Q&A for How to Play Minesweeper

In most mobile games, press and hold a square to flag it. Flags are only to show where you think a mine is.

It is the reset button for when you lose. After you lose from a mine, click on the smiley face to clear the game and restart.

You cannot do this with traditional Minesweeper. However, the Windows 10 Store edition has a "Play Same Board" option which will let you do just that.

It means that you can 'flag' a particular box if you think it may contain a mine. It is only for your utility, so you know not to click on that box.

On some interfaces, pressing a number can open up the remaining cells surrounding the number. This only works when enough cells surrounding the number have been flagged though.

Generally, you win by opening up all the non-mine squares/cells (i.e. all the cells that are blank or contain a number).

If you are on a laptop, you can use the trackpad. If your device has a touchscreen, then simply touching the screen will let you play without a mouse.

The first click will never have a mine. You can't guarantee for others but the squares around are hints. Look at steps 3 and 4 to know more.

If that's what is really happening, then you would need to file a bug report. Most likely, though, you've simply forgotten that mines that are diagonal are also touching.

It means the area where you placed the flag did not contain a mine. Make sure you are certain there is a mine in the area you are flagging.

It's the same, except you can't put question marks. Try starting with Easy mode first.

To start it, click the face. To finish it, make sure the board is fully covered.

Yes, you can download it to your phone or tablet using the appropriate app store. If you're on PC or Mac, you can find several places to download it for free online; just be sure to do so from a safe site.

Search for "minesweeper online". You'll find several browser-capable versions.

Code Bullet on YouTube did it; he created a AI capable of solving it really fast. It's actually the best player you can imagine.

First, check the numbers with the exact same amount of "Blue Squares" (Squares that are not clicked nor explored) that are around it as the number, this can mean all of the unexplored squares around it has a mine; Second, numbers that are already has the number that is shown by the number of known mines around it can mean all of the other squares around it are clear; If you cannot follow these rules, this can be a environment that you must guess where the mine is, but you will have to keep thinking, because you have clues like the numbers and known mines in the earlier games.

Yes. Any square with a number can have mines touching it. The number indicates how many mines are touching directly in all directions: diagonally, vertically, and horizontally.

This can happen, but rarely. It's more likely that you can deduce where mines and empty fields are, but not see them. Try clearing or marking all fields where you know for sure whether there is a mine. This may give you the necessary clues.

You need to install a Minesweeper app. There are many of them, and they usually have the word Minesweeper in the name. Search the Android or iOS app store. Once installed, play like you would on a computer, as explained in Part 1 and Part 3. The only difference is that you can't right-click on a mobile device to place a flag. Instead, you usually have to touch the field for a longer time and then let go. Also, mobile Minesweeper apps sometimes allow you to zoom in and out. Do this by placing two fingers on the screen and dragging them towards or away from each other.