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Minesweeper
The classic logic puzzle, right in your browser. Clear every square without a mine, using the numbers to work out where the mines are hiding.
Click any square to begin. Your first click is always safe.
Right-click or long-press to mark a mine. Click a number with all its mines marked to open its neighbours.
Your best times
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How to use the Minesweeper
- Pick a difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate or Expert.
- Click any square to start. The first click is never a mine and usually opens a large area.
- Read the numbers: each one tells you how many mines touch that square, including diagonals.
- Mark mines with a right-click, a long-press, or by switching to 🚩 Flag mode on a touch screen.
- Speed up by clicking a number whose mines are all marked to open every other neighbour at once.
- Clear every safe square to win. Press New game or the smiley face to play again.
Minesweeper difficulty levels
| Level | Board | Mines | Mine density | Good time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 9 × 9 (81 squares) | 10 | 12.3% | under 10 s |
| Intermediate | 16 × 16 (256 squares) | 40 | 15.6% | under 60 s |
| Expert | 30 × 16 (480 squares) | 99 | 20.6% | under 3 minutes |
Mine density is simply mines ÷ squares. On Expert, 99 ÷ 480 = 0.206, so roughly one square in five hides a mine, which is why Expert needs much more careful reasoning than Beginner.
Basic patterns every player should know
Most of Minesweeper comes down to a few repeating patterns. Learn to spot them and you will rarely need to guess.
| Pattern | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Number equals hidden neighbours | If a 3 touches exactly three hidden squares, all three are mines. |
| Number already satisfied | If a 2 already has two marked mines, every other neighbour is safe: click the 2 to open them. |
| 1-1 along a wall | Two 1s side by side on an edge: the square beyond the second 1 is safe. |
| 1-2-1 | Along a straight edge, the mines are under the two 1s, and the square under the 2 is safe. |
| 1-2-2-1 | The mines are under the two 2s; the squares under the 1s are safe. |
Working out a square: a worked example
Imagine an open 1 that touches only two hidden squares, A and B, and next to it an open 2 that touches A, B and a third hidden square C. The 1 says exactly one of A and B is a mine. The 2 needs two mines among A, B and C. Since A and B can only supply one, C must be a mine. This kind of subtraction, comparing what two neighbouring numbers need, solves most situations that look like a guess at first glance.
When you really are stuck, count the remaining mines with the counter in the top-left corner. Near the end of a game, the total often decides which of two layouts is possible.
A short history
Minesweeper grew out of mainframe puzzle games of the 1960s and 70s, but the version most people know shipped with Windows 3.1 in 1992 and stayed in every Windows release until Windows 8. Its three standard boards, the smiley face and the classic number colours (blue 1, green 2, red 3) are kept here exactly, so it feels just like the original.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Minesweeper?
The board hides a number of mines. Click a square to open it. If it is a mine you lose; otherwise it shows how many of the eight surrounding squares contain mines. Use those numbers to deduce which squares are safe, mark the mines, and open every safe square to win.
Is the first click always safe?
Yes. Mines are placed only after your first click, and never on the square you clicked or any of its eight neighbours, so your first click always opens an empty area.
How do I mark a mine on a phone?
Press and hold a square for about half a second, or tap the Flag button above the board so every tap marks a square instead of opening it. Tap Sweep to switch back.
What is chording?
When a number already has that many marked mines around it, clicking the number opens all its other neighbours at once. It saves a lot of clicks, but if one of your marks is wrong you will hit a mine.
What are the board sizes and mine counts?
Beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines, Intermediate is 16×16 with 40 mines and Expert is 30×16 with 99 mines, the same as classic Windows Minesweeper.
Does Minesweeper ever require guessing?
Sometimes. Most positions can be solved with logic, but occasionally two squares are equally likely and no information can separate them. Experienced players then pick the guess that reveals the most new information.
Are my best times saved?
Yes, your fastest win for each difficulty is stored in this browser and shown under the board. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
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