What is Minesweeper?
Minesweeper is the logic puzzle that shipped with Windows for two decades: a grid of covered squares, a fixed number of mines hidden underneath, and one job — uncover every square that is not a mine. Each square you open shows a number from 1 to 8, the count of mines touching it, and those numbers are the whole game. A square with no mines around it clears its neighbours automatically; a square with a mine under it ends the game on the spot.
This page runs a JavaScript implementation built to look and behave like the classic Windows game: grey bevelled squares, the red LED mine counter and timer, and the smiley face that winces while you click. It has the three standard fields plus a custom mode up to 99×99, question marks, chording, zoom, night mode and export/import. Nothing is installed; it runs in the page.
How to play
Press Play and the board opens on Expert — 16 rows, 30 columns, 99 mines. Click the Game link above the field for Beginner (9×9, 10 mines), Intermediate (16×16, 40 mines) or a Custom board, then press New Game. The counter on the left shows how many mines are still unflagged; the clock on the right starts on your first click and stops at 999.
- Click anywhere to open. The first click on a fresh board is always safe and never lands next to a mine, so you get an opening pocket to work from.
- Read the numbers. A 1 touching one covered square means that square is a mine — flag it.
- Once every mine around a number is flagged, chord it (middle-click, both buttons, or Space while hovering) to open the rest of its neighbours at once.
- Open every safe square to win. The face puts on sunglasses and a share box shows your time.
- Hit a mine and the face dies. F2 deals a new board; Ctrl+Z replays the same one.
Controls
As listed under the game's own Controls link. On a Mac, Cmd+Z replaces Ctrl+Z.
| Action | Mouse / keyboard | Phone / tablet |
|---|---|---|
| Reveal a square | Left-click | Tap |
| Flag a square (then ? with Marks on) | Right-click · Ctrl+click · Space while hovering | Long-press |
| Chord — open all neighbours of a number | Middle-click · left+right click · Space while hovering | Tap the number |
| New game | F2 or click the smiley face | Tap the smiley face |
| Replay the same board after a loss | Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) | — |
Game and display options
- Marks (?) — a second right-click turns a flag into a question mark; a third clears the square.
- Custom — height 1–99, width 8–99, mines from 0 up to one fewer than the number of squares (blank fills in one mine per five squares).
- Display — zoom 100%, 150% or 200%, board left or centered, and Night Mode.
- Export / Import — Export copies the whole game, timer included, to your clipboard as one line of text; Import loads it back. Exporting switches off the safe first click for that board so the layout you share is the layout your friend gets.
Tips and strategy
- Start near the middle. The safe first click always opens at least a 3×3 pocket, and the further from an edge, the more room it has to cascade.
- Learn 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1. Along a straight edge, 1-2-1 puts the mines under the two 1s; 1-2-2-1 puts them under the two 2s. Reading these on sight is where the speed comes from.
- Count what a number still needs. A 3 with one flag beside it needs two more mines among its covered neighbours. Compare it with the number next door and the overlap usually decides a square.
- Chord instead of clicking. Flag, then chord the number: several squares open with one press. A wrong flag becomes an instant loss, which trains you to flag only what you have proven.
- Save the guesses for last. Two covered squares behind a lone 1 are a coin flip. Clear everything else first — the counter may resolve it, and a 50/50 at the end costs less than one at the start.
A brief history
Mine-hunting grid games existed on mainframes and home computers in the 1970s and 1980s, but the version everyone knows was written at Microsoft by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson and released in the Windows Entertainment Pack in 1990. From Windows 3.1 in 1992 it was bundled with Windows itself, next to Solitaire, and stayed through XP, Vista and 7. Windows 8 dropped it from the default install in 2012 in favor of a store download, which is largely why browser remakes like this one exist.
About this version
This is an original JavaScript implementation, not the Microsoft program and not an emulator. The rules, the three preset boards and the mouse behavior follow the Windows classic; added on top are custom fields, question marks, three zoom levels, night mode, replaying a lost board, and import/export of a game in progress. Times live on the in-game clock only — there is no online leaderboard and no account. If you like this kind of puzzle, try 2048, Solitaire and Mahjong, or the arcade side of the network at retrogames.ee.
Frequently asked questions
Is Minesweeper free to play here?
Yes. The game runs in your browser on this page — no download, no install, no account. Press play and the board is ready; it opens on the Expert field by default.
What difficulty levels are there?
Three presets and a custom mode, under the Game link above the board. Beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines, Intermediate is 16×16 with 40 mines and Expert is 16×30 with 99 mines. Custom lets you set any height from 1 to 99, any width from 8 to 99 and any number of mines up to one less than the number of squares.
Can my first click hit a mine?
No. On a fresh board the first click is always safe: if a mine sits under the square you clicked or in any of the eight squares around it, it is quietly moved elsewhere, so you always start with an opening. The one exception is a board you have exported — after you click Export, that protection is switched off so the exported layout stays exactly as it is.
How do I flag a mine, and what is the Marks (?) option?
Right-click a covered square to plant a flag; Ctrl+click does the same on a trackpad or one-button mouse, and on a phone you long-press. Tick Marks (?) in the Game dialog and a second right-click turns the flag into a question mark for squares you are unsure about; a third click clears it.
What does clicking on a number do?
It is the chord. Middle-click a revealed number — or press the left and right buttons together, or hover it and press Space — and, if you have already flagged that many mines around it, every other neighbour is revealed at once. If a flag is in the wrong place the chord will set off a mine, so it rewards accuracy as much as speed. On a phone, just tap the number.
Can I undo after hitting a mine?
Not undo, but you can replay the same layout. When the smiley face is dead, press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac) and the exact same board comes back with the clock reset, so you can finish it with what you learned. F2 or clicking the face starts a brand-new random board instead.
How do the Import and Export options work?
Export copies the current game — board, flags, revealed squares and elapsed time — to your clipboard as a single line of text. Paste that text into the Import box on any device, press Load Game, and you carry on where you left off, or send it to a friend so you both race the same field.
Does it work on a Chromebook or at school?
Yes. It is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript over HTTPS with no plugin, no Flash and nothing to install, which is why it runs on managed Chromebooks and locked-down school laptops. On small screens you can also bump the zoom to 150% or 200% from the Display dialog.
