Print Medium Sudoku Puzzles

Print a set of medium 9x9 sudoku with answer pages, or play one on screen.

This page makes medium sudoku puzzles that you can print or save as a PDF, with answer pages added at the end if you want them. Every puzzle is a classic 9x9 grid with exactly one solution, and the site checks that before it shows you the puzzle.

The tool runs in your web browser. It is free, needs no sign-up and nothing to install, and nothing is uploaded, because the puzzles are made on your own device. The page opens on the Print tab, where you choose how many puzzles go on each page and how many pages you want. To solve on screen instead, use the Play tab.

Medium puzzles are a step up from easy ones: they need at least one technique beyond single candidates, which suits anyone who has finished a few easy grids and wants more of a challenge.

How to use the medium sudoku tool

Open the Print tab. The page opens there by default, and difficulty is already set to medium.
Set Puzzles per page: 1, 2, 4 or 6.
Set the number of pages, from 1 to 20; the info line shows how many puzzles that makes.
Choose US Letter or A4 paper.
Leave ‘Add answer pages at the end’ on if you want answers, or turn it off for puzzles only.
Turn ‘Show title and difficulty above each puzzle’ on or off; the label reads like ‘Sudoku — Medium — #3’.
Check the preview of page 1 and of its answer page.
Click ‘Print / Save as PDF’. To get a file, choose Save as PDF as the destination in your browser’s print dialog.

While the puzzles are being made, a progress counter shows the count, such as ‘Making puzzle 3 / 12’. You can press Cancel to stop.

To solve on screen, use the Play tab. Click a cell, then a number on the number pad, or type the digit. Arrow keys move, Backspace erases, and P or Space switches pencil mode on for small candidate notes. Your progress is saved in the browser on this device, so a reload continues the same puzzle. Copy link opens the same puzzle on another device.

How to solve medium sudoku

Start with the classic rule: every row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 to 9 exactly once. Begin by placing the digits that have only one possible cell, then the cells that have only one possible digit. Medium puzzles usually stop there, so you need the next techniques.

Pencil marks make this much easier. Write every possible digit into each empty cell, then remove candidates as you find reasons to.

Locked candidates. Look at one box. If all the places a digit can go in that box sit in one row or column, that digit cannot appear anywhere else in that row or column. The reverse also works: if a digit’s possible places in a row or column all lie inside one box, remove that digit from the rest of the box.

Naked pairs. If two cells in the same row, column or box both have only the same two candidates, such as 4 and 7, then no other cell in that unit can be 4 or 7.

Hidden pairs. If two digits can only go in the same two cells of a row, column or box, those cells must hold those two digits. Remove every other candidate from those two cells.

What makes a sudoku medium?

A sudoku is medium when its hardest required step is locked candidates or a naked or hidden pair. Single-candidate moves alone cannot finish it, but it does not need triples, X-Wing or harder methods.

The number of clues does not set the level. On the site’s generator, medium 9x9 puzzles have 26 to 29 clues, and hard puzzles have a similar count (26 to 30). Easy puzzles have 37 to 40. A medium puzzle can look as full as a hard one, so judge it by the techniques it needs, not by how many digits are given.

Frequently asked questions

Can I print medium sudoku with answers?

Yes. ‘Add answer pages at the end’ is on by default. The answer grids are smaller, several to a page, and numbered to match the puzzles. Turn the option off if you only want the puzzles.

How many puzzles per page can I print?

Choose 1, 2, 4 or 6 in Puzzles per page on the Print tab, then set how many pages you want, from 1 to 20. The preview shows page 1, and its answer page, before you print.

Can I print the same medium puzzles again later?

Yes. Each printed puzzle is labelled like ‘Sudoku — Medium — #3’, and the page footer shows the set’s seed. Enter that seed in the Seed field under ‘Repeat or share this set’, with the same settings, and you get the same puzzles.

Can I play a medium sudoku online instead?

Yes. Open the Play tab: the hint button names the technique for the next step, which is a good way to learn locked candidates and pairs.

Do I need to save a PDF to print?

No. Click ‘Print / Save as PDF’ to open your browser’s print dialog and print on paper. If you want a file, choose Save as PDF as the destination.

Easy sudoku: Use this when you want puzzles that can be solved with single candidates only.
Hard sudoku: Use this when medium puzzles feel too easy and you want harder techniques such as X-Wing.
Printable sudoku: Use this to print a mix of puzzles or choose a different difficulty.
Daily sudoku: Use this to solve a new puzzle each day on screen.
How to play sudoku: Use this if you are new to the rules and basic solving steps.
Sudoku solver: Use this to check a grid or find the solution to a puzzle you are stuck on.
4x4 sudoku: Use this for a smaller grid that is quicker to finish.