Magnets Puzzle Online

Magnets is one of the classic one-player logic games in Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection. Place magnets to satisfy the clues and avoid like poles touching.

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Preparing the game board and controls.

Game Objective

Fill each domino-shaped slot with either a magnet or a neutral blank. A magnet has one + pole and one - pole. The clues on the top and left count + poles in each column or row; the clues on the bottom and right count - poles. Matching poles may not touch horizontally or vertically.

Place magnets to satisfy the clues and avoid like poles touching.

How to Play

Left-click a slot to place a magnet; the + pole goes on the end you click. Left-click again to change or remove it. Right-click a slot to mark it as neutral blank, or as a magnet whose direction is not decided yet.

These puzzles reward careful deduction more than speed. Start with the most constrained clues, eliminate impossible choices step by step, and avoid guessing unless the puzzle specifically calls for it.

Beginner Tips

  • Check the edge clues separately: top and left are for + counts, bottom and right are for - counts.
  • If a row already has all its + poles, every remaining undecided cell in that row cannot be +.
  • Some slots are neutral blanks, so do not force every domino shape to contain a magnet.

Official Rules

For the full original rules, examples, and advanced options, read Simon Tatham's official manual.

Read the official manual

Frequently Asked Questions