How to Play Minesweeper
Minesweeper challenges you to reveal all cells on a grid that do not contain mines. The board starts completely hidden. Your job is to deduce which cells are safe using number clues.
- 1. Click (or tap in Reveal Mode) any cell to reveal it. Your first click is always safe.
- 2. Numbers show how many mines are in the 8 adjacent cells.
- 3. Right-click (or switch to Flag Mode) to place a flag on a suspected mine cell.
- 4. Clicking a blank cell (zero adjacent mines) automatically reveals surrounding safe cells.
- 5. Win by revealing every non-mine cell. Lose if you click a mine.
Understanding the Numbers
1 adjacent mine
2 adjacent mines
3 adjacent mines
4 adjacent mines
Higher numbers (5–8) are increasingly rare but follow the same pattern. Each number tells you exactly how many mines are touching that cell.
Strategies
Use the 1-2-1 Pattern
When you see 1-2-1 in a row along an edge, the mines are always on the two outer cells. You can safely click the center neighbors.
Chord Clicking
Once you've flagged all mines around a number, click the number again (chord) to instantly reveal all remaining hidden neighbors.
Corner Openings
Starting clicks from corners or edges tends to open up larger blank areas, giving you more information to work with.
Count Constraints
If a cell shows '3' and only 3 hidden cells remain around it, they must ALL be mines. Flag them immediately.
History of Minesweeper
Minesweeper originated from mainframe games of the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous version was included with Microsoft Windows starting with Windows 3.1 in 1990, making it one of the best-known computer games ever created.
The game was designed by Curt Johnson and Robert Donner, who adapted an earlier program called "Mined-Out" (1983). It was bundled with Windows primarily to help users practice mouse skills. The world record for the Expert level (30×16, 99 mines) stands at under 33 seconds.
FAQ
Is the first click always safe?
Yes! Mines are placed after your first click, guaranteeing it will always open a blank area.
How do I flag on mobile?
Switch to Flag Mode using the button above the board, then tap any hidden cell to place or remove a flag.
What is chord clicking?
If you've flagged the right number of mines around a revealed number, clicking that number again will automatically reveal all unflagged neighbors.
Are best times saved?
Yes, your best completion time for each difficulty is saved in your browser's local storage.
Can the game be unsolvable?
Occasionally a random mine layout may require guessing. This is a known limitation of standard Minesweeper generation without constraint solving.