Play FreeCell Solitaire Online for Free
FreeCell Solitaire is the thinking player's solitaire. Every card is dealt face up from the start, nothing is hidden, and nearly every deal can be won with careful planning. Four free cells give you temporary parking spots, but use them wisely - each one spent limits your future moves.
How to Play FreeCell Solitaire
- All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns. The first four columns hold 7 cards, the last four hold 6. Everything is visible from move one.
- Four foundation piles sit above the tableau - build each one up in suit from Ace to King.
- Build the tableau down in alternating colors, like Klondike.
- Use the four free cells (top left) to park a single card each. Free cells are the only place a card can rest alone.
- Move single cards freely; to move a sequence of n cards at once you need n-1 empty cells plus one empty column (the free cell math).
- Empty tableau columns can hold any card, unlike Klondike - they are your most powerful resource.
- Win by building all four foundations from Ace to King.
FreeCell Solitaire Rules
Objective
Move all cards to the four foundations, built up in suit from Ace to King.
Setup
52 cards dealt face up across eight tableau columns (7,7,7,7,6,6,6,6). No stock, no waste, no hidden cards - the entire game is open information.
Tableau
Build down in alternating colors. Single cards move freely; a multi-card move requires enough empty cells and columns to stage the sequence. Any card may be placed in an empty column.
Foundations
Each foundation builds up in a single suit from Ace to King. Foundations are safe - cards there are considered finished.
Free Cells
The four free cells each hold exactly one card at any time. Cards in free cells can always be moved back to the tableau or to a foundation.
Scoring
FreeCell is usually scored simply by win or loss and move count. Try to win in as few moves as possible.
Strategy
FreeCell is the most solvable game here, so treat every loss as a planning problem. With all 52 cards face up, you can work out the whole route before the first move - and you should, because the limiting factor is not the cards but the space. You can move a stack of n cards using the free cells and empty columns: the rule of thumb is (free cells + 1) x 2 to the power of empty columns, so four free cells and no empty column moves five cards, while four free cells and one empty column moves ten. Keep at least one free cell spare rather than filling all four immediately, and dig into the columns with the most buried low cards first. Aces and Twos can usually go to the foundations safely and early, which frees space - aces never receive a card, and a two only if you are not keeping it as a landing spot for a three.
Common Mistakes
Filling all four free cells early is the mistake that quietly loses games: with every cell occupied you can only move single cards, and one awkward column becomes impossible to unwind. Players also empty columns without thinking - an empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it doubles your carrying capacity, so clearing one deliberately is usually better than parking cards in cells. Finally, do not send cards to the foundations just because you can; a card on the foundation is gone, and you sometimes need it back as somewhere for another card to sit. Only one deal in about 32,000 is genuinely unsolvable here, so the rest is on you.
Winning
All 52 cards on the four foundations. Since almost every deal is solvable, a loss is usually a planning failure, not bad luck.
Tips & Strategy
- Empty a column as early as reasonable. One empty column is often worth more than all four free cells combined.
- Never fill your last free cell unless the move clearly wins or uncovers something essential. A full set of cells means a frozen board.
- Before a long sequence move, verify the free cell math - count empty cells plus empty columns against the sequence length you need.
- Send Aces and 2s up early; unlike Klondike there is no hidden downside since everything is face up.
- Trace your plan backwards from the end: figure out which cards must be cleared last, and keep their columns accessible.
- Four free cells and one empty column let you shift a ten-card stack - empty a column deliberately rather than filling cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Almost. It has been computationally verified that over 99.99% of standard FreeCell deals are solvable. The best-known unsolvable deal is Microsoft game #11982.
What are the free cells for?
They are temporary storage for single cards. They let you unstick a buried card, but each occupied cell reduces how long a sequence you can move.
Why can I sometimes not move a long sequence?
Moving n cards together requires n-1 free cells plus an empty column to stage through. If your cells are full, long moves become impossible.
How is FreeCell different from Klondike?
No hidden cards, no stock pile, empty columns accept any card, and free cells add a puzzle element. FreeCell rewards planning over luck.
What is a good FreeCell strategy for beginners?
Play to empty a column early, keep at least one free cell open at all times, and always check the consequences two moves ahead.
How many cards can the free cells hold?
Four cells, one card each. Combined with empty columns they let you move surprisingly long runs: with C empty cells and E empty columns you can shift a run of up to (C+1) x 2^E cards, so four free cells and one empty column move ten cards at a time.
What is the difference between a free cell and an empty column?
A free cell is pure temporary storage for exactly one card. An empty column is far more powerful, because a whole ordered run can be moved into it, and because the run you moved out can then be played back onto it. Fill cells only when you need to, and get cards out of them as soon as possible.
Why do I keep losing at FreeCell?
Three habits cause most losses: filling all four cells in the first ten moves, never freeing up a column, and sending cards to the foundations too early. Keep at least one cell free, open a column as soon as you can, and hold back low cards you may still need.
What are the FreeCell card game rules?
All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns - four of seven cards and four of six. Build the four foundations upwards by suit, Ace to King. In the tableau, stack cards downwards in alternating colours. You may move a run of cards as a single group when you have room for it: the size of the group you can shift is (free cells + 1) x 2 to the power of your empty columns. Nothing is hidden, so every deal can be planned from the first move.
How to win freecell solitaire?
Plan before you move: every card is visible, so the losing moves are almost always planning errors. Keep a free cell spare, empty a column as early as you can because it doubles how big a stack you can shift, and dig out the columns with the most buried low cards first. Send Aces and Twos home early, but hold back mid-rank cards you may still need as a landing spot. With more than 99.9% of deals solvable, undo and patience win nearly everything.
Is there a free version of freecell?
Yes - the one on this page. It runs in the browser with no download, no sign-up and no account, and it uses the standard rules: 52 cards in eight columns, four free cells, building down in alternating colours and foundations up by suit. Undo is unlimited, so you can try a line of play and step back out of it.
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