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How to Play FreeCell Solitaire

FreeCell is played with a full 52-card deck dealt face up into eight tableau columns — four columns of seven cards and four of six. Four free cells sit to one side as single-card holding spots, and four foundations build up by suit. Because the entire deck is visible from the deal, FreeCell is a game of complete information: with careful planning nearly every position can be solved. This page explains the layout, the all-important supermove rule and how to think several moves ahead.

Step by step

  1. Read the whole board. Every card is face up. Before touching anything, spot where the Aces are buried and plan how to dig them out.
  2. Use free cells as scratch space. Drag a blocking card into an empty free cell to get it out of the way. Each cell holds exactly one card, so spend them carefully.
  3. Move ordered runs together. A descending alternating-colour run moves as a group. How many cards you can shift equals (free cells + 1) doubled for each empty column.
  4. Build the foundations home. Send cards up by suit from Ace to King. Double-click to auto-send, and clear all 52 to win.

Strategy

Free the Aces and Twos early, but don’t clog your free cells doing it — an empty free cell and an empty column are your most valuable resources because they multiply how many cards you can move at once. Plan several moves ahead before you commit; because everything is visible, you can often see the whole solution if you look. Build long ordered runs in the tableau rather than parking cards in cells, and keep at least one column heading toward empty so you have somewhere to relocate a buried King.

Frequently asked questions

How is the FreeCell board laid out?
All 52 cards are dealt face up: the first four columns get seven cards each and the last four get six, for eight columns total. Above them are four empty free cells (single-card storage) and four empty foundations (built up by suit from Ace).
What is the supermove rule exactly?
Strictly you may only move one card at a time, but the interface lets you move a valid run in one action if you have enough space to do it one card at a time behind the scenes. The maximum is (free cells + 1) multiplied by 2 to the power of the number of empty columns. Moving onto an empty column uses one of those columns, so it counts for less.
How do you win FreeCell?
Move all 52 cards to the foundations, each built up in suit from Ace to King. Because the deal is fully visible, a lost game usually means a missed line rather than an impossible deal.
Which FreeCell deals are unsolvable?
Among the 32,000 classic numbered deals only #11982 is provably unsolvable, and a handful of others in extended numbering. In practice essentially every deal you meet can be won, which is why we also offer a solver-verified winnable mode.
Is FreeCell harder than Klondike?
It is harder to play well but far more often winnable. Klondike hides cards and adds luck; FreeCell shows everything and rewards planning, so a strong player wins the large majority of FreeCell deals.

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