Minesweeper Techniques

Six techniques cover every move you can be sure of in Minesweeper. Learn them in this order: the first two are simple checks on one number at a time, the next two compare two numbers, and the last two are for the rare moments the others can’t help. Each page shows its technique on the same Expert board from the game, at the moment it’s first needed, so you can follow one game from page to page.

The Expert board every technique page follows, after the first tap. It clears by deduction alone in 215 steps, using all six techniques.

How many of the game’s Classic (random) boards need each one, out of 200 at each size:

Technique	Beginner	Intermediate	Expert
All mines found	199	194	183
All hidden are mines	199	194	190
Subsets	51	125	172
Pairs	4	18	114
Mine count	1	2	1
Every arrangement	1	3	19

“Needs” means nothing simpler would do at that point in the game, playing from a first tap in the middle. On the Expert board above, the two simple checks make 194 of the 215 moves. For all six in one place, with a Beginner board solved from start to finish, see how to solve Minesweeper.

Guides

Minesweeper: When All a Number's Mines Are FoundWhen a Minesweeper number already touches as many flags as its value, every other square around it is safe. The commonest move in the game, with a real example.
Minesweeper: When Every Hidden Square Is a MineWhen a Minesweeper number touches exactly as many hidden squares as mines it still needs, they're all mines. How to spot it, with a real example.
Minesweeper Subsets: The 1-1 PatternWhen all of one Minesweeper number's hidden squares also touch another number, compare them: the difference settles the rest. The 1-1 pattern, with a real example.
Minesweeper Pairs: The 1-2 PatternWhen two Minesweeper numbers share only some of their hidden squares, count how many mines the shared squares can hold. The 1-2 pattern, with a real example.
Minesweeper Mine Count: Using the CounterThe Minesweeper mine counter can settle the last hidden squares: if every mine is found, the rest are safe. How it works, with a real example from the end of a game.
Minesweeper: Try Every ArrangementWhen no simpler Minesweeper technique finds anything, try every way the mines could sit around a group of numbers: squares that agree in all of them are settled.