How Do You Solve a Rubik’s Cube? (Beginner Guide)

Solving a Rubik’s Cube is mostly about following a clear system, not about being a genius. The most common beginner method is called “Layer by Layer”, where you solve the cube from one face to the opposite face in 3 layers.

Quick Scoop

  • You solve the cube in layers , not “six random sides”.
  • Main beginner approach: Layer by Layer (LBL) with a few short move sequences (“algorithms”).
  • Typical steps:
    1. Make a cross on one face.
    2. Finish that face’s corners.
    3. Solve the middle layer.
    4. Make a cross on the last layer.
    5. Fix last-layer edges and corners.
  • Modern tutorials can teach you to solve your first cube in under 30–60 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Layer-by-Layer Method

Step 1: First-Layer Cross

You usually start with white on top and aim to build a plus-shaped cross around the white center, making sure each white edge’s side color matches its center on the adjacent face.
  • Pick white as your starting color.
  • Find edges that contain white (they have 2 colors).
  • Place each white edge between white and its matching center so the side colors line up, not just the white stickers.

Example: If you’re placing a white–green edge, you want white on the white face and green lined up with the green center on the green face.

Step 2: First-Layer Corners

Now you fill in the four corners around the cross to complete the whole first layer.
  • Keep your white cross on top.
  • Pick a corner that has white plus two other colors (for example white–green–red).
  • Move that corner to sit under where it belongs (between the matching two centers on the sides).
  • Use a short move sequence to “insert” it without breaking the cross (many beginner guides show one simple pattern you repeat).

Repeat until the entire white face and its side colors in the first layer are correct.

Step 3: Second (Middle) Layer

Next you solve the 4 edge pieces of the middle layer so each side has a solid color in the first two layers.
  • Turn the cube so the completed white layer is on the bottom.
  • Look at the top layer for edge pieces that do not contain yellow (if yellow is your opposite color).
  • Line up such an edge with its matching center color on the side, then use one of two short algorithms to send it left or right into the middle layer.

You basically repeat the same left/right insertion moves until all four middle edges are in place.

Step 4: Last-Layer Cross

Now you flip the cube so the unsolved color (often yellow) is on top and aim to make a cross on that last layer.
  • At this stage, you may see:
    • No yellow edges on top,
    • A small “L” shape,
    • A straight line,
    • Or already a cross.
  • Hold the cube in the orientation the guide shows and repeat one algorithm until you get the full yellow cross.

You ignore the yellow corners for now and focus only on edges.

Step 5: Last-Layer Edges in Place

The cross might be formed but its edge pieces may not match the side centers yet.
  • Rotate the top layer to see how many yellow-cross edges line up with side centers.
  • Use another short algorithm to cycle edge pieces around until all the side colors match.

Once this is done, every edge of the cube is in the right position; only corners are left to fix.

Step 6: Last-Layer Corners – Position and Orientation

You finish by first putting each corner in the right _spot_ and then twisting them so the colors face the correct directions.
  • Hold the cube so at least one corner is already in the correct position (even if twisted).
  • Use a corner-cycling algorithm until all four corners are in their correct positions.
  • Then use a final algorithm that rotates one corner at a time (while keeping the rest solved) until all yellow stickers end up on top and the cube is fully solved.

Many beginner websites explain these final corner algorithms with bracketed chunks or diagrams to make them easier to memorize.

Beginner Resources and “Latest” Forum Talk

Popular Tutorials (2020s–2020s)

Several well-known step‑by‑step guides walk through exactly this method with images or video.
  • Dedicated cube sites with diagrams and clear LBL walkthroughs.
  • Picture-heavy guides that break the solution into around a dozen steps.
  • “So easy a kid can do it” beginner pages focused on accessibility and minimal memorization.

Speedcubing channels also provide 10‑minute beginner videos covering white cross, first layer, second layer, top cross, and final layer algorithms.

What People Say on Forums

In cubing and general forums, people often suggest thinking of the cube as three layers, not six sides, to simplify the mental model.
  • Frequent advice: pick one clear tutorial and stick with it instead of jumping between methods.
  • One widely recommended video series is a short, straightforward YouTube playlist teaching the basic layer method.
  • Another strongly praised tutorial is a single concise video that many users say solved the cube for them quickly.

There are also visual “cool guide” posters that compress the entire solution onto one infographic, though those can take a bit more effort to decipher at first.

Multiple Viewpoints: Methods and Goals

Different solvers use slightly different approaches depending on what they care about: first solve, speed, or fun patterns.
  • Beginner LBL method : Easiest to learn, uses a few simple algorithms, ideal for your first complete solve.
  • Advanced speed methods : CFOP and other techniques focus on solving faster with more algorithms and efficient patterns, often introduced after you know the basics.
  • Pattern/”pretty cube” methods : Some guides teach just a single versatile algorithm that lets you both solve and create patterns, prioritizing fun over speed.

Community discussions often emphasize starting with the easiest method and only moving to speed techniques once solving itself feels comfortable.

Helpful Mindset and Tips

Learning the cube is like learning a new language of moves: at first it’s slow, then patterns start to look familiar.
  • Don’t try to “intuitively think through” every move at the beginning; rely on a fixed set of algorithms and trust the process.
  • If your cube ever seems impossible to solve (e.g., only 1 top edge or 2 corners are correct), it might have been taken apart or twisted, which makes it unsolvable and may require reassembly.
  • Once you can solve with a guide, practice without looking until the steps and move sequences are in your muscle memory.

Simple HTML Table Summary

[1][3][9] [3][5][1] [7][10][1][3] [7][1][3][9] [1][3][7][9] [10][8][7]
Step Goal Key Idea
1\. First- layer cross Cross on starting color (often white) Match edge side colors with centers, not just the top sticker.
2\. First-layer corners Complete the whole first layer Place each white corner under its slot and insert with a short move sequence.
3\. Middle layer Solve 4 middle edges Use “left” or “right” algorithms to move non-yellow edges from top to the middle.
4\. Last-layer cross Make a cross on the final face Repeat one algorithm from line/L/none until a full cross forms.
5\. Last-layer edges Match edge side colors Cycle edge pieces so every side stripe lines up.
6\. Last-layer corners Finish the cube First put corners in correct spots, then twist them with a final algorithm.

TL;DR

You solve a Rubik’s Cube by using a beginner “Layer by Layer” system: first-layer cross, first-layer corners, second layer, last-layer cross, fix last edges, then fix last corners, with a handful of short algorithms and a bit of repetition.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.