How to solve Zip
Connect the numbers in order, covering every cell.
Zip is the path-drawing puzzle popularized by LinkedIn: connect the numbers in order while filling every cell. Here you get an unlimited, free version — endless boards from relaxed 5×5 grids to tricky 7×7 layouts with walls, each with a single valid path.
How to play Zip
- Draw a single path from number 1 to the last number, hitting the numbers in order.
- The path must cover every cell of the grid.
- It cannot cross itself or pass through thick walls.
- Drag to draw, or tap a cell aligned with the end of the path to fill in one go. Go back by re-entering an already visited cell.
How to solve Zip: techniques that work
Zip is a Hamiltonian path puzzle: one line from checkpoint 1 to the last number that visits every cell exactly once. Before drawing anything, look at the corners and edges. A corner cell has only two neighbours, so the path must enter through one and leave through the other — corners are effectively pre-drawn.
Watch for pockets. If your planned route walls off a group of empty cells, the board is already lost — every cell must be reachable by the remaining path. Good players constantly ask "can the line still get back out of there?" before committing to a turn.
Use the checkpoints as anchors and plan backwards from the final number as well as forwards from 1. The stretch between the two last checkpoints is usually the most constrained part of the board; solving it mentally first often decides the whole route. Walls block movement between adjacent cells, which paradoxically helps: each wall removes options and makes more of the path forced.
Common mistakes
The most frequent one is filling space greedily and leaving a single unreachable cell in a corner — the parity of the grid means one stranded cell can rarely be recovered. Undo early rather than pushing a doomed line.
Second: forgetting the checkpoints must be hit in ascending order. A route that touches 3 before 2 is invalid even if it covers the board perfectly.
From easy to hard
Difficulty scales with board size, wall count and checkpoint spacing. On hard boards, treat each pair of consecutive checkpoints as its own mini-puzzle and check that your segment leaves a connected region for the rest of the path.
FAQ
- Is Zip free and unlimited on LinkMyPzzl?
- Yes. Every Zip board is generated on demand in your browser — play as many as you want, for free, with no account.
- How is this different from the daily Zip puzzle?
- The daily version made popular by LinkedIn offers one grid per day. LinkMyPzzl generates unlimited boards and lets you choose the difficulty, so you can actually train.
- Does every Zip board have a unique solution?
- Yes. A solver verifies every generated board before you see it: there is always exactly one solution.
- Do I have to cover every cell?
- Yes. The path must pass through every single cell of the grid exactly once while hitting the numbered checkpoints in order — covering the numbers alone isn't enough.
- How do I undo a wrong turn?
- Drag backwards along the path to retract it, use the Undo button under the board, or re-enter any earlier cell of the path to cut it back to that point.