How to Play FreeCell — Complete Beginner-to-Expert Guide
FreeCell was invented by Paul Alfille in 1978, and Microsoft’s version by Jim Horne first shipped in the Microsoft Entertainment Pack before becoming a standard part of Windows 95. It’s the rare solitaire where almost every game is solvable — of the first million numbered Microsoft deals, only 8 are known to be impossible. Here’s how to play FreeCell and the strategy that wins consistently. When you want a no-thinking break afterwards, the Chrome Dino game is one click away.
Key takeaways
- Every card is dealt face up, so FreeCell is about planning, not luck.
- Build down in alternating colors on the tableau and up by suit (A to K) on the foundations.
- The number of cards you can move at once is (1 + empty free cells) × 2^(empty columns).
- Free Aces early, keep free cells open, and treat an empty column as your most valuable resource.
The rules
All 52 cards are dealt face-up into 8 tableau columns, where you build down by alternating color. 4 free cells (top-left) hold one card each for temporary storage. 4 foundations (top-right) are where you build up by suit, A through K.
Move one card at a time. You can move sequences of cards if you have enough free cells and empty columns to use as temporary stops — this is called a ‘supermove.’
FreeCell rules at a glance
| Area | How many | What it accepts |
|---|---|---|
| Tableau columns | 8 (four of 7 cards, four of 6) | A card one rank lower and of the opposite color; any card or valid sequence if the column is empty |
| Free cells | 4 | Any single card |
| Foundations | 4, one per suit | Ace first, then the next rank of the same suit |
You win when all four foundations run from Ace to King. There is no stock pile and no redeal: the whole game is the 52 cards you see at the start. That’s the core difference from Klondike, which hides most cards face down (our Solitaire vs FreeCell comparison goes further).
The supermove formula
You can move N cards at once if N ≤ (1 + free_cells) × 2^empty_columns. Example: 2 free cells + 1 empty column = (1+2) × 2¹ = 6 cards. If the destination is itself an empty column, don’t count that column. Master this; it’s the single most-used calculation in FreeCell.
The formula grows fast: on paper, 4 free cells + 2 empty columns already allows a 20-card move, more than any real sequence needs (a full run from King to Ace is 13 cards). In practice you’ll usually be working with 1-3 open free cells and 0-1 empty columns.
| Empty free cells | 0 empty columns | 1 empty column | 2 empty columns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 2 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 4 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
A supermove is just shorthand. The game is moving the cards one at a time through the free cells and empty columns for you, so the limit is exactly what you could do by hand.
Strategy 1: Free the Aces first
Aces are useless except on the foundations. If an Ace is buried in a tableau column, prioritize getting it out — even at the cost of free cells.
Same for 2s. Once your foundations are at 2 in each suit, you have stable targets for 3s.
Strategy 2: Don’t fill all your free cells
Beginner mistake: temporarily storing 4 cards in the free cells. Now you have zero supermove flexibility. You’ll be stuck.
Aim to have 2-3 free cells usable at any time. If you fill all 4, your next move better be productive — usually unloading 2-3 of them onto a tableau column you just cleared.
Strategy 3: Empty columns are gold
Empty tableau columns double your supermove capacity. Aim to create at least one empty column by mid-game. Trade aggressively — accept short-term inefficiency to get an empty column.
Once you have a free cell or two open, an empty column is worth more than a single free cell in supermove math, and it can also hold a whole sequence instead of one card. Prioritize emptying a column over emptying free cells.
Strategy 4: Clear a column completely
If you can move every card in a tableau column onto other tableau columns or the foundations, you’ve cleared that column — and created the empty column from Strategy 3. Each one you open makes the rest of the deal easier.
Look ahead: if you can clear column A by sending all its cards somewhere productive, do it even if it costs you free cells in the short term. The empty column is worth more than the free cells you’ll lose.
