how to solve rubik’s cube
2. Make a white corner using your white cross and an adjacent color edge piece
3. Turn the cube so that
2. Rotate the solved cross to complete first layer
3. Solve the white cross on top of second layer
4. Rotate solved cross to complete first two layers
5. Solve last three corners and edges, then rotate them so that they are in their correct positions
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for all six sides of cube until it is fully solved!
Detailed Guide: Solving the Corners
The first step in solving a Rubik’s Cube is solving the corners. There are 8 corners on each face of the cube, and they can all be solved relatively easily using algorithms(sequences) that you will learn later. Because there are 8 corners to solve, by convention we number them counterclockwise starting with 1. Here is an example sequence for solving corner #1: R U2 R’ U2 R U R’. See if you can figure out how this algorithm affects the front face of the cube so you can predict what it does to any other side of the cube by just reading about it here! Once you have figured out how to solve one corner without affecting any other pieces on the cube, you should practice it until you can do it without thinking about what your hands are doing.
Rubik’s Cube with corner #1 solved by itself. This side will be facing upwards throughout the solve.
Detailed Guide: Solving Edges While Solving Corners
The next step after solving all 8 corners is to place the 8 corner edges (2 per face) into their correct positions as well as orienting them correctly so that they match up to their corresponding colors on the faces of the cube. In general, an edge piece only has one possible orientation regardless of where it starts out on a given face, however this isn’t always true if two or more edges have been flipped into their correct positions already. Because all edge pieces can only ever rotate 180 degrees (half a cube rotation), they only need to be rotated 90 or -90 degrees to get into their correct positions. If there is nothing crossed with an edge piece it may mean that it has either been oriented correctly already, or flipped over incorrectly and needs to be rotated 90 degrees clockwise to become oriented correctly(assuming the side of the cube you are working on is facing upwards). If two or more edges have already been placed and oriented correctly, then any other flipped over edges will need to be rotated -90 degrees clockwise to become oriented correctly.
This step can be completed by first solving the corners as mentioned above, then solving one edge at a time while constantly checking your cube to see if any of the edge pieces need to be rotated. You should hold your cube so that when you are solving an edge piece, it is on the side facing up which you will always solve first. The “correct” orientation for an edge piece means that it matches up with its corresponding color on the face of the cube; in other words, all blue edges match up with each other and all red ones do as well. If there is nothing crossed with any particular edge looking at its front face, then odds are very good(but not 100%) that it has already been solved correctly – you can check this by twisting one of the sides around 180 degrees to look at both sides of that particular edge (this step is unnecessary but recommended).
You can solve an edge by using a very similar algorithm to the corners, except that it only affects the two pieces involved in solving that particular edge. Here’s one sequence you can use – U2 F’ R2 F R’. Hold your cube so that the side with the colors facing upwards is on the right when executing this algorithm. You can do this step first and then finish up with corners if you want to because there are no real “priority” pieces for this step – every time we see an unsolved edge we will fix it according to its orientation type and place where it occurs in relation to other finished parts of the cube.
Rubik’s Cube showing correct orientation after solving one edge piece (blue).
Remember that of the 4 edge pieces on a side of the cube, only 3 can ever be oriented correctly because of how the colors are distributed around the faces. If you have already solved one edge piece in a certain orientation type, then any other unsolved edge pieces in that group will need to be rotated -90 degrees clockwise instead. For example, when you have already solved the red edge piece on a side of your cube, then any unsolved blue edge pieces will need to be placed in their correct orientation by rotating them -90 degrees clockwise instead of 90 degrees(because two or more edges have been put into their correct orientations).
If 2 or more edges have been put into their correct orientations already, then any flipped over edge pieces must be rotated 90 degrees clockwise instead. Sometimes an edge that has been solved already may require a couple of twists to become oriented correctly – this is fine and won’t hurt anything as long as the algorithm doesn’t take more twists than you normally would use for a step.
Here is a slightly different sequence for solving an edge piece – U2 B L’ U’. Hold your cube so that the side with the colors facing upwards is on the right when executing this algorithm. You can do this step first and then finish up with corners if you want to because there are no real “priority” pieces for this step – every time
