How to Use a FreeCell Solver

Start with the Board You Want to Solve

Open FreeCell Solver and begin playing. You can make normal FreeCell moves, move cards into free cells, build alternating-color sequences, and work toward the foundations.

When you need help, select Solve. The solver examines the cards where they are right now, including cards in the free cells, tableau columns, and foundations. It searches for a route to the winning position, where all 52 cards have reached the foundations.

You do not need to reset the game before asking for a solution.

What Happens When You Select Solve?

The tool analyzes the current board in your browser and, when it finds a valid solution, prepares a complete series of legal moves. The calculation runs locally in a browser worker; a remote solving service is not required.

Solve does not automatically play the entire game. You decide whether to inspect the next move or let the solution play out.

A solver can find a winning route without guaranteeing that it is the route with the fewest possible moves. Its main purpose is to produce a valid finish from the current position.

Hint, Next Step, and Auto Play: What's the Difference?

These controls serve different purposes:

• Hint highlights the next move in a solution after Solve has found one. Use it when you still want to play the rest of the game yourself.
• Next Step advances the prepared solution one move at a time. Pause after each move to understand what changed and why it helps.
• Auto Play follows the prepared solution for you. This is useful when you want to see the full sequence rather than execute every move manually.
• Cancel lets you stop an active solving or automated playback process.

For learning, Next Step is usually more valuable than watching the entire solution at once. Look at which card moves, what space opens up, and which previously blocked card becomes available.

What If You Make Another Move?

A solution belongs to a specific board position. If you make a manual move after calculating a solution, the board may no longer match the planned sequence. The previous solution is therefore cleared, and you can select Solve again to analyze the new position.

This is an important distinction between a real solver and a generic hint system: it responds to the actual state of your game.

Understanding the Solver's Results

There are three different outcomes to understand:

• Solution found: A valid winning sequence has been found from the current position.
• Unsolvable: The search has established that the current position cannot be finished under the game's rules.
• Unknown or timeout: The solver did not complete the analysis within its limits. This does not prove the board is unsolvable.

If your position is unsolvable, consider using Undo or Restart and changing an earlier decision. If the search times out, the result is inconclusive; it is not a definitive loss.

A Simple Way to Learn with the Solver

Try this practice routine:

1. Play a new FreeCell deal on your own until you reach a difficult choice.
2. Before selecting Solve, decide which card you would move and why.
3. Ask the solver for a solution, then use Next Step to inspect the next move.
4. Compare the solver's choice with yours. Did it preserve a free cell, open a column, or uncover a low card?
5. Continue playing manually. If the position changes or you get stuck again, solve the new board.

This approach turns an automated solution into a learning tool rather than a shortcut.

Can I Enter a Microsoft FreeCell Game Number?

Uletime currently uses its own seeded shuffle for game generation. A deal number from another FreeCell implementation, including Microsoft's numbered deals, should not be assumed to produce the same board here. The current solver works with the Uletime board you are playing; it is not a universal importer for external game layouts.

For more context, read Can Every FreeCell Game Be Solved? and How to Learn FreeCell Strategy with a Solver.