How to Play Minesweeper

The Goal

The board hides a fixed number of mines. Your job is to open every safe square without clicking a single mine. You never have to guess your way through the whole game — every open square gives you information you can reason from.

What the Numbers Mean

Each number tells you how many of its eight surrounding squares contain a mine. A blue 1 means exactly one neighbor is a mine; a red 3 means three of its neighbors are mines. Empty squares have no adjacent mines at all, and clicking one automatically clears the whole open area around it — that satisfying cascade is the heart of the game.

Controls

On a computer

Action	Control	What it does
Reveal	Left click	Opens a covered square. If it is a mine, the game ends.
Flag	Right click	Marks a square you believe hides a mine. Right-click again to remove the flag.
Chord	Double-click (or middle-click) a number	If the number of flags around it matches the number, all remaining neighbors open at once.
New game	Click the smiley face	Resets the board instantly.
Auto-flag	Checkbox next to the difficulty	Automatically flags mines proven by simple deduction. Games played with it are marked as assisted on the leaderboard.
Upload scores & Settings	Checkbox and gear button	Decide whether finished games are reported to the leaderboard, and set your nickname.

On a phone or tablet

• Tap to reveal a square.
• Long-press (about half a second) to place or remove a flag.
• Large boards scroll smoothly — on Expert, swipe sideways to reach the far columns.

Your First Game, Step by Step

1. Start on Beginner (9×9, 10 mines). Click anywhere — the first click is always safe.
2. Clear the opening. Empty squares cascade automatically and hand you a set of numbers.
3. Find a guaranteed mine. If a 1 touches exactly one covered square, that square must be a mine. Right-click to flag it.
4. Open guaranteed safe squares. If a number's flags already account for its value, every other neighbor is safe — click them, or chord.
5. Repeat. Every flag narrows down the next clue. Work outward from solved areas.
6. Win condition: all non-mine squares are open. You do not need to flag every mine — flags are a tool, not a requirement.

Chording, Explained

Chording is the single biggest speed skill in Minesweeper. If a revealed number is already satisfied — say a 2 with two flags touching it — then every other neighbor is guaranteed safe. Double-click that number and all of them open at once. Used well, it clears whole regions in a fraction of the clicks.

Three Mistakes Almost Every Beginner Makes

• Flagging everything. Flags are for marking proven mines, not guesses. Over-flagging hides information and slows you down.
• Playing only the edges of solved areas. Numbers in the middle of open regions are usually the easiest to resolve — read them first.
• Giving up after one wrong click. Even strong players occasionally face a genuine 50/50. Losses are data; play another board.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the first click always safe?

Yes. On Web Minesweeper the mines are placed after your first click, and the clicked square plus all of its neighbors are kept mine-free, so every game opens with a guaranteed safe start.

Do I have to flag every mine to win?

No. You win the moment every safe square is revealed. Flags simply help you track where the mines are.

How do I flag on an iPhone or Android phone?

Press and hold a square for about half a second. A short vibration confirms the flag. Long-press again to remove it.

Is Minesweeper a luck-based game?

Mostly no. Well over 95% of moves in a typical game are deducible. Only rare board states force a coin flip, and strong players minimize how often they reach one. See our strategy guide for the patterns that remove the guessing.

What do the three counters mean?

The left counter shows mines remaining (total mines minus flags placed), the smiley starts a new game, and the right counter is your elapsed time in seconds.