It starts as a messy web of lines and ends as a clean, flat drawing. Untangle Lines unblocked gives you a bunch of points tied together by straight lines that cross everywhere. Slide the points around until not a single line crosses another.
The puzzle comes from Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection. There is no timer and no move limit, which makes it a relaxing way to fill a few minutes.
How to play Untangle Lines
Each puzzle opens with all the points spaced around a circle, so the lines slash through the middle. Grab a dot and move it anywhere; its lines stretch along like rubber bands.
The connections never change. Two points that start out linked stay linked, so your only job is finding a layout that works. When the last crossing disappears, the board flashes to tell you it is solved.
Made a mess? Undo reverses the last drag, Restart sends every point back to the circle and Solve shows one finished layout. The Type menu sets the number of points, from 6 up to 25, and Custom takes any number.
Controls
| To… | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move a point | — | Click and drag the point | Drag the point with your finger |
| Pick and move a point by keyboard | Arrow keys or Tab/Space to choose a point, Enter to pick it up, arrows to move, Enter to drop | — | — |
| Undo, redo, new puzzle | U / R / N | Undo move, Redo move and New game buttons | Undo move, Redo move and New game buttons |
| Change the number of points | — | Type menu | Type menu |
Tips
- Build around a triangle. Three points that all connect to each other make a sturdy frame to arrange the rest around.
- Place the busy points late. Dots with lots of connections are tricky to fix early, so sort the simple ones first.
- Spread out. The starting ring leaves plenty of empty board, so park solved clusters near the edges and keep the center clear.
- Solve crossings one by one. Choose two lines that overlap and shift one of their four ends until the X disappears.
- Switch on crossing highlights. A setting in Preferences marks lines that still cross, so you know exactly where to look.
Untangle Lines questions
Is every puzzle solvable?
Yes. The generator begins with a flat drawing and only then lines the dots up on a ring. So an answer is guaranteed, even if the one you find looks nothing like the starting picture.
Can I make the points snap to a grid?
Yes. Open Preferences from the Game menu and turn on grid snapping. It helps make tidy layouts.
Can I play it on a phone?
It does. Put your finger on a dot and drag. A quick tap alone does not move anything.
