Frequently Asked Questions
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Search the help center for guides to lists, gifting, Secret Santa, cards and events.
Browse the help centerGiftList brings wishlists, registries and Secret Santa exchanges together. Create a list, add gift ideas and share the link so people can shop and mark gifts purchased without creating an account.
GiftList is free to use. Cash funds and group gifts use external payment services, which may charge their own fees.
Read the guide: Set up a cash fund or chip in on a group gift
Open the shared list, choose an available gift and buy it at the retailer. Return to GiftList and choose Mark as purchased so other shoppers can see it is taken. GiftList is not a store: there is no cart or payment on GiftList, and marking a gift purchased doesn't charge you or place an order. No account is needed. The standard guest form asks for your name and email; confirmation email depends on a usable address.
You need an account to create and manage lists and to join a Secret Santa exchange. You can shop and mark a gift purchased from a shared list without creating an account. The standard purchase form still asks for a name and email.
Read the guide: Mark a gift as purchased: guest details and quantities
You can add product links from different stores to one list. Automatic details may be incomplete or unavailable for a particular page; review them and add or edit details manually when needed.
Open your list and choose Add gift: paste a product link or search, or choose Add manually, Cash fund, Import a registry or, when available, Gift cards. You can also use the mobile saving tools or the desktop browser extension. Review the item details and save to the intended list. To delete a gift, open Gift options → Delete; deleting removes any claim on it.
Show on my profile and in Groups controls where the list appears inside GiftList. A direct list link still opens it, and shows its delivery details. Use Password protect in Privacy & access when you want visitors to need a password; recognized owners and collaborators can bypass it.
Read the guide: Choose who can find your list and add a password
Other shoppers can see that a gift is taken. The owner normally keeps the surprise until choosing Reveal gifts in Tracker, which reveals everything in one tap with no confirmation; then they can see recorded gifts and giver details. Cash funds and group gifts are the exception: the owner always sees each contributor's name, amount, message and payment method. This is not permanent anonymity. Avoid sharing screenshots, confirmation emails or personal recovery links that could spoil the surprise.
Read the guide: Keep gifts a surprise and reveal them when ready
Use the unreserve link in your confirmation email or saved recovery link, or open the gift and use its release controls with the reservation email. A general email-based confirmation does not prove a claim was removed. Check the updated list; retailer cancellation is separate.
Open the list's List options → Invite collaborators (the Share your list dialog has the same row), enter an email address or @username, select the intended person and choose Invite. Collaborators need a free account and can edit gifts and list settings; only the owner can delete the list. A normal share link or group membership does not grant editing access.
Open the gift: the owner's delivery details, such as a shipping address with a Copy button or their own instructions, appear before you buy. Enter that address at the retailer's checkout yourself; GiftList doesn't ship gifts or fill in the store's checkout, and the store may pre-fill your own address instead. If no address is shown, ask the owner before ordering. You can also ship to yourself and hand the gift over.
Read the guide: Add a shipping address or gift delivery instructions
Open the gift’s menu, choose Edit, correct the details and choose Save gift. Check the product link and any size or color notes as well as the name, price and image.
Use the manual gift option and enter the idea and useful details without a product URL. For collecting money, use a cash fund rather than treating an ordinary gift note as a payment tool.
Use the gift menu’s Move to another list or Copy to another list action. Move keeps the same gift record; copy creates a separate item. Select the destination and check the result.
Ask for the direct list link, or sign in and open Friends → Find friends to search a first name, last name or username. Email search is not supported. Open the right profile and Follow; Friends → People lists who you follow and who follows you. To stop someone, open their profile's More options and choose Block user, which removes the follow both ways. Visibility and passwords still apply.
Read the guide: Find someone's list and follow or unfollow them
Ask for the direct list link, or look for a list the owner has made visible on their profile. A hidden list will not necessarily appear in profile discovery, and a password-protected list still needs its password.
