How to Solve the Rubik's Cube

The two kinds of pieces

Every piece on the outside of the cube is either an edge or a corner — knowing the difference makes every step below much easier to follow.

The center pieces (one per face, 6 total) never move relative to each other — the center's color always tells you which face that color belongs to. That's why we build around the centers the whole way through.

Basic cube notation

Every algorithm on this page is written using single letters for each face. A letter by itself means turn that face clockwise a quarter turn (as if you're looking straight at it). A letter with an apostrophe (like R', said "R prime") means turn it counter-clockwise instead.

Same idea applies for B (Back) and D (Down) — you won't need those much in this tutorial. If a move has a "2" after it, like U2, just turn that face twice (a half turn) — direction doesn't matter for a 180°.

Make the white daisy

Hold your cube with the yellow center facing up. We're going to bring all 4 white edge pieces up to surround that yellow center, forming a flower shape — this is called the "daisy."

1. Find a white edge piece anywhere on the cube.
2. Turn whichever faces you need to bring it up next to the yellow center, with the white sticker facing outward (forming one "petal").
3. Repeat for the other 3 white edges.

Once your daisy is complete, keep the yellow center on top and don't touch it again. For each white petal, one at a time: rotate the top layer (U) until that petal lines up directly above the center whose color matches its other sticker (the non-white side). Once it's lined up, turn that side face 180° to bring the white piece all the way down to the bottom, forming part of the white cross. Repeat for all 4 petals.

Make the first layer

With the white cross now on the bottom, flip the cube so white is facing down and the white cross is on the bottom layer, out of sight. Now we'll insert the 4 white corner pieces to complete the whole white face.

Find a white corner piece in the top layer. Hold the cube so this corner is at the front-right-top position, then check which direction its white sticker is facing:

• Facing right (the white sticker is on the side facing right): use the Right Algorithm once.
• Facing left: rotate so the corner is at the front-left-top position instead, then use the Left Algorithm once.
• Facing straight up: keep it at front-right-top and use the Right Algorithm three times in a row.

If the corner isn't in the top layer at all (it got buried in the bottom layer during earlier steps), do either algorithm once on an empty-looking slot to pop it up to the top layer, then handle it like normal.

Repeat for all 4 white corners. Once they're all in, flip the cube back over — you should have a complete white face with a matching color ring around the sides (first layer done!).

Make the second layer

With white on the bottom, keep it there. This step places the 4 remaining middle-layer edge pieces — the ones with no yellow on them.

1. Find a non-yellow edge in the top layer.
2. Turn the top layer until the front sticker matches the front center.
3. Look at the sticker on top of the edge. Turn the top layer so the edge moves away from the center that matches the top color.
4. Do either a Righty or a Lefty, depending on which side the edge belongs on.
5. If you did a Righty, rotate the cube to the right. If you did a Lefty, rotate the cube to the left.

Repeat until all four middle-layer edges are solved.

The yellow cross

Flip the cube so yellow is facing up. Don't worry about matching side colors yet — this step only orients the top edges so they all show yellow on top, forming a cross. Look at the pattern of yellow on top and match it to one of these three cases:

• Dot: run the Cross Algorithm to turn your dot into a line.
• Line: hold the cube so the line is horizontal, then run the Cross Algorithm once — this finishes the cross.
• Hook: hold the cube so the two yellow edges form an "L" with the corner of the L pointing to the top-left, then run the Cross Algorithm once — this finishes the cross.

Every cube starts at Dot, Line, or Hook — never anything else. If you were at Dot, you'll land on Line or Hook next; just re-check the pattern and use the matching case above until you reach a full cross.

Position the yellow edges

You now have a full yellow cross on top — every top edge shows yellow. But the side colors of those edges probably don't match the side colors below them yet. This step fixes that, without undoing the cross.

1. Look at the 4 top edges and compare their side colors with the centers below them.
2. If you have one correctly matched edge, hold the cube so that correct edge is at the back and another correct edge is on your right, then run the algorithm below.
3. If none of the edges are correctly matched, run the algorithm from any angle. Afterwards, you'll have the previous case with one correct edge—hold it at the back with the other correct edge on your right, then run the algorithm again.

This algorithm cycles the remaining edges into place while keeping the correct edge at the back. Re-check the cube after each execution and repeat the process until all four edges match their centers.

Position the yellow corners

The top edges are fully solved now — only the 4 corners are left, and they may be in the wrong spots (we'll fix their twist/orientation in the final step, so don't worry if they don't show yellow on top yet).

1. Look at the 4 corners and check whether each one is sitting in its correct spot — meaning its two side colors match the two centers next to it, even if the top color is wrong.
2. If exactly one corner is already in its correct spot, hold the cube so that corner is at the front-left, then run the algorithm below.
3. If none of the corners are correctly placed, it doesn't matter how you hold the cube — just run the algorithm anyway.

Run it, then re-check which corners are correctly placed and repeat (always keeping a correct corner at the front-left when you have one) until all 4 corners are in their correct spots.

Finish the cube

Every piece is now in its correct final position — the only thing left is that some of the top corners are twisted, showing the wrong color on top. This last step fixes each one in place, one at a time, without moving anything out of position.

1. Pick any twisted corner and hold the cube so it's White-On-Top .
2. Run the algorithm below, checking after each repetition — this specific corner will cycle through different twists. Stop as soon as it shows white on top. This usually takes 2 or 4 repetitions.
3. Once that corner is fixed, turn only the bottom layer (D) — nothing else — to bring the next twisted corner into the front-right-top position. Don't worry that this seems to "mess up" the corner you just fixed; it hasn't moved, only rotated its view.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for each remaining twisted corner.

Once every corner shows yellow on top, do one last check: rotate the top layer (D) until all 4 sides line up perfectly with the layers below. That's it — your cube is completely solved. 🎉