The best candidates are short columns (the four 6-card columns) and columns whose cards already have homes elsewhere. Don’t put a low card like a 3 into an empty column unless you must: a King at the bottom of a column never needs to move again, a 3 almost always does.
Strategy 5: Watch the autoplay
FreeCell autoplay moves obvious-to-foundation cards automatically. If your version sends cards up aggressively, disable it where you can. Sometimes you want a card on the tableau to receive a lower card of the opposite color instead of on the foundation.
The classic example: your clubs foundation is at 4. A 5 of clubs is revealed. An aggressive autoplay sends it to the foundation — but you needed it to receive a 4 of hearts you’re trying to relocate. Safer autoplay (the kind our FreeCell uses) only promotes a card when both opposite-color foundations are high enough that no tableau card could still need it.
Your first ten moves: a routine
Openings decide most FreeCell games. Before you touch a card, spend thirty seconds reading the deal:
- Find the four Aces and the 2s. Note how deep each one is buried. The shallowest Ace is usually your first target.
- Spot the free moves. Any card that can go onto another column without using a free cell is a move that costs nothing. Make those first if they dig toward an Ace.
- Pick the column to clear. Look for a short column with few low cards. That’s your first empty column.
- Count free cells before committing. Never spend your last free cell unless the move releases at least one card back out of the cells.
- Look for Kings near the top. A King sitting on top of useful cards is a problem: it can only move to an empty column or a free cell. Plan for that early.
When you’re stuck
If you can’t make any productive move, undo a few moves and try a different line before giving up — in nearly every deal a win exists. Use the ‘hint’ feature if available, or restart.
The famous unsolvable FreeCell game is Microsoft deal #11982 — the only one of the original 32,000 numbered deals that can’t be won (see FreeCell on Wikipedia).
Common reasons a game stalls: all four free cells filled with high cards, several Kings sitting on top of columns, or a long same-color run that can’t be split. Undoing back to before the last free cell was filled is usually the fastest fix.
Practice
Play our FreeCell with proper supermove logic (a live “max move” counter) and undo for up to the last 200 moves. Click Hint when stuck to highlight an available move. For more tactics, read our FreeCell solitaire tips.
Controls worth knowing: drag a card or a valid sequence onto its destination, or tap a card to send it to the best legal spot (foundation first, then another column, then a free cell). Double-click a card to send it to its foundation. Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes and H shows a hint. Each new game is a fresh random shuffle rather than a numbered Microsoft deal, so you can’t look up deal #11982 here.
Once FreeCell clicks, try Klondike Solitaire for a game with hidden cards and more luck, or Spider Solitaire on 2 or 4 suits for a longer, tougher planning game.
Frequently asked questions
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Almost. In Microsoft’s original 32,000 numbered deals only #11982 is unwinnable, and of the first million deals only 8 are known to be impossible. Losing a game almost always means a better line existed. Our guide to which solitaire games are winnable compares FreeCell with other variants.
Is FreeCell luck or skill?
Mostly skill. Every card is visible from the first move, so there is no hidden information. The only luck is the deal itself, and nearly every deal can be won with good planning.
How many cards can you move at once in FreeCell?
Multiply one plus the number of empty free cells by two for each empty column. With 3 empty free cells and no empty columns you can move 4 cards; add one empty column and it becomes 8. Don’t count the empty column you’re moving into.
Can you put any card in an empty column?
Yes. Any single card, or any valid alternating-color sequence within your move limit, can go into an empty column. Kings are the best choice because they never need to move again.
What is the difference between FreeCell and regular solitaire?
Regular (Klondike) solitaire deals most cards face down and adds a stock pile you draw from, so luck plays a big part. FreeCell deals everything face up, has no stock, and gives you four free cells instead.
Related reading
- 10 Games Like FreeCell — Free Solitaire Variants to Play Online
- How to Solve the 15-Puzzle — Layer-by-Layer Technique
- How to Play Dots and Boxes — Long Chain Theory + Double-Cross
