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How to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube in 7 easy steps
(1) White Cross --> (2) White Corners --> (3) Middle Layer --> (4) Orient Yellow Cross --> (5) Orient Yellow Corners --> (6) Permute Yellow Corners --> (7) Permute Yellow Edges
Introduction to the cube, and notation
Before learning how to solve a Rubik's cube, it's a great idea to understand some basics of the puzzle. The cube is made up of three types of pieces: centrepieces, edge pieces, and corner pieces.
Centrepieces are held in the core of a Rubik's cube, each containing just one colour. They determine the colour of each face and they never move. This means that on a standard Rubik's cube, opposite the white centre will always be the yellow centre, opposite the red centre will always be the orange centre and opposite the green centre will always be the blue centre. These pieces always stay in a fixed position!
Edge pieces have two different colours on them, and corner pieces have three different colours on them. Each edge piece and corner piece belongs around its corresponding centrepieces. You know they are solved when their colours match the centrepieces around them. It's also important to be aware that an edge piece cannot turn into a corner piece and corner pieces cannot turn into edges. Each piece on the cube is unique.
The aim of the puzzle is to complete all six sides of the cube. However, instead of solving the cube one side at a time, the method in this guide will explain how to complete everything layer by layer. While you're following these simple steps, try to think of the individual pieces instead of just stickers.
All methods for solving the Rubik's cube include algorithms which are sequences of moves that can solve certain pieces without scrambling the already solved pieces. Cube notation is used to read these movements. Here's how algorithms are written:
R is for the right layer, L is for the left layer,
U is for the upper layer, D is for the down layer,
F is for the front layer, B is for the back layer
Letters are either written on their own, or with an apostraphe', or a number 2:
- A capital letter written by itself means you turn that layer clockwise. (e.g., R means to turn the right face clockwise, and B means to rotate the back side clockwise)
- A capital letter with an apostraphe after it means you turn that layer anticlockwise. (e.g., F' means to turn the front face anticlockwise, and U' means to rotate the upper face anticlockwise.
- A capital letter with a number 2 after it means you turn that layer twice. For example, U2 means to turn the upper face 2 times in any direction and L2 means to turn the left side 2 times in any direction.
Well done for understanding the basics of the puzzle and cube notation. You're now ready to learn the easiest step-by-step method for how to solve a Rubik's cube.
Step 1 - White Cross
The first step for solve a Rubik's cube is to build the white cross. The cross should consist of 4 white edge pieces belonging around their two correct centrepieces.
Building the cross is intuitive in in a lot of cases. However to make this stage even simpler, we can break it down into two stages:
1) Create a daisy
2) Turn the daisy into a cross
The daisy should include 4 white petals surrounding the yellow centrepiece. Creating a daisy doesn't require you to learn any algorithms. It's all very intuitive!
(DAISY EXAMPLE 1)
Here, rotating the right face clockwise (R) positions the third edge into the daisy.
Rotating the front face anticlockwise (F') puts the final cross edge into its position, finishing our daisy.
(DAISY EXAMPLE 2)
In this scenario, if you rotate the left side up, you'd be messing up a different white edge piece. To avoid this problem, rotate the top layer clockwise to place it into an empty slot.
(DAISY EXAMPLE 3)
If a white edge piece is located at the top or bottom, move the front layer to position the edge on the right or left.
You can then solve/insert the piece as normal.
After completing the daisy, we can then turn it into a white cross by solving just one piece at a time:
First, choose any white edge piece you'd like to insert into the cross. Let's choose the white and blue edge in this scenario.
Rotate the top layer so the colour of the edge matches its corresponding centre piece.
Here, blue is matching with the blue centrepiece - Now the edge is ready to be inserted into the cross.
Finally, rotate the front face 180 degrees (F2) to solve your first cross edge.
Repeat this process for all four white edge pieces:
Congratulations on completing the cross! To make sure it's all correct, your cube should show a white plus-sign with each edge aligning with both centre pieces.
Step 2 - White Corners
The second step for solving a Rubik's cube is to complete the four white corners. This results in a finished first layer.
To begin solving the white corners, position your cube with the cross facing on the bottom. You should see the yellow centre on top.
To begin, search for any white corner piece in the top layer. Once found, compare the three colours on that corner piece to the centres it’s above. This corner contains the colour’s White, Orange, and Blue. Therefore, this piece must belong around the White, Orange, and Blue centrepieces. To solve this corner, rotate the top layer to locate it above where it should go:
We’re now ready to solve it!
Position the white corner piece on the front right and keep repeating this four-move-sequence over and over again until it’s solved.
Well done, you’ve solved your first corner! Now, just repeat this same process for the three remaining corner pieces.
Sometimes, when searching for white corner pieces in the top layer, you might not be able to see any. If there aren’t any white corners in the top layer, take a look at the bottom layer. Once found, hold that white corner on the front-right of the cube. Then, perform the same four-move sequence once, to bring that corner into the top layer:
You can now solve this corner piece as normal 🙂
Note: (For a white corner piece to be fully solved, all three colours must match with all correct centrepieces).
Here, this white corner piece may look like it’s been solved correctly. However, looking carefully, we can see that although the colour white is matching, orange does not match the blue centre, and green doesn’t match the orange centre.
If a piece is located in it’s incorrect position, hold it on the bottom-front-right to perform the easy four-move sequence:
Finally, move the corner piece above its correct location to solve it normally.
Repeat this process for all four white corner pieces.
Congratulations on completing the white corners! You’re 1 step closer to becoming a speedcuber 🙂
Step 3 - Middle Layer
The third step for solving a Rubik’s cube is to solve the four middle-layer edge pieces, which should result in a solved second layer.
Firstly, choose any edge piece positioned in the top layer that DOESN’T have yellow.
Here, this edge piece has the colours blue and yellow: It has yellow.
(We won’t solve this edge piece in step 3, since it shouldn’t belong in the middle layer).
Here, this edge piece has the colours red and green: it doesn’t contain yellow 🙂
Once you’ve chosen an edge piece without yellow, let’s solve it!
Firstly, rotate the top layer to match the edge piece with its corresponding centrepiece. (This creates an upside-down T-shape).
If the edge piece needs to go to the left, perform this algorithm:
If the edge piece needs to go to the right, perform this algorithm:
If every top layer edge piece has yellow, you take one out of the middle layer by replacing it with a yellow edge.
Here, the red and green edge piece is in its incorrect slot.
1) Replace the unsolved edge piece with a yellow edge piece. Here, we’ll choose the yellow and blue edge piece to replace it with. Since this yellow piece is going to the left, let’s perform this algorithm:
2) Now the red and green edge piece is in the top layer, we can solve it as normal. Match the red with the red centrepiece, forming an upside-down T-shape.
Since the red and green edge piece is going to the right, perform this algorithm:
Here, the orange and blue edge piece is flipped.
1) Replace the unsolved edge piece with a yellow edge piece. Here, let’s choose the yellow and green edge piece to replace it with. Since the yellow piece is going to the right, let’s perform this algorithm:
2) Now the orange and blue edge piece is in the top layer, we can solve it as normal. Match the orange with the orange centrepiece, forming an upside-down T-shape.
Since the orange and blue edge piece is going to the right, perform this algorithm:
Congratulations on solving the middle layer!
You’ve completed two-thirds of the Rubik’s cube. Let’s learn the how to solve the final layer 🙂
Step 4 - Orient Yellow Cross
The fourth step for solve a Rubik’s cube is to make the yellow cross, resulting in four yellow edge pieces oriented in the top layer.
Your cube will show one of these 3 possibilities for how the yellow edges are oriented (Line / L-shape / nothing).
(Edge orientation algorithm) = F (R U R’ U’) F’
NOTHING IS ORIENTED:
If your cube has zero yellow edge pieces facing on top, perform the edge orientation algorithm:
Now your cube should show an L-shape.
L-SHAPE:
If your cube shows an L-shape, hold the cube so that the L-shape is on the back left side of the cube and perform the edge orientation algorithm:
Now your cube should show a straight line.
STRAIGHT LINE:
If your cube shows a straight line of oriented yellow edges, hold the cube so that the straight line is horizontal and perform the edge orientation algorithm:
Congratulations on orienting the yellow cross 🙂
Step 5 - Orient Yellow Corners
The fifth step for solving a Rubik’s cube is to orient the four yellow corner pieces. This step should result in a solved yellow side.
To begin orienting the yellow corner pieces, cube rotate your puzzle to position your cube with the yellow side facing on bottom.
Hold your cube with the unsolved corner piece on the front-right, and execute the same four-move sequence we used in step 2. (Keep repeating this algorithm over and over again until the yellow corner piece is oriented).
After doing this, your cube will start to look quite scrambled. However, as soon as you’ve completed this process for every corner piece, the first two layers will fix themselves automatically, as long as every move has been done correctly.
Once you’ve correctly oriented your first corner piece, keep your cube in the exact same position and rotate the down face (D) to bring the next unsolved corner piece into the front-right.
Now, keep repeating the easy four-move sequence until that corner piece is also oriented:
Continue this process until all four yellow corner pieces have been oriented.
Once you’ve correctly oriented all four yellow corner pieces, cube rotate the puzzle to hold the yellow side on top.
Congratulations on orienting the yellow side. Now you’re ready to learn how to start swapping around all the pieces to complete the Rubik’s cube!
Step 6 - Permute Yellow Corners
The sixth step for solve a Rubik’s cube is to permute all the yellow corner pieces.
(Corner permutation algorithm) = R’ F R’ B2 R F’ R’ B2 R2
Firstly, check if there’s a side that contains two corner pieces of the same matching colours.
If only one side contains matching headlights, position your cube with the solved corners on the back.
Perform the corner permutation algorithm to finish the remaining corners.
If zero sides contain matching headlights, perform the corner permutation algorithm to solve two corners:
Finally, rotate the top layer to match all four corner pieces on their correct sides. – You’re almost there! 🙂
Step 7 - Permute Yellow Edges
The seventh step for solving a Rubik’s cube is to permute all the yellow edge pieces, to result in a completed Rubik’s cube!
(Edge permutation algorithm) = F2 U L R’ F2 L’ R U F2
Firstly, check if there’s a solved yellow edge piece in the top layer.
If your Rubik’s cube contains zero solved yellow edge pieces, perform the edge permutation algorithm:
Now your cube should contain one solved yellow edge piece.
If you have one solved yellow edge piece, hold the cube with that side on the back. Then perform the edge permutation algorithm (once/twice):
Congratulations! You have now successfully solved a 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube.
SOLVED!
Now you’ve solved your very first Rubik’s cube, let’s practise! Try mixing the cube up again, then follow these steps. At first, you might choose to look back at the instructions to remember the algorithms. When you’re ready, see if you can do these 7 easy steps without instructions. Once you know it, why not start timing yourself, to see how quickly you can solve it? 🙂
