Minesweeper online: free classic mine game

How to play Minesweeper

1. Click or tap a square to open it. Your first click is always safe, and it opens an area around it.
2. A number shows how many mines touch that square, including diagonals (up to 8).
3. When you know a square hides a mine, flag it: right-click, long-press, or turn on Flag mode so every tap places a flag.
4. Open every square that isn't a mine to win. Hit a mine and the game is over.

Chording: click a number that already has the right number of flags around it, and all its other neighbors open at once. It's the fastest way to clear safe squares.

The three sizes

Patterns every player should know

The 1-1 from a wall

Picture a row of unopened squares along a wall of numbers. If the first number next to the corner is a 1 and the next one is also a 1, the third unopened square along is safe. The first 1 only touches the first two squares, so its mine is there, and the second 1 shares that same mine, so it can't have another one further along.

The 1-2-1

Three numbers 1-2-1 in a row along a flat edge: the mines are under the two 1s, and the square under the 2 is safe.

The 1-2-2-1

Along a flat edge, 1-2-2-1 means the mines are under the two 2s. The squares under the 1s are safe.

Counting what's left

If a 3 already has three flags around it, every other neighbor is safe. If a 3 has exactly three unopened neighbors, they're all mines. Most of Minesweeper is just this simple counting, done over and over.

Tips

• Flag only when you're sure. A wrong flag can lead you into a mine later.
• When no move is certain, look again: most "guesses" can be solved by counting two numbers together. If you truly must guess, pick the square that would reveal the most new information.
• Play the daily board: everyone gets the same layout, so you can compare times with friends.

Learn the patterns with diagrams in our Minesweeper patterns guide.

Written and tested by the Puzzlenest editors. Updated November 1, 2026. How we make our puzzles