Create Your Own Jigsaw Puzzle Online

PuzzlePace lets you take an image you already have, like a photo, an illustration, or a bit of artwork, and turn it into a jigsaw puzzle that runs in the browser. Once it exists, the puzzle is live straight away, and anyone with the link can open it, start the timer, and post a finishing time. It runs with nothing to download. This page walks through how to make one and what makes a good source image.

How to create a puzzle, step by step

1. Create an account or sign in. A puzzle is tied to your account so you can manage it later.
2. Open “Create a puzzle” from the sidebar, then choose “New puzzle.”
3. Give it a title. The title is also the puzzle’s public name.
4. Upload an image. Common image files work. A square picture is best. Anything that is not square is cropped to a square automatically, from the centre.
5. Pick a piece count: 25, 64, 100, 196, or 256. One hundred is the standard. More pieces means a longer, harder solve.
6. Optionally set a timer in minutes. Leave it blank for no time limit.
7. Tick the image-rights box. You are confirming you have the right to use the image and that it contains nothing sexual, violent, hateful, or illegal.
8. Submit. The image uploads, the puzzle is cut into pieces, and you land on its page.

The puzzle is live right away

There is no review queue and no draft step for puzzles you make this way. The moment you submit, the puzzle has its own public page, it appears as an online puzzle, and other people can open it, run the timer, and finish it. Every finish is recorded, so each puzzle builds its own leaderboard of best times. If you would rather keep it to a small group, edit the puzzle afterwards, switch it to private, and set an access code. Then only people with that code can open it.

What makes a good source image

• Detail and contrast help. A picture with distinct regions, meaning different colours, clear edges, and recognisable objects, is easier and more satisfying to assemble than a flat gradient or a large area of one colour.
• Square framing. Because off-square images are centre-cropped, keep the important part of the picture in the middle, or crop it to a square yourself before uploading so nothing you care about is cut.
• Use the largest version you have. The image is shown fairly large while solving, and a small file will look soft.
• Avoid tiny text near the edges. Fine print tends to land on a single piece and gives away its position, which makes the puzzle less interesting.
• Match the piece count to the image. A busy, detailed photo holds up well at 196 or 256 pieces. A simpler image is more fun at 64 or 100.

Managing your puzzles

Everything you have made is listed under “Create a puzzle,” with a count of how many puzzles you have published, how many are live, and how many players have registered across them. From there you can open any puzzle’s public page or delete it. Deleting removes the puzzle and its page for good.

Where your puzzle fits

A puzzle you create is one of several formats on PuzzlePace. There is also the daily challenge, scheduled events that start at a set time, and private races. If you want to see how the timing and ranking work across all of them, the online jigsaw competition page explains the system, and current best times are on the leaderboard. To try the format first, the demo on the home page takes about three minutes.