Minesweeper rules
The goal
Uncover every safe square on the grid without digging up a mine. Use logic and the numbers you uncover to work out where the mines are hidden, and flag them as you find them.
Board sizes
| Level | Board | Mines |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 9×9 | 10 |
| Intermediate | 16×16 | 40 |
| Expert | 30×16 | 99 |
On this site
Your first dig is always safe and never next to a mine, so it always opens up a patch of the board. On a narrow screen, Expert turns upright (16 wide and 30 tall) so the squares stay big enough to tap.
How to play
Digging squares
Click or tap a covered square to dig it. If it holds a mine, the game ends at once. If it is safe, it shows either a number or nothing:
- Blank square
- No mines in any of the eight squares around it. Its neighbors open up automatically.
- Number (1 to 8)
- How many of the eight surrounding squares hold a mine.
Flagging mines
Mark a square you know holds a mine with a flag. A flagged square can’t be dug by accident, and doing the same again removes the flag. Flags help you keep track of confirmed mines and see the safe areas.
Clearing around a number
Once a number has all its mines flagged, click or tap it to dig every other square around it in one go. This is called chording. If one of those flags is wrong, you dig a mine and the game is over.
Controls on this site
- Dig
- Click or tap a square. The first one is always safe.
- Flag
- Right-click, long-press on a touch screen, or switch the Dig/Flag toggle to Flag and tap.
- Clear around
- Tap a number once all its mines are flagged.
- Keyboard
- Arrow keys move, Enter digs, F places or removes a flag.
Winning and losing
You win when every square without a mine is uncovered. You lose if you dig a square that holds a mine. The clock starts with your first dig. When you win, every mine is flagged for you and your time is shown; the best time for each board size is kept on this device. When you lose, the hidden mines are shown and any wrong flags are crossed out.
Tips for beginners
- Work from corners and edges
- Squares there have fewer neighbors, so their numbers are easier to read.
- Look for patterns
- 1-2-1 and other patterns reveal where mines are.
- Use flags wisely
- Mark confirmed mines to avoid mistakes.
- Count carefully
- One miscount can end the game.
Common patterns
Learning to recognize these patterns along a line of covered squares will speed up your game a lot:
- 1-1: a 1 against the edge of the board touches only two covered squares, and the 1 next to it touches those two plus a third. The mine is one of the shared two, so the third square is safe. Which of the two holds the mine needs more information.
- 1-2-1: the mines are next to the two 1s, and the square next to the 2 is safe.
- 1-2-2-1: the two squares next to the 2s are mines, and the squares next to the 1s are safe.
The Minesweeper strategy guide draws each pattern out and covers corners, probability and when to guess.
Ready to play?
Three board sizes, and the first dig is always safe.