Read the guide: Find someone's list and follow or unfollow them
GiftList has gift-idea discovery tools. Available search and shopping features vary by country and platform. You can also save a product link or add an idea manually to your own list.
Use the desktop browser extension from GiftList’s official extension page. On a phone, use the GiftList app’s saving tools; iPhone Safari Share is a separate workflow.
Read the guide: Save gifts with the GiftList browser extension
GiftList has iPhone and Android apps. Use the official app links and keep the app updated; installed versions can have different controls from the current website.
Send your feedback through Contact us. Include what you were trying to do and what would help.
Contact us with your question and the relevant device, browser and page. Do not send passwords, login codes or private reservation recovery links.
GiftList supports lists with gifts from different stores, sharing, purchase marks, imports, groups and Secret Santa. Choose the feature that fits your task; availability and saving details can vary by platform.
Review list visibility and password settings before sharing. Profile visibility controls discovery, while direct-link access is separate. Other shoppers’ recorded purchases stay hidden on personal lists until revealed, with the notification qualifications explained in the guide.
Read the guide: Choose who can find your list and add a password
Open List options → Import List or Registry (or Import a registry in Add gift), paste the list's public or shared link, choose Find items, then pick the items to import. GiftList can import from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Etsy, Anthropologie, Giftful, GoWish, Listful and GiftList, plus a CSV spreadsheet on a computer. Babylist, Zola, The Knot and MyRegistry can't be imported; add those items by link instead. An import is a one-time copy, not an ongoing sync, and items already bought stay behind.
For store products, checkout happens at the retailer using that retailer’s payment methods. Cash funds and group gifts use the external payment service linked by the owner; check any provider fees and terms.
Read the guide: Set up a cash fund or chip in on a group gift
You can save international product links, with manual editing if automatic details fail. Store availability, currencies, shipping and supported registry imports vary; saving a link does not guarantee delivery to another country.
Read the guide: Change country or currency and use GiftList internationally
Before deleting your account, transfer or delete any organization you own. Account deletion cancels your active exchanges as organizer, can change matches as a participant, and transfers owned family groups to an eligible active member or deletes groups with nobody eligible left. Open your profile Account section and choose Delete account only after reviewing these effects and the confirmation. Use support for access or data-request help; do not assume deletion can be undone or that every record disappears immediately.
Read the guide: Delete your account or get help with a data request
Yes. In your profile’s Notifications & email card, under Occasion reminders, add dates in Your dates and choose each reminder’s times. Also check your account notification preferences and device permissions.
Create a cash fund with an external payment method: Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or Cash App. Money goes straight from the giver to the owner's payment app; GiftList never holds money, so there is nothing to withdraw. A contribution shows on the fund only after the giver taps Confirm contribution, and Confirmed means the giver recorded it, not that GiftList saw the payment. Owners see each contributor's name, amount, message and payment method.
Read the guide: Set up a cash fund or chip in on a group gift
Enable group gifting on an eligible priced gift. The “Allow someone to buy the whole gift” checkbox is on by default for newly enabled group gifts. For an existing group gift, owners and list editors can open Gift options → Group gifting settings, change that checkbox and Save changes without disabling group gifting. Before anyone contributes, visitors can buy an active, unclaimed gift or chip in. Once contributions start, visitors can only chip in and the owner arranges the purchase. A reservation pauses contributions; the buyer can mark it purchased or cancel. Undoing a contribution record does not refund a payment.
Read the guide: Set up a cash fund or chip in on a group gift
Yes. Create an exchange, add participants, set exclusions and draw names. You draw names yourself unless you switch on Draw automatically after a join-by date, which draws the morning after that date (7–8am Pacific). Participants sign in to view their match. Do not assume organizers can never infer pairings: management actions, exclusions and personal links can disclose information indirectly. GiftList doesn't run White Elephant games, but has free rules and party tools for them.
