How to Play Minesweeper: Rules, Strategy and Tips for Clearing the Board

What the numbers mean

When you open a square, it shows how many of the eight squares around it (sideways, up, down and diagonally) hold a mine. A blank square has none around it, so the game opens all of its neighbours for you, which is how big clearings appear.

Flags and opening around a number

Right-click (or tap and hold on a phone) to put a flag on a square you know is a mine. Flags stop you from opening it by accident. Once a number has as many flags around it as it shows, tap the number to open all of its other neighbours at once. A wrong flag will make that open hit a mine, so be sure.

Board sizes

On a computer, Beginner is a 9 by 9 board with 10 mines, Intermediate is 16 by 16 with 40 mines and Expert is 18 by 18 with 65 mines. On a phone the boards are narrower and taller so every square is big enough to tap: 8 by 8 with 10 mines, 12 rows by 9 columns with 18 mines, and 14 rows by 9 columns with 26 mines. Your first open is always safe, and it always opens a clearing to start from. There is also a daily board that is the same for everyone.

Strategy

• If a number has exactly as many hidden squares around it as its value, all of them are mines.
• If a number already has all its mines flagged, every other hidden square around it is safe.
• Compare two neighbouring numbers. If one number's hidden squares are all inside another's, the difference tells you about the rest.
• Start from the edges and corners, where numbers have fewer hidden neighbours and are easier to read.
• Only guess when nothing is certain, and pick the square with the lowest chance of a mine. The hint button shows whether a certain move exists.

Frequently asked questions