How to play Free Cell
The goal
Bring all 52 cards home to the four foundations, one per suit, building each from ace to king.
The rules
- All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns: four of seven cards and four of six.
- Build the columns down in alternating colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7. Any card can go into an empty column.
- The four free cells at the top left each hold one card of any kind, as a parking spot.
- The four foundations at the top right each take one suit, starting with its ace.
- You move one card at a time, but an ordered run (alternating colors, going down) can move together when there is room to shuffle it through. The limit is (empty free cells + 1) × 2 for each empty column, halved when the run moves into an empty column itself. With two free cells and one empty column, that is six cards.
- A card on a foundation can come back down onto a column if you need it.
- If no move is left, the deal can’t go on. Undo a few moves, or restart it.
Every deal is checked before you see it, so every deal can be won.
Making moves
Tap a card to pick it up, along with any cards on top of it. The places it can go are outlined; tap one to move it there. Tap the card you are holding a second time, or double-click it, to send it to its best spot: a foundation, then a column it builds on, then an empty column, then a free cell. Dragging works too.
Cards that no other card could ever need go home by themselves after each move. You can turn that, the second tap, and the timer off in Settings. With automatic moves off, Finish appears once every column is in order and sends the rest home. A card dropped on any foundation goes to its own suit’s pile.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Move between piles and up and down a run |
| Enter or Space | Pick up, then place; press twice to send it |
| H | Show a hint |
| U or Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Escape | Put the card back down |
The daily deal
Everyone gets the same deal each day, starting at your local midnight. Choose Today’s deal from New deal. Wins on daily deals build your daily streak, and you can share your time and moves without spoiling the deal.
Statistics
A deal counts as played on its first move. Starting a new deal before finishing one counts it as abandoned and ends your win streak; restarting the same deal does not. Your best time, fewest moves, and longest streak are kept as records.
Tips
- Free the aces and twos first; they are the keys to everything else.
- Treat free cells as precious. Every full cell halves how far you can move a run.
- An empty column is worth more than a free cell: it doubles your run moves.
- Look a few moves ahead before parking a card. Hints are free, and so is undo.
Questions
Is every deal really winnable? Yes. Each deal is solved by the game before it is dealt, and replaced if no win is found.
What does the deal number do? It names a deal. Enter it in New deal to play the same cards again, or share a win and the link opens that deal.
Does the timer keep running if I step away? No. Menus, dialogs, and switching tabs pause it. It does keep running through undo and restart. Restarting a deal you have already won starts a fresh attempt with a fresh clock.
Do I need an account? No. Your game saves on this device automatically. An optional account adds cloud saves across devices.
