Beginner. Tap to dig, hold to flag.Beginner. Click to dig, right-click to flag.
Clear the board, flag the mines, beat the clock.
Minesweeper is a logic puzzle played on a grid of covered tiles, some of which hide mines. Each tile you uncover shows how many mines touch it, and those numbers tell you which tiles are safe to dig. Every board here can be cleared without guessing.
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Why you will love it
Learn Minesweeper in a minute
Uncover every tile that is not a mine. The numbers tell you where the mines are, so every board here can be cleared by logic alone.
How does Minesweeper work?
Every tile is either safe or a mine, and the numbers are clues you can always trust.
- Numbers: A number is the count of mines among the eight tiles around it, diagonals included
- Empty tiles: A tile with no mines around it shows no number, and its neighbours open automatically, which is why one dig can clear a large area
- Safe start: Mines are placed only after your first dig, and never on or next to the tile you dug
- No guessing: Before you see a board, a solver clears it using only what the numbers prove. Boards that would need a guess are thrown away
- Flags: A flag marks a mine. A flagged tile cannot be dug by accident, and the counter shows the mines left minus your flags
- Winning: The board is cleared when every safe tile is open. You do not have to flag the mines
- Clock: The clock starts with your first dig and pauses while the page is hidden
Controls and saving
Built for a phone first, with a mouse and keyboard just as well supported.
- Touch: Tap to dig. Hold until the ring fills to flag, and hold a flag to remove it. The Dig and Flag switch under the board swaps the two, so a tap flags and a hold digs
- Mouse: Left click digs, right click flags
- Chording: Tap or click a number once all its mines are flagged to dig every other tile around it in one go
- Keyboard: Arrow keys move between tiles. Enter or Space does the current action, D digs and F flags
- Zoom: On a phone, large boards start zoomed in so every tile is big enough to tap. Drag to move around, and use the zoom button (or Z) to see the whole board
- Undo: If you dig a mine, the game over screen lets you take that dig back and keep playing
- Saving: A board in progress is saved on your device and kept for 30 days
Three levels
The classic three boards. Each keeps its own best time, and only a board cleared without undo can set one.
- Beginner: 9 by 9 tiles with 10 mines
- Intermediate: 16 by 16 tiles with 40 mines
- Expert: 30 by 16 tiles with 99 mines. It stands upright on a phone held upright and turns on its side on a wide screen, so it always fits the way you hold it
Which patterns solve a board?
Every board here can be solved with a handful of ideas. Learn to spot them and you never need to guess.
The two basic rules
- All mines found: When a number already touches that many flags, every other tile around it is safe. Chord it to open them
- All tiles are mines: When a number touches exactly as many hidden tiles as its value, every one of them is a mine
Patterns along a wall of open tiles
- 1-2-1: The mines are next to the two 1s, and the tile next to the 2 is safe
- 1-2-2-1: The mines are next to the two 2s, and the tiles next to the 1s are safe
- 1-1 at the end of a wall: When the first 1 can only see two hidden tiles and the second 1 sees those same two plus a third, that third tile is safe
- A 3 in a corner: A corner tile has only three neighbours, so a 3 there means all of them are mines
Near the end
- Count what is left: When a few tiles remain, the mine counter can decide what the numbers alone cannot. If two mines are left and only two hidden tiles can hold mines, both are mines and the rest are safe
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Minesweeper and how this version works.
What do the numbers mean in Minesweeper?
Each number is how many mines are hidden in the eight tiles around it, counting diagonals. A tile with no number has no mines around it.
Do I ever have to guess?
No. Before you play, every board is solved by a program that only uses what the numbers prove, and boards that would need a guess are thrown out. Many other versions can leave you with a 50/50 guess.
Where should I make my first dig?
Anywhere. Mines are placed after your first dig and never on or next to that tile, so it always opens an area. No starting spot is safer than another.
How do I flag mines on a phone?
Hold a tile until the ring fills to plant a flag, and hold it again to remove it. If you prefer, set the switch under the board to Flag, so a tap flags and a hold digs.
Can I undo a mistake?
Yes. If you dig a mine, you can undo that dig and keep playing. A board cleared after an undo does not count toward your best time.
Where did Minesweeper come from?
Games like it appeared on home computers in the early 1980s. Minesweeper became famous when Microsoft included it with Windows 3.1 in 1992.
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