially in a circle with exact accuracy so that you can create an animated spinning wheel of names or text that can be used in Microsoft PowerPoint as, for example, a random student name picker.
** Please note that if using an older version of PowerPoint (2006 or earlier) you will need to make the change below **
I have discovered that this can be an issue for older versions of PowerPoint. The solution is to add a slide before the wheel slide, with an automatic transition to the next slide set to as short a time as you can - 0.2 seconds. Then add a button on the wheel slide that says 'Reset' that links back to the first slide. When you play the presentation the first slide won't even be seen because it will transition straight to the wheel slide, and then when you click the reset button you'll find that the wheel resets and the result is always random.
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I have now uploaded a copy of this template to TES Resources for anyone interested to download free.
www.tes.com/teaching-resource...
Timestamps:
01:28 Converting a pie chart to shapes in PowerPoint
09:50 Rotating text boxes around a circle in PowerPoint
13:26 Animating a rotating a wheel in PowerPoint
18:37 Embedding a random name spinner in any PowerPoint presentation

[@keithbearup7236]

Absolutely brilliant! This is a fantastic idea with easy to follow, step by step instructions. I've been a trainer/facilitator for over 30 years and I had no idea this tool was so easy to make. It will be extremely helpful in the classroom and avoid the impression of playing favorites or "picking on" certain students. I love it! Thank you so much.

[@zan04]

Since last week, I have been looking for a random name generator that I can use for my report this week to keep my classmates' attention during the presentation. This is one is the best, if not the best. Thank you for sharing.

[@mimiwilson3810]

This is probably the easiest to follow tutorial I have ever tried. Thank you very much!

[@yungtzuchiang6221]

I really appreciate your help with creating the wheel! 🙏🙏🙏 The instructions are the easiest to follow, and I very much admire how you use the tools in Excel. Brilliant!!! 👍👍👍👏👏👏 Many thanks indeed!!!!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@lironperlmutter5760]

I am so happy i found this channel last summer. I've learnt so much and created so many new games for my classes this year. Thank you so much for sharing all those wonderful ideas. Keep them coming. Especially during this long summer holiday when we have so much time on our hands to try new things. 🍹🌻😂

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am really glad you're finding this channel useful, and I certainly have many more ideas planned to be sharing on here very soon!

[@akash723]

Can u please share those games

[@akash723]

@@TheTechTrain the name of the student is repeating. I linked a 1st slide to the reset option. Still I am getting the same

[@janetmagday5469]

Thanks a lot for putting this here! It’s a big help, and you explained it in a way that a viewer can duplicate what you did or make their own because your instructions were clear and complete.

[@carlorway477]

Excellent. Thank you. Now that I am teaching in Zoom, my students are silent. This is absolutely perfect and easy to follow.

[@fionacollins440]

This is such a great video - your explanation was clear and easy to follow, you have the perfect voice and speed for instructional videos. Thank you! You also didn't take hours to do it, just the amount of time it actually takes. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[@bobskibob8870]

First tutorial I went through step-by-step and everything worked just as you said (and I love the accent). Thank you.

[@elianamikolay2886]

Thank you! Excellent tutorail - I created my spinner as I was watching you and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much!

[@bridgetpeck6181]

Fantastic tutorial! I needed a wheel with numbers, so I went ahead and put them in as my category names on the pie chart so that I didn't have to mess with inserting them later. Thank you!

[@mahsashiralizade4078]

Thank you so much for sharing your great content. You have no idea how much I needed this and how excited I am to start using it. The way you explain on the video is so clear and easy to follow I created my wheel at the first try along with your video. I really appreaciate your work.

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much, I'm very glad you liked it

[@marcogianni7161]

Just brilliant! So clearly explained so that non-tech people can easily follow. Many thanks!

[@lollyvalentine]

AMAZING! Clear and concise instructions that only a complete dunce would not be able to follow! Thank you

[@erolhal7966]

This is a shame that this is how the quality of the channel with quality contents has a bit of subsribera and views. Way to go, and thank you for making me a lot of things learned!!!

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm very glad you found it useful! Subscribers and views are steadily growing - feel free to share and spread the word!

[@solabeeartistry3167]

Thank you so much. So easy to follow along and make it with you! Probably one of the fastest and easiest tutorials I have found. Will check out your others!

[@dsitha]

clearly presented and well thought out to ensure there is almost no wasted steps!! can't thank you enough !! i watched all the ads hahaha

[@lisawalker6280]

Such a clear and extremely helpful tutorial - thank you!

[@cindyscott2513]

Thank you soooo much! This video was so helpful. The instructions were clear and very easy to follow!! Fantastic!

[@just.gay.5047]

Thank you so much for this very elaborative tutorial, the best I've seen. I'm currently studying teaching and this will definitely help me in the present and in the future. You earned another subscriber. Kudos.

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much for your comment, and I'm so glad you found the video helpful. Good luck with your teacher training. If you ever need any advice, help, tutorials or resource ideas, do let me know. Oh, and if you like this name spinner, wait until you see the awesome 3D version coming very soon! Thanks for the subscribe! 👍

[@lynnyopchick3665]

Thank you for the very easy-to-follow directions! This worked great!

[@monicaann1974]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been looking for something like this and I'm so happy I found this video! You are awesome!

[@myyoutubechannel4744]

OMG I really enjoyed watching you do this!

[@lauriefuller1]

I created this wheel and it was fun even my MC said she was impressed..thank you so much for this!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you Laurie Fuller, I'm so glad you liked it.

[@ingridcarroll7790]

Very well presented, clear and easy to understand. Well done!

[@nancytropea4473]

This is a great and easy to create wheel. Thank you for sharing. I've had to watch a few times but I think I have it down now, after making several different wheels for different contests. They are always fun and engaging.

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you found it helpful Nancy Tropea

[@alinesultan6486]

Thank you so much for creating this tutorial! I really enjoyed and benefitted from it 🤩

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much, I'm very glad you liked it

[@sharonyvonnejames6289]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been searching for a way to create a spinning wheel for quizzes for quite a while!!

[@Rhiannon010]

This was by far the best technology how-to video I've ever watched. It was so easy to follow. Thank you!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much, that's very kind of you to say. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@MPisth]

Thank you so much for the help! This video was sooo helpful. I created a spinning wheel for our office and everyone loved it. Appreciate the guidance and support.

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad, and thank you for your support.

[@GeraldSmith-lr5di]

Excellent, thank you for the simple, clear explanation. I am going to try that creating multiple layers for cascade choices

[@mandypena5489]

Just what I was looking for. Thank you for this! It was so easy to follow. Thank you.

[@marijoemond7549]

Thank you for that tutorial! It's very well explained!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you!

[@rattnaksokhom5347]

Instructions were clear and easy to follow, thank you!!

[@rpesmusic]

Thank you so much! That is truly a fantastic video; great explanation and pacing. You are clearly an effective educator. Cheers sir!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much for your kind comment. I'm very glad you like it

[@peachesh1]

Thanks for this great quick and easy tutorial!

[@TheTechTrain]

You're very welcome!

[@ryansfamily]

That was amazing! Thank you. I tried it first on my Mac and realized that the 2019 version of pp doesn’t allow developer tab so luckily I have a windows computer lying around. Thanks again!

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you liked it, and I hope you find it useful.

[@KittyBeeViolinT]

I am so upset they took the developer tab from Mac. :( I can't do this

[@Snowmanver2]

Thanks so much! Your video is helpful and plain, fantastic job you've done there! Cheers!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much, I'm very glad you liked it

[@Mr_ELF]

Very Helpful. Thanks for sharing your craft

[@inuart19]

thank you soooo much, as an english teacher (i'm mexican btw) it would help me a lot in my future classes.

[@andybrown291]

Really easy to follow. Thank you very much.

[@TheTechTrain]

You're very welcome!

[@teachingandlearningresourc915]

Love it - thanks very much! Very easy to follow instructions, now have my own wheel of fortune! :-)

[@jenniferglines2416]

This is so AWESOME! How fun! Thank you!

[@profenglisheu]

Thank you! Just what I needed. I've learnt a lot.

[@TheTechTrain]

You're very welcome, and I'm so glad you found it useful

[@leonardocarvajal5313]

You just got me out of a jam..our spin the wheel model broke and this was the next best option...THANK YOU!

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you found it useful!

[@ianb4916]

That was really useful and well explained. Thank you.

[@ArshadAli-lb5tj]

Excellent tutorial! Well done.

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you!

[@mdcs1992]

0:48 Subbed so quick. I'm nearly 70 but love learning new stuff. Thanks.

[@joe1611]

Great video and thank you for sharing this with us. I create a wheel while listening, pausing, listening and it was difficult. Thanks again for the step-by-step tutorial.

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm very glad you found it useful

[@carrielutz9819]

Thank you so much! This was so easy to follow. You are an awesome teacher. :)

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful.

[@haydeeportillo3426]

So easily explained! Thank you!

[@angelapatzer9096]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for the clear and informative tutorial.

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you, I am so glad you liked it!

[@demon11989]

This is the most helpful classroom video I've ever seen. Liked and subscribed!

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it. Plenty more similar ideas planned!

[@smockshift]

THIS IS SO AMAZING !!! THANK YOU !!! Your explanation is superb! 😀

[@lissaalmanzar9856]

Awesome tutorial! Helped me put together a wheel of fortune game for my class ‼️

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you liked it Lissa

[@joetheslugable]

A big thank you for this really useful walkthrough...I've been trying to do this for years. A*

[@lauracrawley9383]

This was so helpful! I actually made 3 different spinners on one slide for a math lesson on shape attributes. Thank you!!

[@TheTechTrain]

Glad it helped!

[@manuelarayacuervo5985]

Oh!!!

[@everybodymustgetston]

Very clever idea and great, straightforward presentation. Liked, subscribed and thank you

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you so much! That's very much appreciated, and I'm really glad you like the idea. I hope you find it useful.

[@rheaperez6781]

OMG! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I'VE BEEN HAVING A HARD TIME DOWNLOADING A WHEEL OF FORTUNE TEMPLATE AND I LOBE WHAT I CREATED BY THE HELP OF YOUR GUIDE! THANK YOU AGAIN SIR!

