Solving a Rubik's Cube looks like magic, but it's really just seven repeatable steps. This guide walks through the beginner's layer-by-layer method — the same one Cuby teaches interactively. Grab a scrambled cube and follow along.
First, the parts of the cube
- Centers never move. The center color is that side's color — the white side is whichever side has the white center.
- Edge pieces have 2 colors. Corner pieces have 3.
- White is opposite yellow, blue opposite green, red opposite orange.
Solving means getting every piece home without breaking the ones already in place.
The seven steps
1. The white cross
Hold the cube with yellow on top. Bring the four white edges to the top to make a "daisy" around the yellow center, then drop each one down so its side color matches the center next to it. You'll have a white plus with matching sides.
2. The white corners
Flip white to the bottom. Put a white corner above the slot it belongs in, then repeat the trigger R U R' U' until it drops in with white facing down. Do all four — the first layer is done.
3. The middle layer
Turn yellow back to the top and find an edge with no yellow on it. Line its front color up with a center, then send it right with U R U' R' U' F' U F (mirror it to send left). Repeat for all four middle edges.
4. The yellow cross
Make a yellow plus on top with F R U R' U' F'. It grows the shape: dot → L → line → cross. Ignore the corners for now.
5. Orient the yellow corners
Get all four corners showing yellow on top using R U R' U R U2 R' (called "Sune"). Keep repeating with a solved corner in the front-right until the whole top is yellow.
6. Position the yellow corners
Swap the corners into their correct spots with U R U' L' U R' U' L until every corner sits above matching side colors.
7. Position the last edges
Cycle the final edges into place. When every side is a single solid color, you're done.
The fastest way to learn
Reading the moves is one thing — seeing them is another. Cuby shows each step on an animated 3D cube, teaches the method on the cube in your hands, and can even solve your exact scramble for you when you get stuck. It's free and works right in your browser.
Ready to try it? Solve your cube with Cuby →