How to Solve a Rubik's Cube

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Updated: November 20, 2019

The Rubik's Cube can be very frustrating and may seem next to impossible to restore to its original configuration. However, once you know a few algorithms, it is very easy to solve. The method described in this article is the layer method: first you solve one face of the cube (first layer), then the middle layer, and finally the last layer.

Part 1 of 4:
First Layer

  1. 1
    Familiarize yourself with the Notations at a later step in the article.
  2. 2
    Choose one face to start with. In the examples that will follow, the color for the first layer is white. It’s important to note that starting with a color other than white can be confusing if you are just starting. This is because you will have to imagine different colors in place of the ones in this article.
  3. 3
    Solve the cross. Find the side with the white square in the center and put it on top. Set into position the four edge pieces that contain white. The color that the edges have must line up with both the white center and the center on the sides of the cube. The cross only needs a maximum of eight moves to become solved. (five or six in general).
    • If you put a white edge piece in the correct place but it is flipped around, then try popping it out of the top layer and reinserting it correctly.
    • If you are really struggling, then put the white edge pieces next to the yellow center instead and then rotate each edge piece above its correct center, bringing it down so it is now next to the white center instead.
    • Place the cross at the bottom. Turn the cube over 180° so that the cross is now on the bottom.
  4. 4
    Solve the four corners of the first layer, one by one. You should also be able to place the corners without needing algorithms. To get you started, here is an example of one corner being solved:
    • There are some algorithms if you cannot do it intuitively yet. Try turning the cube so the white is facing up again, and check to see which direction the corner points. If it faces right, you can do R’ D’ R. If it faces you, you can do D’ R’ D R. If it faces down, you can do F L D2 L’ F’.
    • Another common method for solving a corner is to have it above the slot it needs to go in and repeat R U R’ U’ until it is solved.
    • At the end of this step, the first layer should be complete, with a solid color (in this case, white) at the bottom.
  5. 5
    Verify your first layer is correct. You should now have the first layer complete and look like this (from the bottom side):

Part 2 of 4:
Middle Layer

  1. 1
    Place the four edges of the middle layer. Those edge pieces are the ones that do not contain yellow in our example. You need to know only one algorithm to solve the middle layer. The second algorithm is symmetrical to the first.
  2. 2
    Verify correct positioning. Your cube should now have the first two layers complete and look like this (from the bottom side) :

Part 3 of 4:
Last Layer

  1. 1
    Permute the corners. At this step, our goal is to place the corners of the last layer in their correct position, regardless of their orientation.
  2. 2
    Orient the corners. Locate each top color facelet of the corners (yellow in our case). You need to know only one algorithm to orient the corners:
  3. 3
    Permute the edges. You will need to know only one algorithm for this step. Check whether one or several edges are already in the proper position (the orientation does not matter at this point).
  4. 4
    Orient the edges. You will need to know two algorithms for that last step :
    Dedmore "H" Pattern
    Dedmore "Fish" Pattern
  5. 5
    Congratulations! Your cube should now be solved.

Part 4 of 4:

  1. 1
    This is the key to the notations used.
    • The pieces that compose the Rubik's Cube are called Cubies, and the color stickers on the cubes are called facelets.
    • There are three types of Cubies:
      • The centers (or center pieces), at the center of each face of the Cube. There are six of them, each have one facelet, they always stay in the same place relative to each other.
      • The corners (or corner pieces), at the corners of the Cube. There are eight of them, and each have three facelets
      • The edges (or edge pieces), between each pair of adjacent corners. There are 12 of them and each have 2 facelets
    • Not all cubes have the same color schemes. The colors used for these illustrations is called BOY (because the Blue, Orange and Yellow faces are in clockwise order). Examine the positions of the centers relative to each other, as this is always your color scheme.
      • White opposes yellow;
      • Blue opposes green;
      • Orange opposes red;
      • Orange is to the right of blue if white is facing up.
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
    When a facelet is grey, it means that its color is not important at the moment.
  5. 5
    The arrows (blue or red) show what the algorithm will do. In the case of the algorithm (3.a) for instance, it will rotate the three corners on themselves as shown. If the yellow facelets are as drawn on the picture, at the end of the algorithm they will be on top.

