How to Play FreeCell

FreeCell is a Solitaire game where all 52 cards are dealt face up. There is no hidden information, so every game is a planning puzzle. You win by moving all cards to four foundation piles, Ace up to King, one pile per suit. Play FreeCell here.

Layout

• Eight tableau columns: the first four hold seven cards each and the last four hold six.
• Four free cells: each can park a single card for as long as you like.
• Four foundations: built by suit from Ace to King.

Rules

1. Build on the tableau downward in alternating colours, as in Klondike.
2. Any card can go into an empty column.
3. Only the bottom card of a column, or a card in a free cell, can be moved.
4. You can move a sequence of cards, but it is done by temporarily using free cells and empty columns, so the number of cards you can move at once is limited.

How many cards can you move at once?

The limit is (free cells + 1) × 2^{empty columns}, counting empty columns other than the one you are moving to. With four empty free cells and no empty column you can move five cards. With two free cells used and one empty column, you can move (2 + 1) × 2 = 6. The game applies this rule for you, and tells you when a move is not allowed.

Strategy

• Free the Aces and 2s first. Look for the lowest cards buried under others.
• Keep free cells empty. A full set of cells leaves you no room to maneuver. Park a card only when it unlocks something.
• Create an empty column early. It doubles your move capacity and gives you somewhere to build.
• Do not bury cards of the same suit. If a 4 of clubs sits on top of the 3 of clubs, both have to move before you can progress.
• Plan several moves ahead. With no hidden cards, you can often find a solution by thinking it through before touching anything. Use Undo to test a line.

FreeCell is the most winnable Solitaire game by a wide margin: of the first 32,000 numbered deals in the classic Microsoft game, only deal 11,982 has no solution.

Last reviewed October 24, 2026.