Nut sort solver facts at a glance
The nut sort solver handles 4 to 14 bolts of 3 to 6 nuts, up to 12 colors, and gives the fewest moves whenever its search can finish. It is free and runs in your browser.
| Bolts | 4 to 14, empty ones included |
|---|---|
| Nuts per bolt | 3, 4, 5 or 6 |
| Move rules | Matching nuts move together (default) or one nut per move |
| Hidden nuts | Not supported |
| Result | Fewest moves, or a solution marked as possibly not the shortest on very large levels |
| Price | Free, no account; runs on your device |
How to use the nut sort solver
- Count your bolts. Tap the number that matches your level, empty bolts included, then how many nuts fit on one bolt. Most levels use 4; harder ones use 5 or 6.
- Pick the move rule. In most nut and screw sort games, every nut of the same color on top moves at once. If your game moves one nut per tap, switch to One nut per move.
- Copy each bolt from the bottom up. Tap a bolt, then tap the color of its bottom nut, the next nut and so on up to the top. A full bolt moves you to the next one, and Undo nut takes back a wrong tap.
- Check the counters. Each color button counts the nuts you placed, for example 3/4. Every color needs exactly one full bolt of nuts, so a miscounted color shows up before you solve.
- Press Solve. You get a numbered list such as “Bolt 3 → 7” with the nuts that move. Next and Back show the bolts after each move, Play runs them all, and Copy level link saves the level with its answer.
Bolts are numbered left to right, top row first, in the order you entered them.
How the solver works
The solver runs a shortest-path search guided by a count of moves that are certainly still needed, so the first sorted arrangement it reaches has the fewest moves under the rule you picked. A move takes nuts off the top of one bolt and puts them on an empty bolt or on a nut of the same color, if there is room. With the default rule, every matching nut on top moves together, as many as fit. The solver searches the possible moves from your bolts, keeps each distinct arrangement once and steers by a count of moves that are certainly still needed: every run of one color that sits above a different color has to move at least once. That count never overestimates, so the first sorted arrangement it reaches has the fewest moves. It only calls a level impossible after trying every reachable arrangement. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do matching nuts move together or one at a time?
It depends on the game, so the solver supports both. Most nut sort and screw sort games lift every nut of the same color from the top of a bolt and move as many as fit onto the target. A few move one nut per tap, which is the same as ball sort. Pick the rule that matches your game before you press Solve; the move count is different for each rule.
How is nut sort different from ball sort and water sort?
The rules are close relatives. Moving matching nuts together works like pouring in water sort, and moving one nut per tap works like ball sort. The difference is the board: nuts sit on bolts instead of in tubes. For the other two, use the Ball Sort Puzzle Solver or the Water Sort Puzzle Solver.
Is the answer really the fewest moves?
When the result says no solution has fewer moves, yes: the search only stops at a sorted arrangement after it has ruled out every shorter one. A very large level can have too many arrangements to check in a browser. Then you get a solution marked as possibly not the shortest, or a message that the solver could not finish.
Why does the solver say my level cannot be solved?
Usually because a bolt was copied wrong or the move rule does not match your game. Every color has to fill exactly one bolt, so each color needs as many nuts as a bolt holds, and the solver names any color with too few or too many. With the counts right, it says impossible only after it has tried every reachable arrangement.
Can it solve levels with hidden nuts?
No. Some levels cover the lower nuts until you uncover them, and the solver needs every color to find an answer it can trust. Play until the hidden nuts show, then enter the bolts as they look now.
Is there an answer for every nut sort level?
There is no list of levels. Copy the level you are stuck on, from any nuts and bolts game, and the solver works out its answer, as long as every nut is visible.
Is the nut sort puzzle solver free?
Yes. It is free, with no account and no download, and it runs in your browser. The level you enter is solved on your device, and a level link keeps the bolts in the link itself.