Clues hidden under the squares
The board hides mines you cannot see, and a single tap tests a square. A safe square reveals a number, and that number is a promise: it counts exactly how many mines touch that square, diagonals included. A blank square has no mines around it at all, so the game opens up the whole empty region for you at once. Those numbers are the entire puzzle, and reading them together tells you which neighbors are safe and which are deadly. Tap a mine, though, and the game is over.
How to flag mines
When you are sure a square hides a mine, mark it with a flag so you do not tap it by accident. Press the mode button to switch to Flag mode, tap the squares you want to flag, then switch back to Dig mode to keep clearing. On a computer you can also right click a square to flag it.
Turning the numbers into certainties
Minesweeper rewards logic over luck almost all of the time. Start with the small numbers, because a 1 that touches only one unopened square has just told you exactly where its mine is, so flag it. The reverse holds too: once every mine around a number is flagged, whatever squares remain beside it must be safe to open. When that happens, tap the number itself and the game opens all those safe neighbors at once, a shortcut called chording that speeds up the easy stretches. Chaining those two deductions across the board clears most games without a single guess. For a full walk through of the patterns that do this, see our guide on how to play Minesweeper.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Minesweeper?
Tap a square to clear it. A number shows how many mines touch that square. Use the numbers as clues to work out where the hidden mines are, and clear every safe square to win. Use Flag mode to mark squares you think are mines.
How do I flag a mine?
Switch to Flag mode and tap a square to place a flag on it, then switch back to Dig mode to keep clearing. On a computer you can also right click a square to flag it.
Is the first tap safe?
Yes. Your first tap is always safe and opens up an area, so you never lose on the very first move.
Is there a faster way to clear around a number?
Yes, it is called chording. Once you have flagged as many mines around a number as the number itself, tap that number and the game opens all its remaining neighbors in one move. It is the quickest way through the easy parts of a board, but only chord when you are sure the flags are right, because a wrong flag will open a mine.