Tidy Trays is a free daily sorting puzzle. The folders on the desk are mixed up, and each filing tray holds only a few of them. Pick up the top folder of a tray and put it on an empty tray or on a folder of the same color. The desk is tidy when every tray holds a single color. The game also shows the fewest moves in which the day can be solved, so you can see how close you came. Monday has 3 colors. Friday has 6 colors and 24 folders.
No sign-up and nothing to install. It runs in your browser on a computer or a phone, and your progress is saved on your device.
- Two taps per move. Tap a tray to pick up its top folder. Tap another tray to put it down.
- One simple rule. A folder goes onto an empty tray, or onto the same color. A full tray takes nothing more.
- A number to beat. The fewest possible moves are shown next to your own count. Solving the puzzle is enough to win. Matching the number is the extra challenge.
- Stuck? The lightbulb shows the next move of a shortest way from where you are. If there is no way left, it undoes a move.
How to play Tidy Trays
- Look for a color whose folders sit near the top of their trays. It is the easiest one to collect.
- Move folders that are in the way onto an empty tray.
- Build each color from the bottom of a tray upwards.
- You win when every tray is empty or full with one color.
What you see on the desk
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tray | Holds up to three or four folders. Only the top one can move. |
| Folder | Its color and its shape belong together: blue circle, orange square, green triangle, and so on. |
| Raised folder | The folder you picked up. |
| Green tray | A tidy tray: full, and all one color. |
| Moves | Your moves so far, with the fewest possible below. |
| Tidy trays | How many colors are finished. |
Tips for fewer moves
- Keep an empty tray as long as you can. It is your only room to maneuver. Filling both early often leads to a dead end.
- Finish a color to free a tray. A tidy tray is done, and the tray you emptied on the way is free again.
- Look at the bottoms. The folder at the bottom of a tray decides which color that tray will probably hold.
- Do not shuttle. Moving a folder back and forth costs two moves and changes nothing. Undo instead.
- Plan before you bury. Before you cover a folder, check where its color is being collected.
How the week gets harder
| Day | Colors | Folders per color | Trays | Fewest moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 to 9 |
| Tuesday | 4 | 3 | 6 | 8 to 11 |
| Wednesday | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11 to 15 |
| Thursday | 5 | 4 | 7 | 15 to 19 |
| Friday | 6 | 4 | 8 | 17 to 25 |
Saturday plays like a Wednesday and Sunday like a Tuesday. Two of the trays are always empty at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tidy Trays free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall.
Is this like a ball sort or water sort puzzle?
It belongs to the same family of sorting puzzles. Here you move one folder at a time between filing trays, every day has one new desk, and the game tells you the fewest moves possible.
Do I have to match the fewest moves?
No. The day is solved as soon as the desk is tidy. The fewest moves are there as a goal for players who want more.
How does the game know the fewest moves?
A program searches every desk that can be reached from the start. That is only a few thousand, even on Friday.
Can I get stuck?
Yes. A desk can reach a point where nothing useful can move. Use Undo, or the lightbulb, which takes back a move when there is no way left.
Do I need to see the colors well?
No. Every color has its own shape on the folder.
When does the new puzzle appear?
At midnight in your local time.
Can I play earlier puzzles?
Yes. Open the calendar button at the top of the game and pick any day from the past eight weeks.
More to play on WiseChecker
- Browser Games: every WiseChecker game in one place.
- Clean Desk: remember the desk and find what is gone.
- No Blind Spots: place cameras so that no square is a blind spot.
- Cell Value: find the number behind every letter.
- File Pairs: turn over two cards and find the pairs.