Preparing your cards…
How to play FreeCell
All 52 cards are visible from the start. Use four temporary free cells and eight columns to organize the deck, then build the four foundations from Ace to King by suit. Your numbered deal saves in this browser.
- In a column, place a card one rank below a card of the opposite color. A red 6 can go on a black 7. Any card can fill an empty column.
- Each free cell holds one card. Move the exposed end card of a column into a free cell to reach cards underneath it.
- A sequence must descend in alternating colors. Its maximum movable length is (empty free cells + 1) multiplied by 2 for each spare empty column. The destination column cannot also serve as a spare.
- With one empty free cell and one spare empty column, up to four cards can move onto an occupied column. Moving into that empty column leaves capacity for only two.
- Move an Ace to an empty foundation, then add 2 through King of that suit. Foundation moves are final in this version, but Undo can reverse them. Place all 52 cards to win.
A tip for your next game
Keep free cells available when possible. Filling them all limits your ability to move sequences, even when a destination is legal by color and rank.
Common questions
Why can’t I move this whole sequence?
There must be enough empty free cells and spare columns to carry it through legal single-card moves. The game enforces that capacity.
Can I restart the same deal?
Yes. Restart deal restores the same versioned Matte shuffle. New deal chooses another. Shared challenge progress is separate from ordinary play.
Do Matte deal numbers match Windows FreeCell?
No. Matte uses its own deterministic shuffle. Random deals are not presented as guaranteed winners.