How to Solve a Rubik's Cube: Complete Beginner's Guide

1. Anatomy of the Rubik's Cube

Before you start spinning layers, it's essential to understand the three types of pieces that make up a standard 3x3 Rubik's Cube. A solved cube has 6 faces, each a single solid color. When scrambled, there are over 43 quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000) possible configurations — but don't worry, our method will guide you through any scramble.

• Center Pieces (6 total): Located in the middle of each face. Each center has only one colored sticker and is fixed in place — it never moves relative to other centers. The center piece defines the final color of that face. For example, the face with the white center will always be the white face when solved.
• Edge Pieces (12 total): Located between two corners on each edge of the cube. Each edge piece has exactly two colored stickers. They can be moved and flipped (oriented) incorrectly.
• Corner Pieces (8 total): Located at the vertices (corners) of the cube. Each corner piece has exactly three colored stickers. They can be moved and twisted (oriented) incorrectly.

2. Understanding Move Notation

Speedcubers use a standard letter system (known as Singmaster notation) to describe cube moves. Each letter represents a face of the cube, and the move tells you to rotate that face 90 degrees clockwise (as if you were looking directly at it).

3. Step 1 — Solve the White Cross ✝️

The first step is to form a plus sign (+) on the white face by placing all four white-edge pieces around the white center. This is mostly intuitive — you don't need algorithms yet.

Goal: Create a white cross on top where each edge's side color also matches the center color of the adjacent face.

1. Find a white edge piece anywhere on the cube. It has one white sticker and one other color (e.g., white + red).
2. Move it to the top layer so the white sticker faces up, forming part of the cross.
3. Check the side color: The non-white sticker of that edge must match the center piece directly below it. If the white-red edge is in place, the red sticker must be facing the red center.
4. Repeat for all four edges. If a side color doesn't match, rotate the top layer (U moves) until you find the correct position.

4. Step 2 — Solve the White Corners 🔲

Now we complete the entire white face by inserting the four white corner pieces into their correct positions.

Goal: Complete the white face AND have all first-layer side colors aligned with their centers.

1. Flip your cube over so that white is now on the bottom and yellow on top. (This makes it easier to work with the top layer.)
2. Find a white corner piece in the top layer. It will have three colors — white plus two others (e.g., white + red + blue).
3. Position the corner directly above where it needs to go by rotating the top layer (U).
4. Apply the algorithm:

Repeat this algorithm (up to 5 times) until the white corner drops into its correct position on the bottom layer. Then move on to the next corner.

5. Step 3 — Solve the Middle Layer (Second Layer) 🔀

With the white face complete on the bottom, we now solve the four edge pieces of the middle layer. These are the edges that do NOT have yellow on them.

Goal: Complete the first two layers (F2L) — the bottom white face and the middle layer should all be solved.

1. Find an edge in the top layer that does NOT have a yellow sticker.
2. Match its front-facing color with its center by rotating the top layer (U).
3. Determine the direction: The edge needs to go either left or right into the middle layer.

6. Step 4 — Solve the Yellow Cross ✝️

Now we move to the last layer (yellow face on top). The goal of this step is to form a yellow cross on top. We don't need the edges to match their sides yet — just get a yellow "+" shape.

Algorithm:

You may see one of three patterns on the yellow face:

• Dot (no edges yellow): Apply the algorithm once → you get an "L" shape.
• L-shape (two adjacent edges): Hold the L in the top-left corner, apply algorithm → you get a line.
• Line (two opposite edges): Hold it horizontally, apply algorithm → you get a cross.

7. Step 5 — Position the Yellow Edges 🔄

You now have a yellow cross, but the edge colors may not match their side centers. This step aligns them.

Method: Rotate the top layer (U) until at least two adjacent edges are matching their centers. Then hold the cube so the two correct edges are at the front and right, and apply:

After this, all four yellow edge pieces should match their side centers.

8. Step 6 — Position the Yellow Corners 📐

Now we move the four yellow corners to their correct positions (we'll orient/twist them in the next step). A corner is "correctly positioned" if the three colors on it match the three faces it touches — even if the yellow sticker isn't on top yet.

Find one correctly positioned corner. Hold it at the front-right-top position and apply:

Repeat until all four corners are in the correct positions (colors match the surrounding centers).

9. Step 7 — Orient the Yellow Corners (Final Step!) 🎉

This is the final step! All corners are in the right position, but some may be twisted so the yellow sticker isn't on top. We'll fix that now.

Algorithm (repeat until corner is oriented):

1. Hold the cube with a twisted corner at the front-right-top position.
2. Apply R' D' R D repeatedly (2 or 4 times) until the yellow sticker faces upward.
3. DO NOT rotate the whole cube. Only turn the top layer (U) to bring the next twisted corner to the front-right-top position.
4. Repeat the algorithm for each remaining twisted corner.

10. Tips for Faster Solving ⚡

• Practice the algorithms daily: Muscle memory is everything. The R U R' U' sequence should become second nature.
• Look ahead: While executing an algorithm, start planning your next move. This is called "look-ahead" and is the key to sub-60-second solves.
• Use finger tricks: Don't move your entire hand — use your index finger for U moves and your thumb for D moves.
• Use a speedcube: A proper speed cube (like the MoYu RS3M or GAN 356) turns much smoother than the original Rubik's brand.
• Time yourself: Use our Online Speedcubing Timer to track your Ao5 and Ao12 averages.
• Learn F2L intuitively: Once you're comfortable with LBL, learn to solve the first two layers simultaneously — this alone can cut your time in half.

11. What's Next? Advanced Methods 🚀

The Layer-by-Layer method is a fantastic starting point, but if you want to break the sub-30-second barrier, you'll need to learn one of the major speedcubing methods. Here's a quick comparison: