What is a Random Color Generator?
A random color generator creates colors at random and displays them with their full color codes — HEX, RGB, and HSL — so you can immediately use them in design tools, CSS, and code. This tool lets you generate 1 to 20 colors at once and lock your favorites so they stay when you generate again.
How to Use the Random Color Generator
Select how many colors to generate (1–20), then click Generate Colors. Each color card shows the swatch, HEX code, RGB values, and HSL values. Click "Copy HEX" on any card to copy that color's HEX code. Click the lock icon to lock a color — locked colors survive the next generation. Click "Copy All HEX" to grab all visible colors as a list.
Understanding Color Formats
HEX: Six hexadecimal characters (e.g., #3B82F6) — two each for red, green, blue. Universally used in CSS and design tools. RGB: Three decimal values 0–255 for red, green, blue. Used in CSS as rgb(59, 130, 246). HSL: Hue (0–360°), Saturation (0–100%), Lightness (0–100%). More intuitive for creating color variations — change lightness to make tints and shades while keeping the same hue.
Design Uses for Random Colors
- Design inspiration: Break out of your usual color habits by exploring unexpected combinations
- Accent color discovery: Generate colors until you find one that works as an accent
- Placeholder colors: Fill wireframes and mockups with placeholder color values
- Data visualization: Generate a set of distinct colors for chart segments
- Testing: Use random colors to test that your UI handles various background/text contrast levels
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a HEX color code?
A 6-character hexadecimal string (e.g., #FF5733) encoding red, green, and blue channels. Each pair ranges from 00 (0) to FF (255). #000000 is black, #FFFFFF is white.
What is the difference between RGB and HSL?
RGB mixes red, green, and blue channels (0–255 each). HSL uses Hue (color angle, 0–360°), Saturation (intensity, 0–100%), and Lightness (brightness, 0–100%). HSL is more intuitive for designers because you can easily create tints (raise lightness) and shades (lower lightness) while keeping the same base color.
What does locking a color do?
Locked colors are preserved when you click Generate again. Unlocked colors are replaced with new random ones. Lock colors you like and keep generating to find companions for them.
How many colors can I generate at once?
1, 3, 5, 10, or 20 colors per generation. Each shows HEX, RGB, and HSL with a copy button.
What are random colors used for in design?
Inspiration, accent color discovery, placeholder colors for mockups, data visualization sets, and contrast testing. Random generation breaks cognitive bias toward familiar color choices.
How do I convert HEX to RGB?
Split the 6 hex digits into three pairs, convert each from base-16 to decimal. Our tool shows all three formats simultaneously — no manual conversion needed.
Can I generate only pastels or dark colors?
The default mode generates fully random colors. For pastels (high lightness, low saturation) or dark colors (low lightness), check the HSL value shown on each card — L > 70% is pastel territory, L < 30% is dark. Our Color Palette Generator gives more systematic control over hue and lightness.
Is my data private?
Yes. All generation happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server.