Random xkcd comic generator
Jump to a surprise comic from the xkcd archive.
Output · 0 comics
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- Source
- xkcd
- Pick
- 1–8
Related tools
Jump to a random xkcd comic from anywhere in the archive, or stay inside a range of comic numbers. Each result shows the comic, its number and title, the publication date, and the alt text.
How to use the random xkcd comic generator
- Set the How many slider to draw up to eight comics.
- Enter a First comic number and Last comic number to set a range.
- Leave Last comic number blank to include the latest comic.
- Click Generate, then read the alt text shown under each comic.
About xkcd
xkcd is Randall Munroe's webcomic about science, maths, programming, language, and relationships, running since 2005. It has usually updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so the archive now runs to thousands of strips. The tool checks the latest comic number about once an hour, so new strips join the pool on their own.
Don't skip the alt text
Every xkcd has hover text, stored as the image's title, with a second joke that never appears in the drawing. On a phone you can't hover, so the page prints it under the comic.
Picking a number range
The early strips, roughly the first few hundred, are sketchier and more personal, with more romance and stick-figure philosophy. Later ones lean toward charts, science explainers, and big detailed pieces. Set First and Last comic number to stay in one stretch. Comic 404 is skipped because it doesn't exist; its page returns a Not Found error as a joke.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the comics come from?
The official xkcd archive. Each draw loads the strip, its title, and its alt text.
What is the number range for?
It limits the draw to a span of strips, so you can explore one period of the comic.
Do new comics appear?
Yes. The latest comic number is rechecked about once an hour.
Can I reuse the comics?
xkcd is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. Credit xkcd and link back, and read the license before any commercial use.
Built and maintained by Bipul Kumar. Found a wrong number or a broken result? Tell me and I'll fix it.