How to Solve a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube – cheatsheet

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This guide uses one simple beginner method from start to finish. Keep white on the bottom after the cross, follow the steps in order, and use the diagrams to check what each stage should look like.
1
Make the White Cross
Put the white center on the bottom. Your goal is a white cross on the bottom face, and each white edge must also match the side center next to it.
A simple way is to find a white edge in the top layer, turn the top until its side color matches the center, then turn that face 180° to send the edge down into the cross.
If a white edge is stuck in the bottom layer but is wrong or flipped, move it back out to the top and insert it again correctly.
W W W W W Side colors line up with centers
Correct cross
White plus and side colors both match.
W W W W W White plus only is not enough
Wrong cross
The white plus is made, but side colors do not match.
Do not just make a plus sign. Each of the four white edge pieces must also match the center on the side.
2
Finish the White Corners
Keep the white center and white cross on the bottom. Now solve the four white corners to finish the entire first layer.
Find a corner with white on it. Turn only the U layer until that corner is in the top-front-right position, directly above the place where it belongs.
Then repeat this move until the white corner drops into its correct first-layer spot:
White corner insertion
RUR’U’
Repeat it 1–5 times, depending on how the corner is twisted. Stop only when that one corner is fully solved, with white on the bottom and the two side colors matching their centers.
If the white corner you need is trapped in the bottom layer in the wrong place, hold that wrong corner at the front-right-bottom slot and do the same insertion move once to bring it out. Then place it above its real target and insert it correctly.
Corner above target W B R repeat R U R’ U’ Solved first-layer corner W W
Keep white on the bottom. Insert each white corner from the top-front-right position into the first layer.
Do not use R’ D’ R D for this step while teaching white-on-bottom insertion. It moves the D layer and confuses beginners. Save R’ D’ R D for Step 6, where it is used for last-layer corner twisting.
3
Solve the Middle Layer Edges
Look at the top layer and find an edge piece that does not contain yellow. Match its front color to the center on the front face.
If that edge belongs in the right slot, use this:
Move edge to the right
URU’R’U’F’UF
If that edge belongs in the left slot, use this:
Move edge to the left
U’L’ULUFU’F’
If there is no usable top edge because the middle layer has a wrong edge trapped inside, use one of the two algorithms anyway to kick that wrong edge out. Then insert the correct one.
G G R B O B Right insert Left insert
Middle-layer edges move from the top layer into the left or right side slot
4
Make the Yellow Cross
Now work on the yellow face. First you want a yellow cross on top. You may see a dot, an L-shape, or a line.
Use this algorithm:
Yellow cross algorithm
FRUR’U’F’
Hold the L-shape with its yellow arms pointing up and left, like a little corner in the top-left. Hold the line horizontally. If you have only the dot, do the algorithm once, check the new shape, then continue.
Y
Dot
Y Y Y arms up + left
L-shape
Y Y Y horizontal line
Line
5
Put the Yellow Corners in the Correct Places
At this point, the yellow corner pieces do not need to be turned the right way yet. They only need to be in the correct locations.
A yellow corner is “correct” if its three colors match the three center colors around that corner, even if the yellow sticker is pointing sideways.
If you find one correct corner, keep it in the front-right-top position and use:
Corner positioning algorithm
URU’L’UR’U’L
That front-right-top corner stays as the anchor. The other three top corners cycle around it. If none of the corners are in the right place, do the algorithm once from any angle. Then at least one corner should become correct. Put that correct corner at the front-right-top and repeat the algorithm until all four corners are in the correct places.
Y Y Y Y Y anchor stays here
Keep the correct corner at front-right-top. It is the anchor; the other three corners move.
This step is only about corner location. Do not worry if the yellow stickers are not facing up yet.
6
Turn the Yellow Corners So the Top Becomes All Yellow
Now you will twist the yellow corners one by one. Hold the cube so an unsolved yellow corner is in the front-right-top position. Then repeat this move until the yellow sticker on that corner points upward:
Corner twisting algorithm
R’D’RD
For one corner, this usually takes 2 or 4 repeats. Stop as soon as that corner has yellow on top.
Once that corner is yellow on top, turn only the U layer to bring another unsolved yellow corner into the front-right-top position. Then repeat the same algorithm again.
Keep going until the whole top face is yellow.
Very important: while you are doing this, the bottom layers may look scrambled because the algorithm uses D moves. That is normal. Do not rotate the whole cube and do not panic. Finish all the yellow corners, and the cube will come back together.
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
After this step, the entire top face is yellow
7
Move the Last Edges and Finish the Cube
At the end, only the last-layer edges should be left. If one whole side is already solved, keep that solved side at the back. Then do:
Final edge cycle
F2ULR’F2L’RUF2
If no side is solved yet, do the algorithm once from any angle. That should create one solved side. Move the cube so that solved side is at the back, then repeat the algorithm one or two more times until the last-layer edges are solved.
If needed, make a final U turn to line up the top layer. Your cube should now be solved.
This F2 edge cycle is correct for this final step because it moves only the top edges and keeps the solved back edge fixed. Do not replace it with R U R’ U R U2 R’ U here; that move affects the top corners and belongs to a different beginner method/case.
Y G R
Solved cube
Before You Start
  • Centers never move. They decide the color of each side.
  • Opposite colors: White ↔ Yellow, Blue ↔ Green, Red ↔ Orange.
  • Edges have 2 colors. Corners have 3 colors.
  • When a move says clockwise, it means clockwise while looking directly at that face.
This is extra important for D and B moves. Their clockwise direction is judged as if you are looking directly at the Down or Back face, so it can feel backward from the front view.
R = Right
L = Left
U = Up
D = Down
F = Front
B = Back
‘ = Counter-clockwise
2 = Turn twice
What You Are Going to Do
  • Make the white cross.
  • Finish the white corners.
  • Solve the middle layer.
  • Make the yellow cross.
  • Put the yellow corners in the correct places.
  • Turn those yellow corners so the whole top becomes yellow.
  • Move the last edges and finish the cube.
Important: do the steps in order. If you skip ahead, later algorithms will not work properly.
Try this live Cube after learning.
Practice the moves on this mobile-friendly live cube. Tap the move buttons to turn faces, use the view buttons to look around, or scramble it and try to solve it yourself.
Face turns
These match standard cube notation, so you can practice exactly what you learn below.
View and actions
Cube is solved and ready to practice.
Tip: if a button says R’, that means turn the right face counter-clockwise while looking directly at the right face.
White
Yellow
Green
Blue
Red
Orange
Quick Algorithm Summary
Core Moves Used in This Guide
  • White corners: R U R’ U’
  • Middle edge right: U R U’ R’ U’ F’ U F
  • Middle edge left: U’ L’ U L U F U’ F’
  • Yellow cross: F R U R’ U’ F’
Last Layer Algorithms
  • Position yellow corners: U R U’ L’ U R’ U’ L
  • Orient yellow corners: R’ D’ R D
  • Final edge cycle: F2 U L R’ F2 L’ R U F2
Final tip: if something suddenly stops making sense, go back and check the previous step. Most beginner mistakes happen because the white cross was not matched to the side centers, the wrong middle edge was inserted, or the cube was rotated during the corner-twisting step.