How to Play Minesweeper
Understand the grid, read each number, and uncover every safe square without hitting a mine.
The goal: uncover every safe square
A Minesweeper board hides mines beneath covered squares. Reveal a square to see what is underneath. A number counts the mines touching that square in all eight directions, including diagonals. Use those clues to decide which nearby squares are safe.
A safe opening is a starting point, not a promise that every later move has a logical answer. Recheck the boundary between open and covered squares after each new area appears, and use the newest clues before moving elsewhere.
Use numbers to mark and reveal
When a clue touches as many flagged squares as its number, its other covered neighbors are safe. When the number of covered neighbors matches the clue, those neighbors are mines. Right-click to flag on desktop, or switch to Flag mode on a phone.
A flag is a visual reminder; it does not change the hidden board. When the number of flags around a clue equals its value, the other covered neighbors are safe. If you place more flags than a nearby number allows, revisit those marks.
Choose a difficulty and keep practicing
Beginner is a 9 by 9 board with 10 mines; Intermediate is 16 by 16 with 40; Expert is 30 by 16 with 99. Your first reveal is protected from mines. Clear every safe square to win, then try to improve your time.
What the first opening reveals
A zero means that none of its neighboring squares contains a mine. The game opens the connected safe area automatically, so you can begin by studying the numbers along its edge. Each of those clues still counts up to eight neighboring squares, including diagonals.
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