FreeCell Solitaire
Play FreeCell Solitaire free online, with no download. All 52 cards are face up from the start. Your goal is to move them into the four finishing piles, called foundations, with one suit in each pile from Ace to King. The four free cells give you room to move cards out of the way while you work.
Three parts of the FreeCell table
The eight columns of cards are the tableau. The first four columns start with seven cards each; the other four have six. Above them are four free cells for temporary storage and four foundations for completed suits. There is no draw pile: every card you need is already on the table.
How to play FreeCell
Click or tap a card to make an available move. To choose its destination yourself, drag the card to a legal place on the board.
Build columns down in alternating colors
Move an uncovered card onto a card that is one rank higher and the opposite color. For example, a red 6 fits on a black 7. A black 6 does not fit on a black 7. Build down through King, Queen, Jack, 10 and so on to Ace. An empty column accepts any card, not only a King.
Use a free cell to uncover a card
Each free cell holds one card. Move an uncovered card into an empty cell to reach the card beneath it. Later, move that stored card back to a suitable column or onto its foundation. Before filling a cell, look for somewhere that card can go next. Keeping a cell empty leaves you more choices.
Finish each suit from Ace to King
Start each foundation with an Ace, then add the 2, 3 and the remaining cards of that same suit up to King. For example, only the 2 of hearts can follow the Ace of hearts. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. On this site, you can move the top foundation card back to a legal column or an empty free cell if you need it again.
Moving a group of cards
You can move an ordered group of cards together when there is enough empty space to rearrange them one at a time. This is called a supermove. The group must descend by one rank and alternate colors. With two empty free cells and no empty columns, you can move up to three cards together. If a group will not move, try freeing a cell or a column first.
For example, a black 9, red 8 and black 7 can move together onto a red 10 when you have enough empty space. The game checks the limit for you.
How the group-move limit is calculated
Start with the number of empty free cells and add one. Double that number for each empty helper column. A column you are moving into does not count as a helper.
Maximum cards = (empty free cells + 1) × 2helper columns
- Four empty cells, no empty columns: up to 5 cards.
- Four empty cells and one empty helper column: up to 10 cards onto an occupied column.
- If that one empty column is the destination: up to 5 cards, because it cannot also hold cards temporarily.
FreeCell tips for your next move
You do not need to plan the whole game at once. Look for a useful card to uncover and keep enough space to reach it.
Plan before you move
Find the Aces and 2s, then look at the cards covering them. Choose a small goal, such as uncovering one Ace, and check where each blocking card will go before you start moving it.
Leave a way out of each free cell
A free cell is useful when it helps you reach another card. Before using it, look for a matching place in a column or an approaching foundation move that will empty it again.
Create an empty column
An empty column can hold a card or a movable group, so it gives you more flexibility than a single free cell. Look for a short column you can clear without filling all four cells.
Keep groups movable
Long alternating-color runs look tidy, but you still need enough empty space to move them. Before joining two groups, check whether the combined run will block a card you need underneath.
Check before sending a card up
A foundation move makes progress, but that card may still be useful in a column. For example, a black 4 can hold a red 3. Check for that use before sending the 4 to its foundation.
Look for what a move opens
A useful move may uncover a low card, empty a cell or clear a column. If a move seems to achieve little, look one step further: sometimes a temporary move makes the next one possible.
Use Hint when you want help
Hint highlights a suggested move and its destination. You decide whether to play it. Take a moment to see what the suggestion opens up; there is no need to guess or rush.
When to restart
Try Undo if your last move left you short of space. Restart deals the same cards again so you can try a different opening. Choose New game when you would rather work on a different deal.
Help while you play
- Undo
- Go back one move. Use it again to step back further.
- Hint
- See a suggested card move. It does not move the card for you.
- Restart
- Begin the same deal again, with its cards in their starting positions.
- New game
- Leave the current attempt and start a different deal.
Saving your game and choosing a deal number
Your game is saved in this browser when browser storage is available. Returning here lets you carry on. Clearing that storage or using a different browser can remove access to the saved game.
Use the deal-number control to enter a number from 1 to 1,000,000. Its copy-link button shares the starting deal. Restart keeps the same number; New game chooses another.
Watch how to play FreeCell
See how free cells, alternating colors and group moves work. The written rules and tips above explain these moves at your own pace.
Duration: 1 minute 56 seconds.
In this video
FreeCell questions
Is every FreeCell deal winnable?
No. Of the original 32,000 Microsoft FreeCell deals, 31,999 have a solution; deal 11982 is the exception. That describes the solvability of that particular set, not your chance of winning an attempt. A difficult position does not by itself mean the starting deal was impossible.
Why can I get stuck when all the cards are visible?
Seeing a card is different from being able to move it. Cards underneath others remain blocked, and full free cells leave less room to rearrange a column. Try Undo to recover some space, or use Hint to look for another move. A missing hint is not proof that a deal is unsolvable.
How is FreeCell different from classic Solitaire?
FreeCell has eight columns, four temporary free cells and no draw pile. All cards begin face up, and any card can fill an empty column. Classic Solitaire, also called Klondike, has seven columns, hidden cards and a draw pile; only a King can start an empty column. Both games build foundations from Ace to King by suit.
Why can I move some groups of cards but not others?
A group must descend by one rank at a time and alternate red and black. It must also fit within the space provided by your empty cells and spare columns. An empty column used as the destination cannot also count as temporary storage. Free up space or move a smaller group.
Can I take a card back from a foundation?
Yes, on PlaySolitaire you can move the top card of a foundation back to a legal column or an empty free cell. You can also use Undo to reverse a recent move. Other versions of FreeCell may use different rules for taking cards back.
Does Hint play the game for me?
No. Hint highlights a move for you to consider; you still move the card yourself. It uses a solution when one is available and can otherwise suggest a legal move. A suggestion is help with the current position, not a promise that every later choice will lead to a win.
When does auto-complete finish the game?
Auto-complete starts when all the remaining cards can reach their foundations without further rearranging between columns or free cells. Until then, you keep playing normally. Undo can interrupt the finishing sequence.
Can I undo more than one move?
Yes. Use Undo repeatedly to step back through the moves saved for the current game. Each undone move restores the previous cards and reduces the move count by one. Restart begins the same deal again and clears its move history.
Which keyboard shortcuts can I use?
Use U for Undo, H for Hint, R for Restart and F for focused board mode. When a card has keyboard focus, follow the board’s keyboard instructions. The buttons remain available if you prefer clicking or tapping.
Do I have to play against the clock?
No. The timer records how long you have played; it does not set a deadline for your next move. You can take time to study the columns before choosing a card.
How do FreeCell deal numbers work?
The same deal number gives you the same starting cards. PlaySolitaire supports Microsoft-numbered deals from 1 to 1,000,000. Use the deal-number control to choose one, or copy its link to share that starting layout. A deal link does not include the moves you have already made.
Try another FreeCell challenge
A deal number lets you return to the same starting cards and try a different plan. These links open another page.
