Minesweeper
Play Minesweeper Online for Free
Open every square that hides no mine. Each board size keeps its own unfinished game, saved after every move.
How to play
Pick a board on the start screen and press Play. Beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines, Intermediate 16×16 with 40, and Expert 16 squares wide and 30 tall with 99.
- Tap or click any square to open it. The clock starts.
- A number counts the mines touching its square, diagonals included. A square with none opens its neighbors too, out to the numbers at the edge.
- Flag each square you know is a mine (the ways to flag are under Controls). A flagged square can’t be opened by mistake.
- When a number has as many flags around it as it says, tap it with Flag mode off. All its other covered neighbors open at once (chording).
Open every safe square to see “Board cleared” and your time. Open a mine and you see “You hit a mine”, with every mine you had not flagged uncovered.
Controls
| Action | Touch | Mouse | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open a square | Tap it | Click it | Move with the arrow keys or W, A, S, D; Enter or Space opens |
| Flag or unflag | Hold it for half a second | Right-click it | F |
| Flag with taps | Turn on Flag mode, then tap | Turn on Flag mode, then click | Flag mode on, then Enter or Space |
| Chord a number | Tap the number | Click the number | Enter or Space on the number |
| Small squares | Tap to select, tap again; or the arrow buttons, then Open | Click to select, click again; or the arrow buttons, then Open | Same keys |
| Pause or resume | Pause button | Pause button | Esc |
| Fresh board, same size | New game button | New game button | Tab to New game, then Enter |
On most phones, Intermediate and Expert squares are too small to aim at, so a first tap only selects a square and names it under the board.
Tips and strategy
Make your first tap in the middle
A first tap in the middle of a Beginner board typically opens about two thirds of its safe squares; one in a corner, under 40%.
Compare two numbers that touch the same squares
Say a straight edge of open squares reads 1, 2, 1. The mines sit across from the two 1s: a mine across from the 2 would give each 1 its mine and leave the 2 with only one. Every other covered square along that stretch is safe. Started in the middle, 60% of Intermediate boards can be finished by comparing pairs like this, with no guess; reading one number at a time, 25%.
Check the Mines counter before you chord
The counter shows the mines minus your flags. Below zero, at least one flag is wrong, and chording next to a wrong flag opens a mine. At 0, with every flag right, the covered squares left are all safe.
Expect to guess on Expert
Started in the middle, reading one or two numbers at a time plus the Mines counter finishes 83% of Beginner boards without a guess, but only 10% of Expert. Past that point you need deeper reasoning, or a guess.
About Minesweeper
In a 1983 home-computer game by Ian Andrew, you crossed a minefield while a detector counted the mines above, below and beside you, but not diagonally. Expert is usually laid out 30 squares wide and 16 tall; this one stands upright to fit a phone.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the first square I open be a mine?
- No. The mines are placed when you open it, never on it or the 8 squares around it, so your first move always opens an area.
- Can every board be solved without guessing?
- There is no guarantee. Outside the area around your first square the mines go down at random, and the game never checks that logic alone can finish a board.
- How do I switch to a different board size?
- Pick it on the start screen, or on the result screen when a game ends. There is no switch during a game, so reload the page and choose again.
