How to Solve a Rubik's Cube
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This is a guide on how to solve a Rubik's Cube, for those who have little or no experience with cubing. It's a fairly simple method that involves minimal memorization. It's a simplified version of CFOP (the most common advanced 3x3x3 method), so it's also relatively easy to make a transition into CFOP.
- Structure
- Notation
- Overview
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
- Step 4
- Step 5
- Step 6
- Step 7
Structure
A 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube consists of 20 movable pieces: 12 edge pieces and 8 corner pieces; and 6 fixed pieces: the 6 center pieces.
Each center piece is located in the middle of each face and has one sticker. Each center piece defines the colour of the face it is on.
| The Centers. |
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Each edge piece is located in between two center pieces and has two stickers.
| The Edges. |
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Each corner piece is located in between three edge pieces and has three stickers.
| The Corners. |
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The orientation of an edge or corner piece refers to the way it is twisted or flipped in place.
| Yellow-green edge oriented correctly. | Yellow-green edge oriented incorrectly. |
 |  |
| Yellow-orange-green corner oriented correctly. | Yellow-orange-green corner oriented incorrectly. | Yellow-orange-green corner oriented incorrectly. |
 |  |  |
The permutation of an edge or corner piece refers to its location.
| Yellow-green edge permuted correctly. | Yellow-green edge permutted incorrectly. |
 |  |
| Yellow-orange-green corner permuted correctly. | Yellow-orange-green corner permuted incorrectly. |
 |  |
When the Cube is in a solved position, each piece will be permuted and oriented correctly.
Notation
These are the names of the six layers of the Cube.
| "Up" [U] | "Down" [D] | "Right" [R] | "Left" [L] | "Front" [F] | "Back" [B] |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
A single letter by itself denotes a 90 degree clockwise turn of that face.
A single letter proceeded by an apostrophe (') denotes a 90 degree counterclockwise turn of that face.
A single letter proceeded by a "2" denotes a 180 degree turn, in either direction, of that face.
| U | U' | U2 | D | D' | D2 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| R | R' | R2 | L | L' | L2 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| F | F' | F2 | B | B' | B2 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
There are also three "slices". Only the M slice will be used in this guide.
| "Middle" [M] | "Equatorial" [E] | "Standing" [S] |
 |  |  |
A single letter by itself denotes a slide being moved 90 degrees in the same direction as U, R, F moves.
A single letter proceeded by an apostrophe (') denotes a slide being moved 90 degrees in the same direction as D, L, B moves.
A single letter proceeded by a "2" denotes a 180 degree turn, in either direction, of that slice.
| M | M' | M2 |
 |  |  |
| E | E' | E2 |
 |  |  |
| S | S' | S2 |
 |  |  |
Overview
This is what the solve process will look like.
First Two Layers:
| Get a "cross" on the U (or D) face. | Complete the D layer. | Complete the E slice. |
 |  |  |
Last Layer:
| Orient the U edges. | Orient the U corners. | Permute the U corners. | Permute the U edges. |
 |  |  |  |
The Cross (First Layer Edges)
This is where you solve the four edge pieces of one face.
This is an intuitive step that requires no algorithms. This guide uses the white face, however you can choose any colour. Find the four edge pieces that belong on that face (i.e. have white stickers), and solve them by moving each of them into their correct spots. Ensure that each of the four edge pieces are placed between centers of the same colour (e.g., the white-orange edge is placed between the white center and orange center). .
First Layer Corners
This is where you complete the first layer.
Find a white corner in the U layer and turn the U face so that the corner is directly above where it needs to go. You will run into three cases. Perform the algorithm corresponding to the case you have.
| Goal. | Case 1. | Case 2. | Case 3. |
 |  |  |  |
| R U R' | F' U' F | R U2 R' U' R U R' |
If you have no white corner in the U layer, then the unsolved ones are in the wrong place in the D layer. Take one out so it is in the U layer, using any one of those algorithms. Repeat until all four first layer corners are in the correct place.
Second Layer Edges
This is where you complete the equatorial layer, and thus the first two layers.
Find a non-yellow edge in the U layer and turn the U face so that the edge is diagonal to where it needs to go. You will run into two cases.
| Goal. | Case 1. | Case 2. |
 |  |  |
| U R U' R' U' F' U F | U' F' U' F U R U' R' |
If you have no non-yellow edge in the U layer, then the unsolved ones are in the wrong place in the second layer. Take one out so it is in the U layer. Repeat until all four second layer edges are in the correct place.
Orientation of the U Edges
In this step, you will form a "cross" on the U layer. There are three cases. The images on the top show what the cube would look with respect to the F, U and R faces, and the images on the bottom show what the U layer would look like.
| Goal. | Case 1: "L". | Case 2: "Line". | Case 3: "Dot". | |
| View from U |  |  |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |  | |
| F U R U' R' F' | F R U R' U' F' | Do either the case 1 or 2 algorithm, then it will reduce to case 1 or 2. |
Orientation of the U Corners
The next step involves making the whole U face yellow. There are seven cases, but you only need two algorithms.
| Goal. | |
| View from U |  |
| View from UFR |  |
Category 1: One Corner Oriented
| Case 1: "Sune". | Case 2: "Antisune". | |
| View from U |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |
| R U R' U R U2 R' | R' U' R U' R' U2 R |
Category 2: Two Corners Oriented
Position the cube so that there is one misoriented corner at FLU. 
| Case 3: "Superman". | Case 4: "Chameleon". | Case 5: "Peanut". | |
| View from U |  |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |  |
| Sune + Antisune | Sune + U2 + Antisune | Sune + U + Antisune |
Category 3: Zero Corners Oriented
Position the cube so that there is one misoriented corner at LUF. 
| Case 6: "Pi". | Case 7: "Double Superman". | |
| View from U |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |
| Sune + U' + Sune | Sune + Sune |
Permutation of the U Corners
This step involves completely solving the last layer corners. There are two cases. The algorithms are slightly longer than the previous ones, but they are not difficult to learn because of how “finger-trickable” they are. The brackets show groupings of the moves, to make them easier to learn.
| Goal. | Case 1: "Headlights". | Case 2: "No Headlights". | |
| View from U |  |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |  |
| (R U R' U')(R' F R2)(U R' U')(R U R' F') | Headlights + U2 + Headlights |
Permutation of the U Edges
The very last step is to solve the remaining edges, completing the cube.
| Goal. | Case 1: "U(a) Perm". | Case 2: "U(b) Perm". | Case 3: "H Perm". | Case 4: "Z Perm". | |
| View from U |  |  |  |  |  |
| View from UFR |  |  |  |  |  |
| F2 U' M' U2 M U' F2 | F2 U M' U2 M U F2 | M2 U M2 U2 M2 U M2 | U(a) + U' + U(a) |