Read the guide: Organize a Secret Santa exchange on GiftList
For most gifts, reserving and marking purchased describe the same list update: you buy at the retailer, then mark the gift purchased. Group gifts are the exception: Buy this gift reserves the item first, so you can finish buying at the store and then mark it purchased, or cancel the reservation. Either way it is separate from paying at the retailer and does not prove that an order was placed or shipped.
Read the guide: Mark a gift as purchased: guest details and quantities
GiftList is not a store, so it has no order, tracking or refund to look up. Contact the retailer you bought from for order status, shipping changes, cancellations, returns or refunds. GiftList records the information a giver supplies; it does not fulfill store orders or independently verify tracking and purchase details.
Read the guide: Shipping, missing orders, returns and gift receipts
Use Most wanted to show preferences. Pin to top and saved list order also affect placement, so a Most wanted mark does not guarantee the first position in every view.
Read the guide: Organize your wishlist: priorities, tags and order
Use tags, pins and Rearrange to organize the list, and Select for available bulk actions. Move or copy gifts between lists, or archive a finished list when you want to keep it for later.
Read the guide: Organize your wishlist: priorities, tags and order
My Gifts has Purchased and Received views. Purchased matches recorded claims to your current account email, including guest claims made with that email. Received includes gifts from your lists after those lists are revealed. A purchased mark is not proof of delivery.
Read the guide: Find purchased and received gifts in My Gifts
Check the retailer’s current price, shipping and stock before buying. Any price shown with a gift can change; saving a product does not guarantee the lowest price or a particular checkout total.
Purchase notifications depend on your list settings, reveal settings and account preferences. On personal lists, detailed purchase information requires revealing gifts and the relevant email setting; a general first-gift heads-up is separate.
Read the guide: Keep gifts a surprise and reveal them when ready
Show on my profile and in Groups controls where a list shows up inside GiftList (Everyone, Friends only or Don't show it), not who can open the direct link. To gate the link, set a password with Password protect in the list's Settings → Privacy & access. Owners and collaborators have access exceptions; joining a group or following someone does not grant editing permission.
Read the guide: Choose who can find your list and add a password
Create an event invitation, add the details and RSVP settings, preview it and share the invite. You can attach a gift list and choose link-only or password access. Enable Ask for adults and children in RSVP settings when you need separate headcounts. In Add sections, Payment / QR code supports Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and Cash App recipient details, just like cash funds, with an optional QR image per method. You can copy active saved methods from an attached gift list without replacing event details. Guests can open supported profile links or copy recipient details into their payment app; Zelle uses their banking app. GiftList does not process or confirm payments. Co-hosts can edit the invite, add a gift list and see every RSVP. An event has one attached gift list; share another list or registry in Links. GiftList does not notify guests when you edit an event, so tell them yourself. Hosts and co-hosts can remove a reply and block it from replying again; for a private event, choose Password under Who can see it.
Read the guide: Create an event invitation and invite guests
Choose a card design, write a message, check the recipients and review the delivery summary. Some cards can be emailed; a copied card link still needs you to send it yourself.
Groups bring family or friends’ lists and activity together. Joining a group needs an account and does not grant permission to edit every member’s list. List visibility and passwords still matter.
On your profile (in the app, tap Your profile at the top of the menu), edit your name or username in the profile information card and save. To change email, request verification at the new address and finish the verification/password steps; until then, use your current sign-in details. Reset or add a password under Notifications & email → Account & security. Dark mode is in the website's account menu and the app menu. To keep your birthday private, switch on **Keep my birthday private** under **Birthday** in your profile's **Settings** card and choose **Save**; your birthday stays on your account.
On your profile (in the app, tap Your profile at the top of the menu), open Settings, choose Country and Currency, then Save. Currency applies to lists you own, including existing lists. Prices are relabelled, not converted, so review amounts you entered manually. Bulgaria uses the euro: lev (BGN) accounts were moved to EUR for you, with prices saved before 2026 converted at the official rate. GiftList is available in English only.
Read the guide: Change country or currency and use GiftList internationally
Open the group from Friends → People → Your groups and review People and Group settings. Available management actions depend on your role. Members can leave; the owner has a separate Delete group action. Read the confirmation before proceeding.
Create a list in your own account, name it for the recipient and review sharing settings. You remain its owner. Invite trusted collaborators for editing; this does not create a child account or automatically transfer list ownership.
Read the guide: Make a wishlist for a child or another person
Connect GiftList where it is offered in ChatGPT and choose the intended list. Available actions depend on the connection and rollout; review proposed changes before confirming. It cannot buy gifts, send a list link for you or reveal hidden surprise purchases.
Price-drop alerts are for eligible saved US Storefront products with sufficient price history. A qualifying drop is at least 10% and $5 below the usual price; notifications are limited to one a day and three in seven days, between 9am and 9pm local time. In Notifications & email, enable Price-drop alerts and the matching Onboarding and product updates consent, then Save preferences. Not every store or product is monitored; verify the retailer’s current price before buying.
On a computer, open the list's Settings → Import & export and choose Export to spreadsheet to download a CSV snapshot. To import a CSV, open Import List or Registry and choose the Spreadsheet tile: the preview shows rows to add and rows that will update existing gifts (matched by gift_id or link). Spreadsheet export and import are desktop-only.
Read the guide: Download a list as a spreadsheet or import one
Open the exchange as the organizer or a Co-organizer and choose Edit details or the Settings tab. Archive (moves it to Past) and delete are organizer actions: in Settings, Danger zone → Delete this exchange → Delete. Deleting a live exchange notifies participants that it is cancelled and can't be undone. Deletion does not cancel retailer purchases.
Read the guide: Edit, archive or delete a Secret Santa exchange
No. Guests can RSVP with their name without creating an account or providing an email address. Check the host’s RSVP and password settings. When asked for adults and children, include yourself once. A child-only party can have zero adults. Declining counts as zero people. The breakdown is visible only to you and the organizers. When guest RSVPs are visible, others can see names, responses and plus-one counts; notes and plus-one names are for the host.
No. GiftList is not a store, so there is no cart, checkout or payment on GiftList. Open the gift, use its store button to buy on the retailer's site, then return to the list and choose Mark as purchased so others know it's taken. Marking a gift purchased doesn't charge you or place an order. For order status, returns or refunds, contact the store you bought from.
Money goes straight from each giver to your own Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or Cash App. GiftList never holds money, so there is nothing to withdraw. A contribution appears on the fund only after the giver returns and taps Confirm contribution; Confirmed means the giver recorded it, not that GiftList saw the payment. If one is missing, check your payment app, then ask the giver whether they finished the transfer and confirmed it. You can add a payment you received with Record contribution.
Read the guide: Set up a cash fund or chip in on a group gift
There is no undo or trash for a deleted list in the app. Contact Team GiftList as soon as possible with the list's name, your account email and roughly when you deleted it. The team will check whether anything can be recovered, but recovery isn't guaranteed. Next time, choose Archive list to put a list away without deleting it.
Add it in your list's Settings under Gift delivery: choose Ship gifts to me and enter the address, or Custom instructions to describe another way, such as "Message me for my address". Anyone who can open your list can see these delivery details, not just people you know, unless the list has a password or People can reserve items is turned off. Profile visibility doesn't hide them. GiftList never ships gifts; buyers type the address into the store's checkout.
Read the guide: Add a shipping address or gift delivery instructions
Yes. Open their profile, choose More options (⋮) and choose Block user. Blocking removes the follow in both directions; Unblock user in the same menu undoes it. GiftList profiles are public, so anyone with an account can follow you, and followers can see lists you set to Friends only → All friends. Blocking doesn't stop someone who already has a list's direct link, so add Password protect or change the list's visibility if that matters.
