How to Play FreeCell
Last reviewed on 2026-10-03
FreeCell uses one 52-card deck dealt face up into eight columns: the first four columns get seven cards and the last four get six. Above them are four free cells (top left) and four foundations (top right). Your goal is to move every card to the foundations, building each suit up from Ace to King.
Rules and legal moves
- Tableau: build down in alternating colours, for example a red 9 on a black 10.
- Free cells: each free cell holds exactly one card of any kind. Use them as temporary parking spaces.
- Empty columns can take any card or movable run.
- Foundations are built up by suit from Ace to King.
- Moving runs: the rules move one card at a time, but you can move a run as a unit if there is enough free space to do it card by card: (empty free cells + 1) × 2empty columns.
- Win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
Controls on this site
- Drag a card or run to its destination, or tap a card to auto-move it (foundation first, then a column, then a free cell).
- Cards that are no longer needed in the tableau move to the foundations automatically.
- Unlimited Undo, Hint, Restart Deal and a Deal # box for any deal from 1 to 1,000,000.
FreeCell Strategy
- Plan before you move. With every card visible, you can usually see several moves ahead. Look for where the Aces and Twos are buried and plan how to dig them out.
- Keep free cells open. Every card parked in a free cell reduces the size of runs you can move. Fill them only for a purpose and empty them quickly.
- Empty columns are worth more than free cells. An empty column doubles your run-moving capacity; aim to clear a short column early.
- Build long, orderly runs. Alternating-colour runs can be moved around in big blocks once you have space, which unlocks the rest of the board.
- Don’t rush cards into empty columns. Putting a single low card into an empty column usually wastes it. A King-led run is a much better tenant.
- Watch the foundations evenly. Building one suit very high can leave you without places to put cards of the opposite colour.
History of FreeCell
FreeCell was created by Paul Alfille, who programmed it in 1978 for the PLATO educational computer system, adapting the older Baker’s Game by switching to alternating-colour building. Jim Horne later wrote the Microsoft version with 32,000 numbered deals, which shipped with Windows from the mid-1990s. In the 1990s, volunteers in the Internet FreeCell Project worked through all 32,000 deals and found solutions for every one except #11982, which computer solvers have since confirmed cannot be won.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Almost. In the classic set of numbered deals from 1 to 32,000, every deal has a known solution except one: deal #11982. When you press New Game here, you always get a deal from that classic set and never #11982, so every new game can be won.
How do I play a specific FreeCell deal number?
Type the number into the Deal # box above the table and press Play deal, or open a link such as /freecell/?deal=11982. The numbering matches the classic numbered deals used by most FreeCell programs, so deal #1 here is the same as deal #1 elsewhere. More in our FreeCell deal numbers guide.
How many cards can I move at once in FreeCell?
Officially you move one card at a time, but this game moves whole runs for you when there is enough temporary space. The limit is (empty free cells + 1) × 2 to the power of the number of empty columns. With 4 free cells and no empty column that is 5 cards; with 4 free cells and 1 empty column it is 10. Moving into an empty column, that column does not count.
Why do cards go to the foundations on their own?
The game automatically plays a card to its foundation when it can no longer be useful in the tableau (Aces, Twos, and cards whose lower opposite-colour cards are already on the foundations). Everything else stays where it is until you move it. Undo reverses the automatic moves too.
What is the difference between FreeCell and Baker's Game?
Baker's Game is the older game FreeCell grew out of. The layout is the same, but in Baker's Game you build the tableau down in the same suit; FreeCell's alternating-colour rule makes far more deals winnable.
What is a good FreeCell strategy for beginners?
Free the Aces and Twos first, keep at least one free cell open whenever you can, and treat an empty column as more valuable than a free cell because it doubles the size of the runs you can move.