Publishing puzzles

Objective

Learn how to publish and distribute your puzzles using various methods and platforms.

The Publish page is where you access all the options to get embed codes, sharing links, and other distribution methods for your puzzles or series pickers. This page is accessed by clicking the "Publish" button on the Preview page.

At the top, you may see a banner with important information, and a back button to return to the Preview page.

The main content area is organized into tabs for different publishing methods.

Publish options for a puzzle

Select a tab to view the specific options and codes. Use the "Copy" button within each tab to copy the relevant code or link to your clipboard.

If a puzzle is unpublished, information about its unpublished status might be displayed within the Embed, Direct Link, and WordPress tabs.

Publish options

Direct link

Publish options for a puzzle

Use this tab to get a direct URL for your puzzle or picker. This link is suitable for sharing via email, social media, or for embedding on platforms supporting oEmbed (like Medium or Reddit). A QR code is also provided, which can be scanned or downloaded for use in print or presentations.

Embed

Embed options: JavaScript and iframe

This tab provides code snippets for embedding the puzzle or picker directly into your website or blog. Two common methods are available:

• JS embed: The recommended method for most users, providing better compatibility with some PuzzleMe™ features.
• iFrame embed: A standard HTML iframe code. You can typically adjust parameters like iframe height directly in the provided code snippets.

WordPress

WordPress shortcode

If you use WordPress, this tab provides the necessary shortcode to easily embed your puzzle or picker using the PuzzleMe WordPress plugin. See our specific WordPress documentation for more details on plugin installation and usage.

Test Solve

Test solve link

This tab provides a special link intended only for test solvers to provide feedback on draft puzzles, even unpublished ones. Test solve links include a commenting feature (Disqus-based) in the puzzle player, allowing test solvers to provide their comments. Do not share these links publicly. Test solve links are not available for series pickers.

Download as CSV

Download as CSV

You can download and export the contents of your puzzles in the form of CSV files. The CSV file contains a list of rows, where each row represents a single word in a puzzle. You can download the CSV file contents for individual puzzles, as well as all the puzzles in a series. The content of Crosswords, Jigsaw, Kriss Kross, Quiz, Sudoku, Wordrows, Word Flowers and Word Searches can be downloaded as a CSV. The content of games such as Codeword cannot be downloaded.

CSV Export Field Mapping

The following table shows which fields are included in CSV exports for each puzzle type:

Universal Columns (Always Present)

Field	Description
Series	Series name
Puzzle ID	Unique puzzle identifier
Puzzle Type	e.g. CROSSWORD, QUIZ, SUDOKU, JIGSAW, etc.
Title	Puzzle title
Publish Time	Publish date/time
Author	Author name
Tags	Tags/labels
Start Message	Puzzle intro message
Notes	Remark (for unsupported type/error if any)

Type-Specific Columns

Field	Crossword	Word Search	Word Flower	Wordrow	Kriss Kross	Quiz	Sudoku	Jigsaw
Grid/Word Puzzle Fields
Starting X	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Starting Y	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Clue Number	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Across/Down	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Answer	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Clue	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Quiz Fields
Question Text	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
Incorrect Options	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
Correct Option	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
Explanation	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
Puzzle Data Fields
Puzzle Data	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅

note

• ✅: Field is included in CSV export for this puzzle type
• ❌: Field is not applicable for this puzzle type
• Grid/Word Puzzle Fields: Used for puzzles with word-based content and grid positioning
• Quiz Fields: Used for question-answer format puzzles
• Puzzle Data Fields: Used for puzzles with serialized data (e.g., Sudoku grid arrays, Jigsaw image URLs)
• The availability and format of this feature may change in the future.

Print

Print options

This section offers options to export the puzzle content for printing or saving as a PDF. You can typically choose to print the game grid, the solution, an empty grid, or clues and answers. For some puzzles, an SVG vector image export might also be available. Print options are generally not available for series pickers or certain puzzle types (like Word Flower, Wordrow, Quiz).

Google Classroom

Google Classroom sharing

This tab initiates the process for sharing a puzzle as a Google Classroom assignment. This integration has specific requirements: it works only for certain puzzle types (Crossword and Sudoku) and requires you to be logged in via Google on a personal plan. Refer to the Google Classroom integration guide for complete details.

Slack

Slack sharing

You can now share your puzzle on the Slack app by adding PuzzleMe For Teams to your Slack. Refer to the Slack integration guide for complete details.

Spectator Mode

Spectator Mode

Spectator mode is a new feature of PuzzleMe, designed for live crossword events and contests. It allows you to view and broadcast a screen with multiple solvers solving their puzzles simultaneously

Spectator mode is available on PuzzleMe's professional and enterprise plans. It can be accessed from the Publish page of a crossword puzzle and can be enabled on a per-series level. If the Spectator Mode button is disabled, please get in touch with us.

Refer to Spectator mode guide for complete details.

FAQ

I have embedded the puzzle. If I update the game, then do I need to update the embed link?

Great question! The short answer is no — you don't need to update the embed code. We've designed the embedding process to be simple: any changes you make to the game will automatically be reflected, with no need to touch the embed code.

Publish Options Availability

The following table illustrates which publish options are available for what puzzle types:

Option	Puzzles	Pickers
Direct Link	✅	✅
Embed	✅	✅
WordPress	✅	✅
Test Solve	✅	❌
Download as CSV	Crossword, Codeword, Word Flower, Word Search, WordroW, Kriss Kross	✅
Print	Crossword, Codeword, Word Search, Kriss Kross, Sudoku	❌
Google Classroom	Sudoku & Crossword, only for PuzzleMe accounts with Google login	❌
Slack	✅	❌
Spectator Mode	Only on Professional & Enterprise plans	❌
Wix	✅	✅
Notion	✅	✅
WhatsApp Share	✅	❌
X Share	✅	❌
Facebook Share	✅	❌
Bluesky Share	✅	❌
LinkedIn Share	✅	❌