FreeCell — Free to Play

How to play FreeCell

1. All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns. Your goal is to move every card to the four foundations, built up by suit from Ace to King.
2. Drag a card or tap it. A tap sends the card to a foundation if it fits, otherwise onto a matching column, an empty column, or a free cell.
3. Build columns down in alternating colors (black 9 on red 10). The four free cells in the top-left each hold one card.
4. Move a whole ordered run at once when you have enough free cells and empty columns — the toolbar shows how many cards you can move right now.
5. Cards that can no longer be useful on the table go to the foundations automatically. Press Auto-finish once the columns are all in order.

Rules

• Standard 52-card deck dealt into eight columns: four of seven cards and four of six.
• Any card or valid run may go into an empty column.
• Run size is limited to (free cells + 1) × 2 for every empty column (one fewer empty column counts when moving into one).
• Unlimited Undo. Safe cards auto-play to the foundations.

Can every game be won?

Almost. FreeCell is nearly all skill: the vast majority of random deals can be solved with careful play, and only a tiny fraction are impossible. Nothing is wagered — it's a pure puzzle.

Strategy tips

• Free the Aces and Twos early — look for them buried in the columns before your first move.
• Keep free cells empty for as long as you can; every filled cell halves how many cards you can move together.
• An empty column is worth more than a free cell. Try to clear a short column early.
• Plan a few moves ahead and use Undo to back out of dead ends.