Zip

Zip asks you to draw a single unbroken line that starts at the number 1, visits the numbers in order, and passes through every cell on the grid exactly once. The line moves between neighbouring cells horizontally or vertically, never diagonally, and it never branches or crosses itself — there is one path that satisfies the board.

What are the rules of the Zip puzzle?

Three things must all hold. First, the path is one continuous line of up/down/left/right steps. Second, it must reach the numbers in order — you go from 1 to 2 to 3 and so on, ending on the highest number. Third, it must be a full fill: every cell is used exactly once, with no cell skipped and none visited twice.

To solve Zip, trace the forced segments first: corners and cells boxed against the edge often have only one way the line can run, and because every cell must be filled with no branching, a cell with just two open sides is passed straight through.

What is the trick to LinkedIn Zip?

The fastest way in is to find moves that can only happen one way:

• Corners and dead-ends first. A corner cell touches only two neighbours, so the line through it is usually forced — lock those segments in early.
• Two-ways-out means straight through. Any cell with exactly two open neighbours must connect them, since the line cannot stop or branch there.
• Mind the order between numbers. The stretch of line between, say, 3 and 4 must contain no other numbered cell — if a route would reach 5 before 4, it is wrong.
• Fill the lonely cells. Watch for a cell the line could easily strand; plan so no cell is left unreachable, because every one must be used.

What is the winning habit?

Build outward from forced segments and keep the "every cell, exactly once" rule in mind. A proper Zip never needs a guess — there is always a next step the rules force.

What makes Zip more than connect-the-dots is the full-fill rule: the line must use the whole grid, so the numbers are only anchor points and the real puzzle is weaving a single path through every cell without dead ends.

Why does "fill every cell" change everything?

Without it you could simply zig-zag between the numbers; with it, every empty cell becomes a constraint. You must route the line so that no cell is left behind and no pocket is sealed off. This is what gives Zip its satisfying, tetromino-like flow.

How do you avoid trapping a cell?

As you draw, glance ahead: if a move would wall off a cell or a small region with no way back in, that move is wrong. Keeping the unused area connected is the single most useful habit in a bigger Zip board.

Open a Zip board by starting at 1 and tracing the forced segments — corners, edges and two-way cells — before worrying about the longer stretches.

How do you make the first deductions?

Begin on the cell marked 1. Look at the corners of the grid: a corner has only two neighbours, so the line that eventually passes through it can only run one way — pencil those segments in. Do the same for any cell pinned against an edge with a single open side ahead.

How does the path come together?

Now connect 1 toward 2 along the only route that does not strand a cell, then 2 toward 3, and so on. Each forced segment removes options from its neighbours, so the path grows until the single full-grid line that hits every number in order is the only one left — never a guess.

This page offers Zip at two sizes — a quick 5×5 and a roomier 6×6 — with bigger boards leaving longer stretches between the numbers and more chances to trap a cell. Every board, at either size, has exactly one solution reachable without guessing.

• The 5×5 board is the place to learn the corner-first, fill-everything rhythm; the whole path stays in view.
• The 6×6 board — the classic Zip size — adds more open space between checkpoints, so keeping the unused area connected matters more.

Tap New for a fresh board at either size, or play the shared Daily for the same Zip as everyone else and a streak to keep. Because every New button draws a brand-new board, this works as Zip unlimited too — as many puzzles as you like.

Zip is the one-line, fill-the-grid number puzzle that LinkedIn runs as one of its daily games; this page lets you play the same style of puzzle for free, as often as you like, with no account and no app. It is an independent version and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn.

To be clear, this is the LinkedIn Zip path puzzle — nothing to do with zip files, compression or zip-lines. If you enjoy drawing a single line by logic, it sits naturally beside the loop-and-path puzzles in this collection: try Masyu or Slitherlink, which also ask you to trace one continuous line, or the other daily LinkedIn-style puzzles Queens and Tango. The patient, never-guess habit carries straight across.

A few words come up whenever Zip is discussed — path, checkpoint, head, full fill and forced move — and knowing them makes any guide easier to follow.

• Path / line. The single connected route you draw through the cells.
• Checkpoint. A numbered cell; the path must reach them in order.
• Head. The current end of your line, where the next step is added.
• Full fill. The rule that the path covers every cell exactly once.
• Forced move. A step that can only happen one way, given the rules so far.

Most Zip tangles come from a few habits: stranding a cell, skipping the number order, crossing the line, and guessing instead of tracing forced moves.

• Stranding a cell. A move that seals off a cell or pocket with no way back in is a dead end — keep the unused area connected.
• Breaking the order. The line must reach the numbers 1, 2, 3 … in sequence; a route that hits a higher number too early is wrong.
• Crossing or branching. Zip is a single line — it never splits and never crosses itself.
• Guessing. If nothing seems forced, re-check the corners and any two-way cells; there is always a forced segment to extend.

Zip has a brisk, flowing feel — no numbers to add, just one line snaking to fill the grid — yet enough bite to keep you planning a few cells ahead. A single board is a satisfying minute or two, perfect for a quick break.

Like everything in this collection it is fair by design: each board has one path you can reach by reasoning, so finishing always feels earned. Play the shared Daily for the same puzzle as everyone else, or tap New for unlimited fresh boards. And because Zip rewards spatial planning and forced-move logic, it pairs naturally with Masyu, Queens and Tango — once you enjoy solving by pure logic, the whole collection opens up.