Slide Puzzles

Puzzle interface

The Slide Puzzles puzzle interface is designed to stay out of your way while still giving you full control over the puzzle. Below you'll find an explanation of each option, what it does, and when it's available.

Puzzle controls: quit, pause and resume

Quit

The quit option lets you leave the current puzzle at any time.

  • Ends the current puzzle session
  • Progress is not saved
  • Returns you to the puzzle page

Available when:

  • A puzzle is active

Pause

The pause option temporarily stops the game.

  • Freezes the timer
  • Prevents tile movement
  • Prevents the preview dialog from being opened
  • Useful when you need a break without losing your progress

Available when:

  • A puzzle is active

Resume

The resume option continues a paused puzzle.

  • Restarts the timer
  • Allows tile movement again

Available when:

  • A puzzle is paused

Preview dialog

The preview option shows the image or video of the puzzle in its solved state.

  • Displays the full image or video
  • Helps you understand the final layout

Available when:

  • Playing image or video puzzles

Resize the preview

You can resize the preview dialog by dragging the bottom-right corner.

  • Make the preview smaller to keep it out of the way
  • Enlarge it when you need more detail
  • Especially useful on desktop and larger screens

Move the preview

The preview dialog can be moved freely.

  • Click and drag the dialog to reposition it
  • Place it next to the puzzle or partially over it
  • Keep the preview visible while solving the puzzle

Adjust the preview opacity

Using the preview menu, you can change the opacity of the dialog.

  • Lower opacity lets you see the puzzle beneath the preview
  • Useful for aligning tiles visually

Close the preview

You can close the preview dialog at any time.

  • Click the close (×) icon in the dialog
  • Press ESC on your keyboard.

Quick peek vs. permanent preview

The preview button has two behaviors:

  • Click → Opens the preview dialog permanently
  • Press and hold → Temporarily shows the preview

This "press and hold" behavior works like a quick peek:

  • Ideal for mobile devices
  • Perfect when screen space is limited
  • Quickly check the solution without interrupting the puzzle experience

Show numbers

The numbers option adds numbered badges to the puzzle tiles.

  • Makes it easier to track the tile positions
  • Helps beginners learn movement patterns
  • Can be toggled on or off at any time

Available when:

  • Playing image or video puzzles

Not available when:

  • Playing a daily puzzle challenge
  • Playing numeric puzzles (numbers are already visible)

When a tile is in the correct position, its numbered badge usually changes color, making this option ideal for checking whether you're on the right track.

Puzzle stats: moves and timer

Moves

The moves counter tracks how many tile movements you've made.

  • Increases by one for each tile move
  • Useful for comparing performance between attempts

Available when:

  • A puzzle is active

Timer

The timer shows how long you've been solving the puzzle.

  • Starts when the puzzle begins
  • Pauses automatically when the game is paused
  • Stops when the puzzle is solved

Available when:

  • A puzzle is active

Grid size selector

Slide Puzzles offers puzzles from 3x3 up to 10x10 tiles. Every puzzle has a default grid size. The grid size selector lets you change the grid size before starting a new puzzle.

  • Smaller grids (3x3, 4x4) are easier and faster to solve
  • Larger grids (8x8 and up) provide a serious challenge for experienced players
  • Grid size directly affects difficulty and solve time

Available when:

  • Starting a new puzzle

Not available when:

  • A puzzle game is already running
  • Playing a daily puzzle challenge

Tips for using the puzzle interface efficiently

  • Use pause instead of quit if you plan to continue later
  • Use the preview dialog when playing image or video puzzles
  • Enable the numbers option to make solving image or video puzzles less difficult

Learn more

This article is part of the how it works guide. You may also find these articles helpful:

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