    • The axis of the rotation is the big diagonal of the cube (from one corner to the corner all the way on the other side of the cube).
    • Blue arrows are used for clockwise turns (algorithm (3.a)).
    • Red arrows are used for counter-clockwise turns (algorithm (3.b), symmetrical to (3.a)).
  6. 6
  7. 7
    For the move notations it is important to always look at the cube from the front side.




  • Practice. Spend some time with your cube to learn how to move pieces around. This is especially important when you are learning to solve the first layer.
  • Know the colors of your cube. You must know which color is opposite which, and the order of the colors around each face. For instance, if white is on top and red in front, then you must know that blue is on the right, orange in the back, green on the left and yellow at the bottom.
  • For those interested in speed cubing, or those who simply don't like how hard it is to turn pieces, it is a good idea to buy a DIY kit. The pieces of speedcubes have rounder inner corners and DIY kits allow you to adjust the tension, making it a lot easier to move pieces. Consider also lubricating your cube with a silicon based lubricant.
  • You can either start with the same color to help you understand where each color goes, or try to be efficient by choosing a color for which it is easier to solve the cross.
  • Locate all four edges and try to think ahead about how to move them into position without actually doing it. With practice and experience, this will teach you ways to solve it in fewer moves. And in a competition, participants are given 15 seconds to inspect their cube before the timer starts.
  • Understand how the algorithms work. While executing the algorithm, try to follow key pieces around to see where they go. Try to find pattern in the algorithms. For instance :
    • In the algorithms (2.a) and (2.b) used to permute corners of the top layer, you execute four moves (at the end of which all bottom layer and middle layer cubes are back in the bottom and middle layers), then turn the upper layer, and then execute the reverse of the first four moves. Therefore, this algorithm does not affect the first/bottom and middle layers.
    • For the algorithms (4.a) and (4.b), note you are turning the top layer in the same direction that you need to turn the three edges.
    • For the algorithm (5), Dedmore "H" Pattern, a way to remember the algorithm is to follow the path of the flipped edge on the top right and the pair of corners around it for the first half of the algorithm. And then for the other half of the algorithm, follow the other flipped edge and pair of corners. You'll notice that you perform five moves (seven moves if counting half turns as two moves), then half turn the top layer, then reverse those first five moves, and finally half turn the top layer again.
  • Progress further. Once you know all the algorithms, you may want to find faster ways to solve the Rubik's:
    • Solve the first layer corner along with its middle layer edge in one move.[1]
    • Learn algorithms to orient the last layer corners in the five cases where two (3.a/b) algorithms are necessary.
    • Learn algorithms to permute the last layer edges in the two cases where no edge is correctly positioned.
    • Learn the algorithm for the case where all last layer edges are flipped.
  • The layer method is just one of many methods out there. For instance, the Petrus method, which solves the cube in fewer moves, consists in building a 2×2×2 block, then expanding it to a 2×2×3, correcting edge orientation, building a 2×3×3 (two layers solved), positioning the remaining corners, orienting those corners, and finally positioning the remaining edges.[2]
  • Progress even further. For the last layer, if you want to solve the cube fast, you will need to do the last four steps two by two. For instance, permute and orient the corners in one step, then permute and orient the edges in one step. Or you can choose to orient all corners and edges in one step, then permute all corners and edges in one step.[3]


Quick Summary

Solving a Rubik's cube is a difficult skill that will take time to master, so it's important not to get discouraged when you begin. Start by learning the notation that is used to describe the moves you will perform and the sides of the cube. You should also learn the different types of pieces on the cube: edge pieces, corner pieces, and center pieces. By identifying patterns and applying specific sequences of moves, you will be able to solve the cube layer by layer. Start with the edges and corners of the first layer, and then solve the edges of the second layer. Next, orient and then permute the pieces of the last layer. With practice, you will be able to solve the cube in less than a minute using this method. If you want to learn how to read Rubik's cube notations, keep reading the article!

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Co-Authored By:
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Updated: November 20, 2019
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