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Minesweeper

Reveal all safe cells without hitting a mine — classic browser Minesweeper

10
0s
Right-click a cell to place or remove a flag

How to Play

  • The setup: A grid of covered cells hiding a set number of mines. You cannot see which cells have mines.
  • Your job: Reveal every cell that does NOT contain a mine — without ever clicking on a mine.
  • Reveal a cell: Left-click it (desktop) or tap it (mobile).
  • Numbers: A revealed number shows how many mines are hiding in the 8 cells immediately surrounding it. Use these numbers to figure out where mines must be.
  • Empty cell: If a cell has zero adjacent mines, all surrounding cells open automatically — this often clears large areas.
  • Flag a mine: Right-click (desktop) or enable Flag Mode then tap (mobile) to mark a cell you believe is a mine. This prevents accidental clicks.
  • First click: Always safe — mines are placed only after your very first reveal.
  • Win: Reveal every safe cell. You do not need to flag all mines.
  • Lose: Click a mine — it explodes and all mines are revealed.

Free Classic Minesweeper Online

The timeless logic puzzle that shipped with every Windows PC for decades. Reveal every safe cell on the grid without detonating a mine. Numbers tell you exactly how many mines touch each revealed cell — use pure logic to deduce where mines hide and flag them safely.

Features

3 Difficulty Levels

Easy (9×9, 10 mines), Medium (16×16, 40 mines) and Hard (16×30, 99 mines) — classic Minesweeper configurations.

Safe First Click

Mines are placed after your first click, guaranteeing you never explode immediately. A fair start every game.

Flood Fill Reveal

Clicking a cell with zero adjacent mines automatically reveals all connected empty cells — just like the original.

Flag Mode for Mobile

Toggle flag mode to place and remove flags on touch devices — no right-click needed on smartphones.

Live Timer

Timer starts on your first click and stops when you win or lose — track your best clearing times.

Mine Counter

Live count of remaining unflagged mines — decreases as you place flags to help you stay organised.

Who Plays Minesweeper?

Logic Puzzle FansPure deductive reasoning with no luck required — every mine can be found by logic alone (mostly).
Nostalgia PlayersRelive the classic Windows game that was many people's introduction to mouse interaction in the 1990s.
SpeedrunnersTop players complete Expert in under 40 seconds — optimising click paths is a competitive sport.
Casual GamersEasy mode is perfect for a satisfying 5-minute brain workout on any device.

Common Questions

How do you play Minesweeper?
Left-click to reveal a cell. Numbers show how many mines are in the 8 adjacent cells. Right-click (or use Flag Mode on mobile) to mark a suspected mine with a flag. Reveal all non-mine cells to win.
Is the first click always safe?
Yes! Mines are generated after your first click, guaranteeing that your very first reveal is never a mine — and is always surrounded by empty cells for a good start.
What do the numbers mean?
A number shows how many of the 8 surrounding cells (including diagonals) contain a mine. A "3" means exactly 3 of the up-to-8 surrounding cells are mines. Use the numbers together to deduce safe cells.
How do I flag a mine on mobile?
Toggle the "Flag Mode" checkbox at the top of the game. When enabled, tapping a cell places or removes a flag instead of revealing it. Toggle it back to reveal mode to uncover safe cells.

Pro Tip

When you find a "1" touching only one unrevealed cell, that cell is definitely a mine — flag it immediately. Conversely, when a "1" already has one flagged neighbour, all other unrevealed neighbours are definitely safe. These two simple rules solve the majority of the board without any guessing.

Did You Know?

1989
First Version Created
Minesweeper was originally created by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson at Microsoft in 1989. It was included with Windows 3.1 in 1992 — initially to teach users mouse control skills, specifically left and right-clicking.
31.133s
Expert World Record
The world record for completing Expert (30×16, 99 mines) is 31.133 seconds set by Kamil Murański in 2010. That's roughly 3 clicks per second with perfect logical deduction and near-zero hesitation.
NP-Complete
Mathematical Complexity
In 2000, mathematician Richard Kaye proved that determining whether a Minesweeper configuration is solvable without guessing is NP-complete — in the same complexity class as some of the hardest problems in computer science.

Difficulty Comparison

DifficultyGridMinesMine DensityAvg. Completion Time
Easy9×91012.3%~30–60 seconds
Medium16×164015.6%~2–5 minutes
Hard16×309920.6%~5–15 minutes

You May Also Ask

Is Minesweeper always solvable without guessing?
No — some Minesweeper boards require guessing. When two possible mine configurations fit all the number clues equally, you must guess. This is unavoidable in all implementations, including the original Windows version. The frequency of forced guesses depends on grid size and mine density.
What is "chording" in Minesweeper?
Chording means clicking a revealed numbered cell when its adjacent flag count matches its number — automatically revealing all remaining adjacent unrevealed cells. It's the key technique speed-runners use to clear large sections of the board in a single click.
What is the best opening strategy?
Click near the centre of the board first — this maximises the chance of opening up a large empty area (since central cells have 8 neighbours, giving the most information). Edge and corner cells have fewer neighbours and often result in smaller openings.

Common Mistakes

Randomly clicking when confused
When the board looks complicated, clicking randomly is almost always fatal. There is usually at least one safe cell that pure logic can identify if you look carefully at all number constraints together.
Scan all edge numbers carefully — a 1 touching only one unrevealed cell is always a guaranteed mine.
Forgetting to use flagged mines as solved constraints
Many players flag a mine and then ignore the cells around it. A flagged mine completely "satisfies" adjacent numbers — any remaining unrevealed neighbours of a satisfied number are definitely safe.
After flagging, re-scan all neighbouring numbers — they may now have all mines accounted for.
Not using the subtraction technique
When two adjacent numbers share unrevealed cells, subtracting their values and remaining unknowns can reveal guaranteed mines or safe cells — even when neither number alone is sufficient.
Learn the 1-2 pattern: a "1" next to a "2" where the 1 only sees two cells that the 2 also sees means the outside cell of the 2 is always a mine.