No Windows Program Needed
ChromeOS cannot run the Minesweeper that came with Windows, and the Chrome Web Store has no official version. You do not need either. This board is a web page, so Chrome runs it directly: no extension, no Android app and no Linux setup. It works the same on a student Chromebook, a Chromebook Plus or a Chromebox with a mouse.
Flagging on a Chromebook Touchpad
Chromebook touchpads have no separate right button, which is the first thing people trip over. There are two ways to right-click and place a flag:
- Two-finger tap or click. Tap the touchpad with two fingers together. This is the standard ChromeOS right-click and the quickest once it becomes a habit.
- Alt + click. Hold Alt and click with one finger. Slower, but very precise when you are aiming at a single cell on a dense board.
Two shortcuts reduce how often you need a right-click at all. Hover over a cell and press Space: a hidden cell gets a flag, and a number whose mines are all flagged opens its remaining neighbours. And you never need to press both buttons to chord: a single click on a satisfied number opens everything around it. Click the smiley above the board to start a new game.
If two-finger taps keep registering as single taps, check that tap-to-click is turned on in the ChromeOS touchpad settings, or simply press the touchpad down with two fingers instead of tapping.
Touchscreen and Tablet Mode
On a touchscreen Chromebook, or a convertible folded into tablet mode, tap a cell to reveal it and press and hold to place a flag. Because a long press is slow and easy to misjudge, the board also shows a Dig / Flag switch underneath whenever touch is the main input, as it is in tablet mode (with the touchpad as the main pointer, the switch stays hidden). Set it to Flag and every tap on a hidden cell plants a flag. Numbers still chord when you tap them, so you can stay in Flag mode while you mark mines and open the safe cells around them, then switch back to Dig for fresh territory.
Install It as an App
The site can be installed as a web app. In Chrome, look for the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or open the three-dot menu and choose the option to install the page as an app (the exact wording varies between Chrome versions). Once installed, Minesweeper gets its own icon in the launcher and the shelf and opens in its own window without tabs or an address bar, which leaves more room for the board.
School and work Chromebooks are managed by an administrator who can turn off app installation. If you do not see an install option, that is why, and the regular tab works exactly the same. Bookmark it instead.
Playing Offline
After you have opened the site once with a connection, the main boards keep working when you go offline: on a bus, on a plane or wherever the Wi-Fi drops. This works from the installed app and from a normal tab. Your best times are kept on the device and are saved as usual. The parts that genuinely need the internet, such as syncing an optional account, simply wait until you are back online.
Expert on an 11-Inch Screen
Beginner (9x9) and Intermediate (16x16) fit comfortably on any Chromebook. Expert is 30 cells wide and 16 tall, and on a small 11 or 12 inch screen the bottom rows can end up just below the fold once Chrome's toolbar and the page header take their share. Three things help:
- Zoom out with Ctrl and minus until the whole board is visible; Ctrl and 0 resets the zoom.
- Press the full-screen key on the top row of the keyboard to hide Chrome's toolbar.
- Use the installed app, which has no tabs or address bar to begin with.
If Expert still feels cramped, try a mid-sized custom Minesweeper board such as 20x20, which is square and uses the screen's height better. Playing on a school Chromebook? The Minesweeper at school guide has ideas for breaks and for using the game in class, and the no-download Minesweeper page explains what the browser version actually stores on your device.