Also see our YouTube Tutorials and Tips. If your question is not answered there or here, please contact us.
Yes, Crossword Compiler 11 is fully compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 (desktop or laptop, also running on Windows 11 ARM and under Parallels on Mac).
No, the program should run fine on any computer that can run Windows. Advanced filling features will be faster if you have a more modern CPU with more cores, but it will work fine anyway.
Windows may give a security warning about installing any third-party software, this is normal so you can proceed anyway.
If Windows SmartScreen gives a warning about an "unrecognized app", go to Start > Settings > Update and Security. Navigate to Windows Defender and click Open Windows Defender Security Center. Click the App and browser control section, scroll down, find Check apps and files and turn it off.
If it does not give you an option to proceed, you may be running windows in a protected "S mode", where it does not allow installing any third-party software. To install the program you just need to first turn "S mode" off - see the instructions here.
The program only runs on Microsoft Windows. However, you can run the program on a Mac if you have Windows running in a virtual machine. If you have a new Apple Silicon Mac (or an older Intel Mac), you can use the latest version of Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or the free Virtual Box. Parallels with a new Macs is known to work very well (running Crossword Compiler Windows 11 ARM). You can get free Windows virtual machines to try from Microsoft. It is also possible to run Windows on the cloud from your Mac in a web browser. See Windows 365 Cloud PCs for heavy usage, or try out and pay by the hour e.g. with AppOnFly (use code CROSSWORD for 30% off paid plans).
Crossword Compiler can only run on Windows desktop/laptop or tablets to make puzzles (or in a Virtual Machine). However, interactive web puzzles that you create with Crossword Compiler can be solved online on iPads and other tablets.
Yes, our order processing company MyCommerce accepts purchase orders from business clients. Please see the ordering page and on the basket page select the non-PayPal payment option. There will then be an option to select Purchase Order payment method and upload your order.
Yes, please see the ordering page one of the (non-PayPal) payment options is then wire transfer - you will be given the bank details after filling in the order form online.
Subscriptions include all upgrades while the subscription is active. If you made a one-time purchase minor updates are free for one year and can be downloaded from the users' page.
You can order online and download immediately - the download instructions are sent to your e-mail address as soon as you've completed the order (except in unusual cases where extra security checks are required). See the Ordering page for details.
This is available by e-mail, questions are usually answered within a day. You can also press F1 at any time in the program to see relevant help, and view a number of video tutorials.
You will be sent a reminder a week or two before any subscription auto-renewals. Most purchases are handled by MyCommerce, their site allows you to cancel auto-renewals or change payment method. Request login details on their Get Login page. Note that your login User ID may be a combination of your email address and a number, not just your email address; the User ID for each purchase is also listed in your original order notification email. If you are in the UK and paid by PayPal, you can manage your subscription by logging in to PayPal.
The English version of the program can make puzzles in many languages, and non-English word lists can be used with the English version. There are also French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese versions of the program with a localized user interface, and default settings adapted for the different languages. By default, you'll receive the program version in the language you're using to view the site. If you prefer to download a different language, you can change the language at the top-right of the order download page before downloading. Different languages install as different programs on your computer.
If you have a main computer and a laptop, a single user license may be installed on both as long as no-one else uses either computer.
The program comes licensed to use the solving applet on one website. You can have as many crosswords as you like on that website, and as many people as you like solving them. You can buy additional program licenses if you want to make crosswords for other sites. Alternatively you can buy a multi-user license, where the number of "users" is the number of websites on which you wish to use the applet. Read the license.
No, copyright on puzzles you create with the program is all yours. (But see the next question).
Yes, we offer a Business Bundle which includes a re-brandable applet licensed for one site. See the ordering page..
You currently get a fixed generation quota per subscription year (larger with the Pro version). Whenever you use the Generate Clues feature it will tell you approximately how many generations of the same number of clues are left, and you can check your token quota any time under "License number" on the Help menu. The quota should be enough to make many puzzles, but if needed you can also purchase additional tokens.
Probably if you have an active subscription or purchased recently, see the re-download request page. if you make a one-off purchase, you should make your own backups.
If you have received an upgrade notification email, you can order the upgrade through the personalized link provided. You will then be able to download and do a full new installation of the latest version, no need to install the old version first.
For all practical purposes, no.
When you install the program there is an option to use British, American, Canadian or Australasian English.
Yes, you can convert any plain text list of words for use with Crossword Compiler. Very short lists of words can also be used directly for making word searches and vocabulary puzzles. See the Word List Manager on the words menu and corresponding help topics.
Select the Word List Manager from the Words menu and select an option from the Convert menu. This is demonstrated in the video tutorial on importing.
