CubeSnap

How to solve a Rubik's cube step by step

This is the beginner layer-by-layer method for a standard 3x3. Solve the white face, then the middle layer, then the yellow face. Each later step uses a short move sequence that leaves the solved parts alone.

Notation

A letter is a quarter turn of that face as you look at it. Clockwise has no mark. An apostrophe is counterclockwise. A 2 is a half turn.

U up, D down, F front, R right, L left. Example: R U R' is right clockwise, up clockwise, right counterclockwise.

1. White cross

White center up. Place the four white edge pieces so they form a cross, and the other color on each edge matches the center on that side. This step is intuitive: there is nothing solved to protect yet. A cross with the side colors on the wrong centers is not done.

2. White corners

Put each white corner between the three centers it belongs to, with white on the white face. If a corner is in the right slot but twisted, take it out and insert it again. When the white face is solid and the side stickers of that layer match their centers, the first layer is done.

3. Middle layer

Turn the cube over so white is down and yellow is up. Find an edge in the top layer that has no yellow. Turn the top until its side color matches the center in front of you.

If the top color of that edge matches the center on the right, do:

U R U' R' U' F' U F

If it matches the center on the left, do:

U' L' U L U F U' F'

If a middle edge is in the middle layer but flipped or in the wrong slot, run either sequence once to pop it out, then insert it from the top.

4. Yellow cross

Ignore the side colors for now. Make a yellow cross on top with:

F R U R' U' F'

• Yellow line from left to right: do it once.
• Yellow L on the back edge and the left edge: do it twice.
• Only the yellow center: do it three times.

5. Yellow edges

This swaps the front and left yellow edges so their side colors can match the centers:

R U R' U R U2 R' U

You may need it more than once. Between tries, turn only the top layer so the two edges you want to swap sit at the front and left.

6. Place the yellow corners

A corner is in the right place when its three colors match the three centers it touches, even if it is still twisted. Hold one correct corner at the front-right-top. This cycles the other three:

U R U' L' U R' U' L

Do it twice to cycle them the other way. If no corner is in the right place, do it once and look again.

7. Twist the yellow corners

Hold an unsolved corner at the front-right-top. Repeat this until that corner's yellow sticker is on top (two or four times):

R' D' R D

The cube will look scrambled. That is expected. Turn only the top layer to bring the next unsolved corner to the front-right-top, and repeat. Do not turn the whole cube. When the last corner is oriented, the cube is solved.

Questions

What do the move letters mean?

Each letter is a quarter turn of that face as you look at it: U up, D down, F front, R right, L left. A letter alone is clockwise. An apostrophe is counterclockwise. A 2 is a half turn.

Do I have to memorize the method?

No. The free CubeSnap web solver, and the iPhone and Android apps, show the moves for your cube step by step in 3D. This page is the beginner method if you want to learn it.

Have a scrambled cube in front of you? Use the solver from a photo instead of setting it up by hand.