What is FreeCell Solitaire?

In FreeCell, every card is visible from the start. You use four small holding spaces to rearrange the columns and build four suit piles from Ace to King.[1]

PlayersOne
Decks1
DifficultyIntermediate
FamilyOpen-cell

How to set up the cards

Start with the following arrangement.[1]

  1. Shuffle one 52-card deck and deal every card face up into eight columns: four columns of seven cards and four of six.
  2. Leave four free cells (single-card holding spaces) empty. Leave room for four foundation piles, one for each suit.
  3. All the cards are dealt from the start. There is no stock to draw from.

How to play

Follow these rules for the version described here.[1][2]

  1. Build downward in alternating colors. A red 7 can go on a black 8.
  2. Move exposed cards between columns, or place one card in any empty free cell.
  3. An empty column can receive any available card.
  4. Move Aces to the four foundations and build upward by suit to King.
  5. To move a group of cards, you need enough empty free cells or columns to move its cards one by one.

An example of a move

Suppose a red 7 is exposed and another column ends with a black 8. You can place the 7 on the 8.

If a card is blocking the move, you can put that card into an empty free cell, make your move, then bring it back when there is room.

A free cell is helpful, but filling all four can leave you stuck. Try to keep at least one available when possible.

Tips for playing

These tips can help you decide what to do next. They are suggestions, not guaranteed ways to win.

  • Keep your free cells open when you can. They give you room to move cards around.
  • Look for low cards, especially Aces and 2s, that you can free and move to the foundations.
  • Think one or two moves ahead: if you park a card in a free cell, know where it can go next.

Common mistakes

  • Do not fill all four free cells without a plan for getting those cards out.
  • Seeing every card does not mean the next move is always obvious.
  • Do not confuse FreeCell with Baker’s Game: Baker’s Game builds in the same suit.

Popular variations

Related games include Baker’s Game and Eight Off. Baker’s Game builds down in the same suit rather than alternating colors; Eight Off begins with eight holding spaces, four already occupied.[3]

The story behind the game

History & origins

What we knowDeveloped for the PLATO computer system in the 1970s

Paul Alfille developed FreeCell as a computer game for the University of Illinois PLATO system in the 1970s. The design is related to older open-card patience games, particularly Baker’s Game, but the original creator of every earlier rule is not known.[4]

PLATO was a networked learning environment at the University of Illinois. Beyond classroom use, it allowed people to share interactive programs, giving games such as FreeCell an early home on computer terminals.[5]

FreeCell later reached a much wider audience through personal-computer versions, including one created by Jim Horne for Microsoft. The game remains distinct from Baker’s Game because its columns are built in alternating colors.[4][2]

Frequently asked questions

Is there a stock pile?

No. All 52 cards are dealt face up to the tableau.

Can any card be placed in an empty column?

Yes, under the FreeCell rule set summarized here.

Is every deal solvable?

No blanket guarantee applies to all possible deals. Solvability depends on the arrangement and exact rules.

Are some FreeCell deals harder than others?

Yes. Some layouts give you more useful moves at the start, while others take more planning. FreeCell Now’s Deal Difficulty Index (DDI) compares the original 32,000 Microsoft-numbered deals. It rates 31,996 of them; one is unsolvable and three have no rating. A higher DDI score means a deal ranks as harder in that analysis, but your own experience may be different.[6]

Sources & further reading

  1. 01
    Changwoo Ryu / GNOME AisleRiot project (undated (repository manual)). Freecell — AisleRiot rule documentation.

    GNOME AisleRiot upstream source repository · Open-source implementation specification

    View source ↗
  2. 02
    Paul Olav Tvete, Maren Pakura & Stephan Kulow (2021 (documentation revision)). KPatience Handbook: Rules for Individual Games.

    KDE Documentation · Open-source software documentation

    View source ↗
  3. 03
    Charlie Blake & Ian P. Gent (2024). The Winnability of Solitaire and Patience Games (v5), Appendix A, Table 6.

    University of St Andrews / arXiv preprint · University working paper

    View source ↗
  4. 04
    Marten Klaver (2022). Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Freecell.

    Leiden University, LIACS, bachelor thesis · University research thesis

    View source ↗
  5. 05
    University of Illinois, Department of Physics (undated). PLATO — history of the university computer teaching system.

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · University institutional history

    View source ↗
  6. 06
    FreeCell Now (2026). FreeCell Deal Difficulty Index for 32,000 Microsoft Deals.

    FreeCell Now — original research project · Original FreeCell deal research

    View source ↗