Beginner guide · Updated 22 July 2026

How to play Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a logic puzzle: uncover every safe square without opening a mine. The number on an opened square tells you how many mines touch it, including diagonally.

Read the numbers

A 1 means one neighbouring square contains a mine. A 2 means two neighbouring squares contain mines, and so on. Compare neighbouring numbers rather than treating any single number in isolation.

Use flags carefully

A flag marks a square you believe is a mine. It is a note for your reasoning, not proof. When all mines around an opened number are flagged, its other hidden neighbours are safe; when a number already has enough open safe neighbours, the remaining hidden neighbours may be mines.

Start with certainty

Look for situations where the number of hidden neighbours exactly equals the number. For example, if a 1 touches only one unopened square, that square is a mine. If a 1 already touches one flagged mine, its remaining unopened neighbours are safe.

Practise

Try the free Minesweeper game with a safe first click and selectable difficulty. For a different grid-based logic challenge, see Open Knight's Tour.