# How to play Minesweeper.

Source: https://online-minesweeper.com/how-to-play

Minesweeper is about finding what is safe. Learn to read the clues, mark the mines, and enjoy the satisfying moment when the whole board opens up.

## The aim is simple.

Uncover every square that does not contain a mine. If you reveal a mine, the round ends. You don’t need to flag all the mines to win; you only need to open all the safe squares.

## Read the numbers.

A revealed number tells you how many mines are in its neighboring squares. Count all eight possible neighbors: above, below, left, right, and the four diagonals. Squares at an edge or corner have fewer neighbors.

**A 1 means one neighboring mine.** If only one covered square touches that 1, that square must be a mine. Flag it. If a 1 already touches one correctly placed flag, its other neighbors are safe.

## Make your first move.

Pick any covered square. Your first click and its neighboring squares are always free of mines. Empty regions open automatically, giving you a set of numbered clues to work from.

## Flag, then clear.

Right-click a covered square to place or remove a flag. On a phone, hold the square or select Flag beneath the board. When a revealed number touches the right number of flags, click that number to open its other neighbors. This shortcut is called chording.

A matching flag count is not proof that the flags are correct. If you chord around an incorrectly placed flag, you can reveal a mine. Use the clues before using the shortcut.

## Choose your pace.

| Level | Board | Mines | A good fit for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Beginner | 9 × 9 | 10 | Learning the rhythm |
| Intermediate | 16 × 16 | 40 | A longer thinking break |
| Expert | 30 × 16 | 99 | Confident clue readers |
| Daily | 12 × 12 | 24 | One shared daily puzzle |

## Make a Custom game.

Choose Custom game above the board. Set 5–100 rows, 5–100 columns and your own mine count, or choose a preset from Mini to Maximum. Maximum has 100 × 100 squares, for 10,000 in total. Huge island has 60 × 60 squares and 400 mines. No-guess boards allow up to 22% mine density. Classic allows more mines while reserving a safe opening. Boards above 3,600 squares use Classic view. Save up to eight favorite setups on this device.

No flags adds a memory challenge with separate records. A board seed lets you repeat a puzzle with the same opening. Seeded, shared, imported and hand-designed games are practice. Share & save exports progress or copies a playable board link. The Board editor lets you place mines and check whether its layout can be solved using logic.

## Try no-guess mode.

No-guess is enabled by default. The generator tests the board with a logical solver before you begin. From the opening square, you can clear the board using clues and deductions. Turn it off for classic random boards, where some positions can require a guess.

## Play with a keyboard.

Tab into the game board. Arrow keys move between squares. Enter reveals a square or chords a number. F flags a square; Space flags a covered square or chords a revealed clue. You can also hover a square and press Space. Tab leaves the board. P pauses, N starts a new game outside form fields, and F2 starts a new game. Settings lets you choose single-click, double-click or middle-click chording, or disable it.

## Learn one move at a time.

If you get stuck, a hint highlights a logical move and explains why it works. Hints assume your existing flags are correct. Using a hint marks the round as assisted, so it does not set a personal best or extend a daily streak.

Try the [interactive tutorial](https://online-minesweeper.com/tutorial), then explore a few useful [Minesweeper patterns](https://online-minesweeper.com/patterns).