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Almost everything in Picross DS is controlled by using the stylus on the touch screen. The only exceptions are:

• - Open the Pause Menu
• - Quit puzzle (only works in Daily Picross mode)

Other buttons can also be used as an alternative to using the stylus and touch screen:

• - Select an item or square
• - Confirm a selection / Fill in a square
• - Cancel / Place an X in a square
• - Zoom in / Zoom out (on large puzzles only)
• or - Turn page