How to play
Minesweeper
A little certainty.
One square at a time.
A number. A few hidden squares. Let what you know show you where to go.
A and B are still covered. Where can we be certain?
Eight places. One mine.
This is a small corner of an authored 9 × 9 position. The center 1 counts mines in all eight touching squares. Diagonals count too.
Six of those neighbors are already open and safe. Only A and B are still covered. This 1 says exactly one of them holds a mine.
Does B count as a neighbor of the center 1?
Choose an answer to check your reason.
Read the answer
Yes. B touches the center square at a corner. Numbers count all eight neighboring positions: sides and diagonals.
Yes. B touches the center square at a corner. Numbers count all eight neighboring positions: sides and diagonals.
An empty open square means zero neighboring mines. It opens nearby space automatically.
Possible is not certain.
Consider the center 1 on its own. A mine could be at A. Or it could be at B. Both possibilities fit this one number.
Watch the hollow marker compare those positions. It is a candidate preview, not a mine moving under the board.
A is possible. B is possible. Neither is proved.
From the center 1 alone, where is the mine proved?
Choose an answer to check your reason.
Read the answer
Neither yet. One mine at A or one at B would fit this 1. We need another fact before calling either square certain.
Neither yet. One mine at A or one at B would fit this 1. We need another fact before calling either square certain.
The other numbers stay in place. Next, we will use one of them.
Let the next number help.
Now look at the 1 just to the left. Five squares touch it here at the edge. Four are open. Only A is covered.
It needs one mine, and has exactly one place left for it. A must be a mine. B does not touch this left 1.
Five touching positions. Four open and safe. Only A is covered.
If a number still needs two mines and has exactly two possible squares left, both must be mines.
Remember the reason.
Now put a flag at A to remember the mine we proved. The two 1s and their neighborhoods have not changed.
Flags are your notes. You can place a wrong one, and a flag never makes another square safe by itself.
Why can we trust the mine at A?
Choose an answer to check your reason.
Read the answer
The left 1 proves A. The flag only records that reasoning. In play, a flag can be wrong; check the numbers before trusting your note.
The left 1 proves A. The flag only records that reasoning. In play, a flag can be wrong; check the numbers before trusting your note.
You win by opening every safe square. You do not have to flag every mine.
One accounted for. None left.
Return to the center 1. A already supplies its one mine. There cannot be another at B: that would make two.
So B is safe. Open it and read the new number underneath. In this game you open each square yourself; clicking an open number does not open its neighbors.
A supplies the one mine. B is proved safe, still covered.
This uses a known mine, not just an unchecked flag.
A little certainty goes a long way.
The same corner belongs to this whole 9 × 9 field. We proved one mine and opened one safe square. The rest is still a game to play.
Keep counting what is known and what is left. Some randomly generated boards need a guess. When several layouts still fit all the information, a guess is a risk, not a proof.
The ordinary game does not promise that every board can be solved by deduction.
Try a fresh fieldA fresh field.
Your next move.
A different 9 × 9 Beginner board, with 10 mines. The first opening is supplied. Can you open all 71 safe squares?
This authored board has a route without guessing. Look for a number with just enough covered neighbors left.
Practice stays in this page while it is open. Ordinary games and saves stay separate.
52 of 71 safe squares open9 × 9 · 10 mines
Reveal a square you can prove safe, or use Flag to note a proved mine.
Why these mines are known
Replace your moves with the original opening? You can undo the reset.
Keep the reason with the move.
Count only the mines you can prove. An unchecked flag is still just a note.
If the mines still needed equal the covered possibilities, they are all mines. If no mines are left to account for, the other neighbors are safe.
Practice controls
Choose Reveal to open squares. Choose Flag to place or remove a note. You can also right-click to flag.
Keyboard: Tab to the board. Arrows move. Enter or Space uses the chosen action. F toggles a flag. Tab leaves the board.
Opening a mine ends the attempt. Here, Undo lets you recover. Explain a move uses revealed numbers, then waits for Apply. Both are practice extras; the ordinary game has neither.
Take a little
certainty with you.
Count the neighbors. Check your notes. Open what the numbers prove safe, and recognize when they leave a choice.
Play Minesweeper Return to your fieldA fresh random board. Free to play. No account needed.
The quick rules.
- Open every safe square to win. Open a mine and the game ends.
- A number counts mines in the eight touching squares, including diagonals. At an edge, only in-bounds neighbors count.
- Flags are optional notes. Turn Flag on to mark or unmark a covered square, then off to reveal. Right-click or F also toggles a flag. Remove a flag before opening its square.
- Your first opening and its neighbors are safe. Empty squares automatically open connected empty space and its numbered edge.
- Use arrows on the board and Enter or Space to act. Clicking a revealed number does nothing; open safe neighbors individually.
Our pocket-sized field.
| Mode | Mines | Safe squares |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 10 | 71 |
| Intermediate | 15 | 66 |
| Expert | 20 | 61 |
Will every board have a logical next move?
No. The ordinary game generates random boards, without a guarantee that deduction can finish them. Compare all the information before calling a square safe. A guess can lose.
What happens to my progress?
Ordinary Minesweeper does not save when you leave or reload. New game keeps the selected mode. Switching modes or starting again asks before replacing an unfinished board, including a board with only flags. This guide’s practice also starts fresh on reload.
What happens when I hit a mine?
The ordinary game shows all mines and marks incorrect flags. The board stops accepting moves. Choose New game to try again. Practice alone offers Undo to revisit your decision.