How to play Jigsaw Puzzle
An online jigsaw puzzle works just like one on the kitchen table: a picture is cut into pieces, and you fit them back together. Drag a piece close to its place and it clicks in; pieces that belong together join up wherever they are. Choose 24, 48, 100 or 200 pieces, or try the daily jigsaw, a new picture every day.
Step by step
Look at the picture
Each puzzle is one of our own colourful illustrations. Turn on Show picture at any time to see a faint copy of it on the board as a guide.
Find the edge pieces
Tap Edge pieces only to hide everything except the pieces with a straight side. Most people build the frame first.
Drag a piece to its place
Press on a piece and move it. Put it down close to the right spot on the board and it clicks into place and stays there.
Or tap, then tap
If dragging is awkward, tap a piece to choose it (it gets a gold outline), then tap the place on the board where it goes.
Join pieces anywhere
Put two pieces that belong together side by side and they snap together into a group, even away from the board. A group moves as one.
Keep things tidy
Tidy pieces lays the loose pieces out neatly, edge pieces first. On a phone it sends them back to the tray under the board.
Finish the picture
When the last piece is in, the whole picture appears with its name. Share your result if you like, or choose another picture.
The full rules
What you need
Nothing but this page. The pictures are drawn on your device, so there are no images to download, and the puzzle works on a phone, a tablet or a computer, with a finger, a mouse or a keyboard.
The aim
Put every piece back in its place to rebuild the picture. There is no way to lose and no clock unless you choose one, so every puzzle can be finished at your own pace.
How to play a jigsaw puzzle online
The board in the middle is where the finished picture goes. The loose pieces start around the board on a bigger screen, or in a tray underneath it on a phone.
- Moving a piece: press on it and drag. Let go close to its right place on the board and it clicks in and stays put. Pieces in place can’t be knocked out again.
- Joining pieces: if you put a piece down next to a piece it belongs beside, lined up the right way, the two snap together. They then move as one group, and you can keep adding to it. Groups click into the board in one go.
- Tap to place: tap a piece to choose it, then tap the spot on the board where it goes. Tap the piece again to change your mind.
- The tray (phones): the tray scrolls sideways. Drag a piece up out of it onto the table, or tap it and then tap its place. Drag a single piece back down onto the tray to put it away.
No piece ever needs turning. Every piece is already the right way up.
Sizes and the daily jigsaw
Choose 24, 48, 100 or 200 pieces in practice, and any picture you like, or let the game surprise you. The daily jigsaw is always 48 pieces, with a new picture every day and the same cut for everyone, so you can compare notes with friends and family.
Tips for finishing faster
- Edges first. Tap Edge pieces only and build the frame. Straight sides are easy to spot, and the frame shows you how big everything is.
- Sort by colour. Gather the sky, the water or the red roofs into little piles at the side of the table. Small groups are easier to work with than one big heap.
- Look for the busy bits. Faces of buildings, boats, flowers and patterns are easy to place. Leave the plainer areas for later, when there are fewer pieces left.
- Build groups away from the board. You don’t have to place pieces straight onto the board. Join a few pieces of the same thing, then move the whole group in.
- Use Show picture when you are stuck. A faint copy of the picture appears on the board, which is especially handy for the last tricky pieces.
- Tidy up now and then. Tidy pieces lays out the loose pieces neatly, edge pieces first, so nothing hides under anything else.
- Take breaks. Your puzzle is saved as you go. Come back later and choose Continue.
A calm puzzle for any age
Free jigsaw puzzles are one of the most relaxing ways to spend a quiet half hour, and an online jigsaw needs no table space and never loses a piece under the sofa. Choose big pieces for a gentle few minutes or 200 for a long, absorbing session. It is just as good shared, with someone beside you pointing out where a piece goes.
Common questions
Are these jigsaw puzzles free?
Yes. Every picture and every size is free to play, with no sign-up and no download. The pictures are drawn by the page itself, so once it has loaded the jigsaw keeps working even without an internet connection.
What is the daily jigsaw?
Every day there is a new 48-piece picture, cut the same way for everyone on the same date. Finish it to add a day to your streak and, if you like, the weekly leaderboard.
How many pieces should I choose?
24 pieces are big and quick, a good place to start or for a short break. 48 is a comfortable middle. 100 and 200 pieces are small and take longer, and they are best on a tablet or computer screen.
I find dragging difficult. Can I still play?
Yes. Tap a piece to choose it, then tap where it should go. If you tap its exact square on the board, it goes straight in. With a keyboard, the arrow keys choose a piece, Enter picks it up, the arrow keys move to a square, and Enter puts it down.
Is there a timer?
Only if you want one. The timer is off unless you turn on Show timer in the New game box. It never affects the leaderboard.
Where do the pictures come from?
They are our own illustrations, made for this game: harbours, gardens, markets, birds, quilts, forests, lighthouses and more. There are over thirty to choose from.
Where it comes from
Jigsaw puzzles are usually traced back to the 1760s, when John Spilsbury, a London engraver and mapmaker, is said to have mounted maps on thin wood and cut them along the borders of the countries, as an aid for teaching geography. These 'dissected maps' were sold for many years before puzzles with pictures became common. The name 'jigsaw' came later, from the fine saws used to cut wooden puzzles. In the twentieth century, cheaper die-cut cardboard made jigsaws affordable for almost every home, and they became a much-loved pastime, especially during the hard years of the 1930s. The online jigsaw puzzle keeps the same idea: a picture cut into interlocking pieces, put back together one click at a time.