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you!

[@PortelaJulie]

Thank you so so much! Your tutorial is just perfect.

[@TheTechTrain]

Glad it was helpful!

[@teacherdit1243]

This is brilliant! THANK YOU!

[@nasserelrmah311]

Excellent and very helpful. thx

[@meganartz1280]

This video was awesome! Thank you!

[@faithdesigntumblers4895]

OMG... This video was so easy to follow. Thank you for taking your time to create this. Subscribed

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. I'm actually working on a video at the moment that takes this idea much further - including 3D - so make sure you look out for that!

[@vigiaru3492]

This is great and brilliant tutorial. Thank you. very useful.

[@Smyth14x]

This is excellent, thank you! Helping a lot with these quiet, awkward silences on Zoom!

[@crizaldoesconde6123]

That was indeed useful. Thank you so much! 💓

[@gloriaromero-martinez4651]

Thank you! This has been an excellent step-by-step tutorial. Is there a way to add a clicking sound to the wheel as it spins?

[@atefulhasankhan1327]

wow this is amazing liked and subscribed you. Thank you for setting my life.

[@marywoodman9003]

Brilliant and so easy to follow! Thanks

[@maloubatausa2807]

Thank you so much

[@mariareinam.buenavista8961]

Thank you uploader. You helped me a lot!

[@carolkaufmann5227]

Thank you for your easy to follow directions to make the wheel. I had so much fun customizing it. CK

[@TheTechTrain]

Glad it helped!

[@ionebarros9778]

Hi. Thank you so much. By following your instructions I was able to create the wheel successfully. I'm really glad. 😍

[@JKMuggle]

Thank you so much for taking the time!!

[@ederlynenriquez2182]

such a wonderful and amazing video, thank you so much

[@RuslanLomaka]

Actually if you put equal numbers to all chat parts it will distribute itself the radial space for each segment and they will be equal. So you don't have to do that math, just put 1 to each cell in right column

[@mikeschmidtmann]

Beautifully done and very useful. Thank you!

[@TheTechTrain]

You're very welcome, thank you!

[@liamforrest4337]

Great video. Just made this for a class of 46 students in Vietnam. Should make choosing someone to answer speaking questions a little more exciting, Thanks!

[@TheTechTrain]

I'm so glad you liked it! A class of 46 students - that's quite a large group! Greetings to Vietnam from the UK.

[@rosaliedejesus9889]

Very useful indeed and easy to understand as it is explain in a step by step manner. Thank you very much.

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you, I'm so glad you found it useful.

[@sophiewalters1242]

Very clear explanation. Many thanks,

[@resred5666]

Thank you very much for this amazing video. It's perfect, real game changer.

[@claudiaherrera2664]

Hi,Thanks for this video, helped so much. One more thing was wondering is I can add a sound effect at the end of the spin.

[@condottiero]

Thanks for this excellent tutorial. Is there a way to design this to pick out a set of segments? We need it to 'look' random - but be pre decided in reality.

[@edolex5731]

Thank you sooo much for this tutorial!

[@TheTechTrain]

You are so welcome!

[@celiajones-connor6289]

Thank you. Great help.

[@harshpriyakalra3144]

That's an excellent resource! thank you so very much!

[@harshpriyakalra3144]

How can I add any sound effects while my wheel rotates and stops ?

[@user-ld7ng7zt1z]

Hi, thank you so much for this great video! I need to make one for kindergarten game and l am struggling to add pictures instead of text boxes. It doesn.t work somehow for me.. Could you please give some advice on that?

[@madisonescriver600]

Thank you very much for making this video, it was extremely helpful

[@SonuSingh-jq4dc]

Great video! Is there a way to trigger the spinning using a laser pointer (i.e start/stop the spinning using a pointer)?

[@kathlynhilman861]

thank you so much! easy to follow and the way you teach is awesome! I use this for review the lesson in wheel game.

[@TheTechTrain]

Glad it was helpful!

[@spennie627]

Very good, and excellent explanation/narrative - thank you

[@TheTechTrain]

Thank you, I'm very glad you liked it.

[@user-nq8ov8oi5y]

I swear you are the best even my Microsoft word is in arabic but I did it pretty well thank you so much❤️

[@juliettebaill1921]

Hello! Thank you for this tutorial, I've managed to create a great wheel for my classes! But it seems like it's bugging now, it's always ending on the same category, no matter how long I let it spin, or where I click... Have you had that kind of bugs before? What would you advise? Thanks in advance!!

[@pallavigupta7696]

I loved the way u explained. U explain really well. I made the wheel in the first try. Thank u so much for sharing this. I subscribed and liked ur channel.

[@arkangelarkangel5348]

Great video! Thanks a lot!

[@dougcontreras2665]

Thanks a lot, it worked well in powerpoint 2016

[@marumakoto]

Thank you! I will definitely use this in my class!

[@RodrigoPerez-zc8sh]

That´s amazing, thanks for sharing.

[@jasminejoy1208]

Really useful! Thank you so much 😊