Read the guide: Find someone's list and follow or unfollow them
You choose Draw names yourself whenever you're ready. The join-by date only exists if you switch on Draw automatically after a join-by date: then GiftList draws names the morning after that date (7–8am Pacific), unless you've already drawn, and emails everyone their match. Add everyone and finish exclusions before then; you can change the setting in Edit details.
Read the guide: Organize a Secret Santa exchange on GiftList
Not as an app feature. GiftList's exchange runs Secret Santa-style draws, where each person gives to one match. White Elephant, Yankee Swap and other steal-and-swap games are played in the room, so GiftList offers free tools instead: printable gift exchange rules, a dice roller for steal turns, a gift exchange quiz and White Elephant gift ideas.
Read the guide: Organize a Secret Santa exchange on GiftList
No. Once names are drawn, GiftList doesn't accept new people, so existing matches stay intact. Before the draw, open the exchange's Participants tab and choose Add people. If someone must join after the draw, run a separate exchange for them or start a new exchange with everyone and draw again; tell the group first, since people may already have bought gifts.
Read the guide: Change Secret Santa participants or redraw names
Open your event's Guest list and choose Remove beside their reply (or the remove icon in Who's coming on the event page). Their reply comes off your guest list and headcount, and they no longer see the event address; GiftList doesn't tell them. Tick Block them from replying again to stop that account or browser replying. Anyone with your link can still open the invite without the address, so for a private event choose Password under Who can see it. Hosts and co-hosts can do this in a current version of GiftList.
Read the guide: Create an event invitation and invite guests
Edits show on the invite as soon as you save, but GiftList doesn't email or notify guests about them, so tell guests yourself about a new date, time or place. An event has one attached gift list; add another list or an outside registry under Links. Co-hosts you invite can edit the invite and see every RSVP too.
Read the guide: Create an event invitation and invite guests
Account-security emails are always sent, even if you unsubscribed from other email. Check your spam or junk folder and Gmail's Promotions and Updates tabs, and make sure you entered the exact address on the account; an Apple Hide My Email relay is a different inbox. Then request a new email, since an older link may have expired. If you signed up with Google or Apple, use that button instead; you can add a password later from your profile.
Use the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email, or open your profile's Notifications & email card, switch off what you don't want and choose Save preferences. Password resets, email verification and other account-security emails are always on. Emails about something you're part of, such as a Secret Santa invitation, can still arrive.
Read the guide: Change email and push notification preferences
The list's owner has turned off People can reserve items, so visitors can browse but not reserve or buy. "This list stopped accepting gifts on [date]" means the owner's stop date has passed. Only the owner can change it: their list shows a Guests can't reserve gifts banner with Turn on reserving (or Reopen for gifts), or they can open the list's Settings → Gifting, switch on People can reserve items, clear the Stop accepting gifts on date and Save.
Read the guide: Fix a shared list, password or missing-gift problem
Not yet. GiftList is in English only, on the website and in the apps, and there is no language setting. Your Country and Currency settings change prices and which shops you see, not the language. A store page opened from GiftList may appear in another language because of that store's own settings.
Read the guide: Change country or currency and use GiftList internationally
Typing a product name into Add gift in the app opens a Google search in GiftList's built-in browser. That's expected: open the product's own page from the results, then tap Add. A Google search or results page isn't a product, so GiftList won't save it, and pasting a Google search link on the website is refused too. The latest app shows a tip explaining this; older app versions don't.
Yes. Your birthday can't be removed, because it's required for your account and for your own birthday reminder, but you can keep it private. On your profile (in the app, tap Your profile at the top of the menu), find the Settings card, switch on Keep my birthday private under Birthday and choose Save. Other people then won't see your birthday on GiftList, including on your profile when someone searches your username, and people who follow you stop getting birthday reminders about you. You still see it yourself and still get your own birthday reminder. Switch it off the same way and your followers' reminders resume. A Birthday list's own date is separate and stays visible to people who can see that list.
Still have questions?
Ask our AI help assistant a follow-up, or email the GiftList team.