Deal – —
FreeCell
FreeCell is a skill-based solitaire card game played with a standard 52-card deck. As all cards are visible from the start, it is more a matter of planning, sequencing and careful use of the available spaces than luck. Your goal is to get all the cards onto the four foundation piles. Each foundation must contain one suit in order from Ace to King. The main difficulty is finding the right sequence of moves, as nearly every deal of FreeCell is winnable.
Get to Know the FreeCell Table
The game board is divided into three main areas:
Tableau Columns
In the middle of the board, the tableau contains eight columns. The first four columns start with seven cards, while the last four start with six cards each. All 52 cards are dealt face up, so you can examine the entire layout before making your first move.
Free Cells
At the top of the board are four free cells. Only one card can be placed in each cell at a time. You can use these spaces to temporarily hold cards while you reorganize the tableau. However, filling too many cells reduces your ability to move longer card sequences.
Foundation Piles
The game is completed on the four foundation spaces. Each foundation is assigned to one suit and must be built upward in rank from Ace to King.
Card Moving Rules
Only the bottommost exposed card in a tableau column can be moved directly.
You may move a playable card to one of these places.
- Move it to a foundation when it is the next card needed in the same suit.
- Place it on a tableau card that is one rank higher and the opposite color.
- Put it in an empty free cell temporarily.
- Place it in an empty tableau column.
Unlike Klondike Solitaire, any card can be moved to an empty tableau column. It does not have to be a King. Cards in free cells may later be returned to the tableau or moved to a foundation whenever legal opportunities arise.
How Card Sequences Work
FreeCell is technically played by moving one card at a time. However, if you have enough free cells and empty columns, the game may allow you to move an ordered sequence together. A valid sequence must descend in rank and alternate between red and black cards.
Sequence Moving Formula
How many cards you can move depends on your open spaces. The general formula is:
Available free cells plus one multiplied by two for each empty tableau column.
For instance:
- Four empty free cells and no empty columns allow a sequence of up to five cards.
- Two empty free cells and one empty column allow a sequence of up to six cards.
- No empty cells and no empty columns limit you to moving one card.
If you move a sequence to an empty column, that column cannot also support the move, so the allowed sequence may be smaller.
Finish the Deal
You win FreeCell when all 52 cards have been moved to the foundations and each suit is arranged from Ace to King. Most deals can be solved with the right strategy. If a position seems blocked, changing the order of earlier moves can often create a new solution.
Controls and Useful Features
Cards can be moved by dragging them with a mouse or finger. Double clicking or double tapping a card may move it automatically to an appropriate foundation or available space.
Depending on the version, the game may also include:
- New Deal
- Undo and Redo
- Hint
- Auto Complete
- Unlimited Undo
- Seed numbers for replaying the same deal
These tools help you test different solutions and make it easier to learn from difficult layouts.
FreeCell Strategy for More Wins
Study the Full Board First
Take a moment to inspect the tableau before moving anything, as there are no hidden cards. Find the Aces and low cards. Check for short columns and look for sequences that can be rearranged. Consider several moves ahead rather than playing the first legal move.
Keep Free Cells Open
Free cells are useful for temporary storage, but they are most valuable when they remain empty. Do not place a card in a free cell unless you know how to move it out again. A card trapped in a free cell can limit your flexibility for the rest of the game. Low cards are usually safer temporary choices because they may soon move to the foundations.
Play Aces and Twos First
The foundations cannot begin to grow until the Aces are available. Look for columns that block Aces, Twos and other useful low cards. Moves that expose important cards are generally better than moves that only create neat looking stacks.
Create an Empty Tableau Column
An empty column is one of the most valuable resources in FreeCell. It can hold one card or a complete valid sequence. It also increases the number of cards you can move at once. Choose a shorter column and work toward clearing it. Once the space is open, use it carefully. Do not fill it with a card that provides no further benefit.
Avoid Building Too Deeply
Long sequences can be useful, but they can also bury important cards underneath them. Be careful when placing many cards beneath a King. If you have no free cells and no empty columns, moving a large stack later may become difficult.
Build Foundations Slowly and Evenly
It is usually safe to send Aces and Twos to the foundations, but higher cards may still be useful in the tableau. Build the four suits at a similar pace. Moving one foundation too far ahead may remove cards needed to create alternating color sequences.
Keep More Than One Option
When several legal moves are available, choose the one that leaves the board more flexible. The best FreeCell move is often not the one that clears the most cards immediately. A strong move opens free cells, creates useful columns and prepares several possible follow-up moves.
Play FreeCell and Test Your Planning Skills
FreeCell combines familiar solitaire rules with puzzle solving and forward planning. Since every card is visible, each deal gives you a fair opportunity to study the board, experiment with strategies and improve through practice.
Begin a new game of FreeCell, keep your open spaces available and see whether you can move every suit from Ace to King.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all FreeCell games winnable?
Almost all of them. More than 99.99% of random FreeCell deals can be solved with correct play, which is one of the reasons the game is so popular. If a deal feels stuck, the answer is nearly always a different order of moves, so use Undo and try another approach.
How many cards does FreeCell use?
FreeCell uses one standard deck of 52 cards. All of them are dealt face up at the start into eight columns: four columns of 7 cards and four columns of 6 cards.
What are the free cells for?
The four free cells are temporary storage spaces. Each one can hold a single card of any rank or suit, and you can move that card back into play whenever a legal spot opens up. They give you room to dig out buried cards.
Why can I only move a few cards at once?
The number of cards you can move as a group depends on your empty free cells and empty columns. The formula is free cells plus one, doubled for each empty column. If your cells are full and no column is empty, you can only move one card at a time.
Can I put any card in an empty column?
Yes. In FreeCell, an empty tableau column can accept any card, not just a King. Placing a King or the start of a long run there is usually the strongest choice.
Is this game free to play?
Yes, FreeCell on this site is completely free. There is nothing to download and no account is needed. Just open the page and start playing.
Can I play FreeCell on my phone?
Yes. The game works in the browser on phones and tablets as well as on desktop computers. On a touch screen you can drag cards with your finger or double-tap a card to move it automatically.
What is a seed?
A seed is the number that identifies a particular shuffle of the cards. Every deal on this site has its own seed, so you can replay the exact same deal later and try to solve it with a better plan.