When using the default word list you can avoid vulgar words altogether by setting the minimum word score for grid filling and word finding to a number between 11 and 25 - all the vulgar words in the Default word list have a score of 10. You can change the minimum word score under Change List Usage on the Words menu, or for grid filling by selecting Fill Grid from the Words menu. When making a word search puzzle you can set a blacklist of words to avoid - see the Options tab in the Create Wordsearch Puzzle window.
Yes, a sample American clue database is supplied. You can also generate clues using AI, create your own databases or use WordWeb Pro to quickly find definitions or synonyms.
Yes, you can import a `CSV' format file of words and clues, e.g. as saved by any spreadsheet program, see the option on the Menu button in the Clue Database Manager on the Clue menu. The import options and procedure to import from an Excel file are demonstrated in this video tutorial.
You should be able to recover the list from your Windows recycle bin. You can also use "Undo/Revert Changes" in the Word List Manager's Word List menu to view file history and recover.
Yes, the Pro Grid Filler comes with a feature to find a grid to fit a small number of chosen theme words. You can also type words directly into the grid and then fill around them (though if you put too many theme words in the grid it is unlikely that it will be possible to find a fill). You can also create a themed puzzle using two word lists, one for the theme and one for surrounding words - use Fill Grid on the Words menu. There's a video tutorial on the various types of themed fill you can do.
Yes. The default word list gives a score to each word. The grid filling algorithm tries to use more of the higher scoring words. You can also set a cut-off to avoid obscure words altogether - see the settings under Fill Grid on the Words menu. There's a video tutorial on scoring if you want to change or manipulate scores yourself.
Yes, there's no specific support, but they can be made quite easily. To fill a grid with random numbers open the blank grid, use Clue Properties-> Language Specifics to change the Alphabet to "0123456789". Then use Fill Random Letters on the grid menu. You may get some numbers starting with 0, but could manually tweak them if you don't want that. Fill-in words (numbers here) can then be printed or exported as normal.
Yes. Select Clues With Answers under "Print/PDF for review" on the File menu (there is a convenient button "Set for review" to set common settings for submissions). You can configure alignment and spacing by changing the settings under Printout in Clue Properties on the Clue menu. You may also find the getting started PDF guide and tutorials useful.
Have a look at the Cruciverb-L web site. There are some submission guidelines there for mostly-US puzzles.
Yes. When you've finished the grid using "Print/PDF for review" on the file menu to print "clues with answers". The clues will be printed out with a space for writing each clue.
There are various options under Print on the File menu. The size of the grid will depend on the settings under Grid Properties (Grid menu), and the clue font can be changed on the Clue menu. You can change the spacing for printing clues with answers under Clue Properties, Printout, on the Clue menu. You can use the Print/Export Worksheet feature (File menu) to automatically fit everything on one page (e.g. with clues wrapping around the grid).
Use the Word Format entry in the Clue Editor. If you create cryptic clues this is what appears in brackets after the clue to indicate the solution length. For example, to make "pregnant pause" appear correctly the format should be "8,5". You can also type a space into the solution word in the clue editor. If you use a supplied word list or WordWeb Pro most words should be formatted automatically for you. For more examples see the video tutorial.
Yes, put the cursor somewhere in the word and press Shift+Delete. This will delete all the letters in the word except for those that are part of intersecting words.
In the Clue Editor right-click on the clue and select Insert Symbol from the menu that pops up. There are various similar special characters that you can insert. The keyboard shortcuts are listed on the menu.
The crossword.info web hosting account automatically supports the Submit button. Using the Submit button on your own website is more complicated. To implement the Submit feature you need to write and install your own processing scripts on your web server.
Make sure that you have uploaded all the files listed when you exported the puzzle (When you export these are automatically copied to the same folder). Check that the file names on your website are the same case as on your local machine (website file names are case-sensitive). If you are using a WordPress site, use the plugin.
The options set under Preferences on the Options menu affect all the crosswords you create. However, most other settings apply only to the current crossword. To change the settings that are used when you create a new crossword, you need to create a new (or replace an existing) template. Look in the help index under Templates for more information or the video tutorial.
For a vocabulary puzzle, simply start a new puzzle in the same session, then instead of re-using the same word list as it is, use the Action button option "Remove words used in last fill(s)", which will remove words you used in the previous puzzles. This is demonstrated in the video tutorial on vocabulary puzzles.
For filling grids from a word list, select the "Change scores of words in puzzle" option on the Words menu when you have completed a puzzle. This feature lets you lower the score of the words in the puzzle so that they are less likely to be used the next time you create a puzzle from the same word list. To avoid repeating words altogether you can change the scores to a value below the cutoff - e.g. change scores of used words to 1. For more information about word scoring see the help file or the video tutorial.
Finally, if you are making a vocabulary puzzle or word search from a clue database, the Options tab has an option to avoid clues that have been date-stamped recently. By adding clues to your clue database with a date stamp each time you complete a puzzle, you can use this option to avoid repeating clues in future puzzles.
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