Water Sort Puzzle Solver
Stuck on a water sort puzzle? Enter the visible layers and search for a pour-by-pour solution. A pour moves the matching top run, up to the room available.
Pick a color below, then click a tube to add layers in bottom to top — copy them exactly as they appear in your level. Pick the eraser to remove a tube's top layer.
Supports visible colors, 4 or 5 units per tube, up to 12 colors and 1–3 empty tubes. Search limits: 400,000 nodes and about 8 seconds. No result does not prove a puzzle impossible.
Solution
Copy a level without changing the puzzle
Read every tube bottom to top
Number tubes left to right, continuing on the next row. A tube with red at the bottom, then green, then two yellow layers on top is entered as red, green, yellow, yellow. Reversing that order creates a different puzzle.
Use a screenshot beside the editor as a reference. This tool does not import screenshots or identify colors from an image. Pick a palette color, click the tube, then check the picture before moving to the next tube.
Match five-unit levels and spare tubes
For a five-layer level, select 5 in Units per tube before entering colors. Choose 1, 2 or 3 empty tubes to match the total number of containers in your puzzle.
The capacity is the number of spaces in a full tube, even when a tube currently has gaps. Copy the current contents into the matching total number of tubes; partly filled tubes stay partly filled. Every color used must still have exactly 4 or 5 units in total.
Use the arrangement, not the level number
“Level 80” or “Level 443” does not tell the solver which colors your app placed in its tubes. Different apps and versions can use different boards with the same number. Enter the visible arrangement to get a walkthrough for that position.
Our browser game's numbered levels are separate from mobile-app levels. Share copies a link to the board you entered, so a friend can inspect the same starting position.
Check a result before following it
Compare the first move with your game. The source's top color, receiving color and available space must match. A ×2 step pours two matching layers together; it is one pour, not two taps. If the boards diverge, stop and correct the input instead of continuing through the list.
For an input error, check the palette counters and remove an incorrect top color with the eraser. If the search reaches its limit, the position may be hard, entered incorrectly, or incompatible with these rules. The message alone does not establish which explanation applies.
Six-unit tubes, more than three spare containers, hidden colors, locked layers and special obstacles are outside this tool's current support. Omitting a layer or adding an empty tube that your game does not have can produce moves you cannot play.
Try a complete eight-pour example before copying a difficult level.
How to use the water sort solver
- Set up the tubes. Choose the number of colors, units per tube (4 in most water sort games), and how many empty tubes your level has.
- Enter each tube bottom-to-top. Treat every band of liquid as one unit. A tube that is half red then half blue (top) is entered as red, red, blue, blue.
- Solve and pour along. Each step tells you which tube to pour into which — ×2 / ×3 means that many units move in one pour, exactly like the game does it.
More sorting tools
Ball sort levels
Balls move one at a time, not in runs — use the ball sort puzzle solver for those levels.
Other color sort games
Hoops, nuts & bolts, blocks — the color sort solver covers one-piece-at-a-time variants.
Take a break
Play the free water sort game or the ball sort game — unlimited solver-verified levels right in your browser.
Water sort solver FAQ
How is a water sort solver different from a ball sort solver?
In water sort puzzles a pour moves the entire run of same-colored liquid at the top of a tube (as much as fits), not just one unit. This solver follows those pouring rules, so its solutions match what actually happens in water sort games.
Is there a water sort puzzle solver that can solve puzzles with unknown colors?
Some tools offer a mystery mode. Our solver requires every layer to be visible. If your game hides colors, record each reveal and enter the current position once all layers are known. Interactive hidden-color solving is not currently supported here.
Which water sort games does it solve?
Visible-color water/liquid puzzles with matching-top-color pouring rules: Water Sort Puzzle style apps, color water sorting browser games, and similar tube-pouring games with 4 or 5 units per tube and 1–3 empty tubes.
Why does the solver pour several units in one step?
Because that's how water sort works — a pour always moves the whole top run of one color if it fits. Steps marked ×2 or ×3 mean that many units move in that single pour.
Can I upload a screenshot to the water sort solver?
Image import is not available here. Use a screenshot as a reference and enter the liquid layers manually from bottom to top. A red-red-yellow-yellow bottle is four units, even though it shows only two color bands.
Can I solve a five-layer water sort level?
Yes. Select 5 under Units per tube before entering the arrangement. Match the total tube count and use 1–3 spare containers. Six-layer bottles and extra spare containers beyond that are not currently supported.
Does the solver guarantee the fewest pours?
No. It searches for a legal sequence, not a guaranteed shortest solution. Searches stop at 400,000 nodes or about 8 seconds; no result does not prove the position impossible.