In LinkedIn Zip you draw one continuous path that starts at 1, passes through every numbered cell in order and fills every single cell in the grid. Bold lines are walls your path can't cross, and a new puzzle arrives every day at midnight Pacific Time.
Zip is the quickest of the LinkedIn games to learn and one of the easiest to get stuck on halfway through. You think you're nearly there, then there's one empty cell in a corner you can't reach.
Here's how the game works according to LinkedIn's help page, what the buttons do, and a few habits that stop you painting yourself into a corner.
The rules in one go
- Draw a single path. No branches, no jumps.
- Start at the cell numbered 1.
- Visit the numbered cells in order: 1, then 2, then 3 and so on.
- Fill every cell in the grid. A gap means the puzzle isn't finished.
- Walls, shown as bold lines between cells, block your path, so you have to go around them.
How to draw the path
- Open Zip from the Games hub, My Network or LinkedIn search.
- Press and hold on cell 1.
- Drag through the grid towards 2, then 3, and so on.
- To erase part of your route, drag or click back to an earlier cell.
- Keep going until the last number is reached and no cell is left empty.
Hint, Undo and Reset
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hint | Erases your path back to your first mistake and shows the next correct step |
| Undo | Reverts your last move |
| Reset | Clears the whole grid |
| Haptic feedback (Settings) | Turns the vibration on or off, on mobile only |
The Hint button is more useful than it sounds. It doesn't only nudge you forward, it wipes out everything after your first wrong turn. If you've been going in circles, that tells you exactly where the route went wrong.
How to stop getting stuck
These habits aren't from LinkedIn, they're just what follows from the fill-every-cell rule:
- Look at the corners first. A corner cell only has two neighbours, so the path has to enter one way and leave the other.
- Treat walls as shortcuts for your thinking. A cell boxed in by walls on two sides has only one or two ways in and out.
- Don't race to the next number. The quickest line between two numbers often leaves cells you can't come back for.
- Sweep in rows or columns. Zigzagging back and forth through an area fills it without leaving islands.
- Watch for single empty cells beside your path. If one can't be reached later, back up now.
Hint, Undo or Reset: which to use
Use Undo when you've just made a move you regret. Use Hint when you're not sure where it went wrong, because it rolls the path back to your first mistake. Only use Reset when you want a completely fresh look at the grid, since it throws away the parts of your route that were right.
Common Zip mistakes
- Leaving a lone cell boxed in by your own path. If it can't be reached later, it'll never be filled.
- Forgetting a wall. A bold line between two cells means your path can't step across, even if they look next to each other.
- Skipping ahead in the numbers. Reaching 4 before 3 breaks the order rule, even if every cell ends up filled.
The pattern behind all three is rushing. Zip rewards looking two or three moves ahead, especially near walls and corners, so a few seconds of planning before you touch the grid usually saves you a full reset later on.
What you get when you finish
Your results page compares your score with averages for all members, your company, CEOs and others. It also shows your streak and game analytics, lets you set a reminder for the next puzzle, and links to the connections leaderboard and, if you're eligible, the company or school leaderboard. There's a daily discussion post too, if you want to compare routes.
Can you replay an old Zip?
No. Each puzzle expires at midnight Pacific Time when the new one is released, and LinkedIn says previous puzzles can't be played after that. If your streak matters to you, play before then.
Guest players
You can play Zip without a LinkedIn account. The downside is that a guest score is only kept for 30 minutes before it's deleted, and guests can't keep a streak or see leaderboards. Sign in within that window to keep your result.
Desktop or app?
Zip works on both, and the help page covers both mouse and touch. The only setting that's app-only is haptic feedback, the little vibration as your path moves. Some people find dragging easier with a finger, others prefer a mouse on bigger grids, so try both and stick with whichever feels steadier.
Zip versus the other LinkedIn games
Zip is pure route planning, with no words or numbers to place. If you prefer filling grids, Queens and Mini Sudoku are closer to that, and Pinpoint suits word lovers. If you're on LinkedIn for business, treat any of them as a warm-up, not the main event: a clear content strategy for founders will do far more for you than a streak.
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And if you want something similar off LinkedIn, try sliding puzzle games for a quick brain workout.
My advice
Plan the awkward bits before you draw: corners, walled-in cells and any narrow corridors. Sweep through open areas instead of darting between numbers. And when you've gone wrong, use Hint once, because it shows you the exact point where the route broke instead of making you start again.
Related guides live in the LinkedIn Help: 28 Guides to Profile Views, Impressions, Algorithm and Account Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play LinkedIn Zip?
Press and hold on cell 1 and drag one path through the numbers in order until every cell in the grid is filled.
What do the bold lines mean in Zip?
They're walls. Your path can't go through them, so you have to route around.
Do you have to fill every cell in Zip?
Yes. The puzzle is only solved when the path visits the numbers in order and fills every cell.
What does the Hint button do in Zip?
It erases your path back to your first mistake and shows the next correct step.
How do you erase part of a path in Zip?
Drag or click back to an earlier cell, or use Undo to revert your last move.
When does a new Zip puzzle come out?
Every day at midnight Pacific Time, when the previous puzzle expires.
