How this works in your browser
Colours are generated randomly but constrained to a moderate saturation and lightness range rather than drawn from the full colour space. That constraint is what makes the output usable: entirely unbounded randomness produces near-blacks, blown-out whites and eye-watering neons that no design would use, so most generations would be wasted. Locking works by holding a swatch fixed while the others are regenerated, which turns the tool from a slot machine into something you can actually converge with. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is stored between sessions, so a palette you want to keep should be copied out.
Who uses Color Palette Generator
Starting a design project
Break out of your default colours with combinations you would not have picked.
Brand and identity exploration
Try directions quickly before committing to a palette.
Slide and document theming
Find a coherent set of colours for a presentation or report.
Overcoming a blank page
Generate a starting point when nothing about the colour direction is settled yet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep some colors while changing others?
Yes, click "Lock" under any swatch to keep it fixed, then generate again.
How are the colors chosen?
Colors are randomly generated within a moderate saturation and lightness range.
Can I copy a color code directly?
Yes, click any hex code button to copy it to your clipboard instantly.
How should I actually use five colours?
Not equally. The usual approach is one dominant colour across most of the surface, one or two supporting colours, and one accent used sparingly for the things you want people to click. Distributing five colours evenly is what makes a design look chaotic rather than colourful.
Will these colours pass accessibility checks?
Not necessarily, and it is worth verifying rather than assuming. Random generation optimises for looking pleasant, not for contrast ratios. Any pairing you use for text on a background should be checked against the WCAG minimum, which is 4.5 to 1 for normal-size text.
What is the locking feature for?
Iterating without losing progress. Once one colour feels right, lock it and keep generating: the rest reshuffle around your fixed choice, which is a far faster way to find a combination than regenerating everything and hoping.
Is a random palette a sensible starting point?
As a starting point, yes. Random combinations break the habit of reaching for the same colours you always use. What it cannot do is account for your brand, your audience or the associations a colour carries in your market, so treat the output as a prompt rather than a decision.