Help & FAQ
Quick answers for building, publishing and sharing puzzles. Can't find what you need? Email us.
What can I build here?
Three puzzle types: word search (pick a grid size and list your words), sudoku (generate one at a difficulty, or build the givens by hand), and jigsaw (upload a photo and choose how it's cut). Start from My puzzles with one of the "+ New…" buttons.
Why can't I publish yet?
Every puzzle is checked before it can go live: a word search needs all its words placed on the grid, and a sudoku needs to have exactly one solution (this runs in the background for sudoku, so publishing shows "Validating…" for a few seconds). If a check fails, the builder shows exactly what to fix. You also need to tick the ownership checkbox in the Publish panel before the Publish button turns on.
Who owns a puzzle once it's published?
It depends on your plan at the moment you hit publish, and it's fixed from then on — upgrading or downgrading later doesn't change it retroactively. On the Free plan, GridHearth owns the published puzzle and it carries a "Made with GridHearth Create" watermark wherever it's embedded; you're still credited as the creator. On Creator/Studio plans (see Pricing), you keep full ownership and there's no watermark. Full details are in the Terms of Service.
Can I edit a puzzle after publishing?
Yes — open it from My puzzles and hit Edit. Saving changes to a published puzzle updates the live version immediately; it doesn't need to be re-published.
How do I share or embed a puzzle?
Every published puzzle has its own page at /play/{slug} — just share that link. To embed it on another site, use an iframe pointed at https://create.gridhearth.com/embed/{id}.
How does scoring work?
We record how long it took you to finish a puzzle and whether you completed it, so puzzle pages can show play counts and average times. The server re-checks every finished puzzle against the real solution before counting it, so results can't be faked from the browser.
I found a puzzle that shouldn't be published — how do I report it?
Open the puzzle's play page and use the report button next to the leaderboard. Reports go to our moderation queue and we review every one.
How do I change my username or delete my account?
Both are in Settings: update your public username at the top, or use "Delete account" at the bottom to permanently remove your account. See our Privacy Policy for exactly what that does and doesn't remove.
What plans are available?
Everyone is on the Free plan today. Creator and Studio plans are described on the Pricing page, but aren't open for purchase yet.