How to Solve a 3x3 Rubik's Cube for Dummies

One of the greatest toys to ever be created is the Rubik's Cube. At a first glance, it appears fairly simple to solve. Mix up the colors and put them back in their right spots. Seems simple, right? Well, not really at first. To those who do not understand the algorithms that are behind this multi-colored 3x3 cube, it can be very difficult. Trying to remember said algorithms is more than half of the issue when it comes to someone learning how to solve it. In order to simplify what is needed to know, this instructional guide is intended to teach you how to solve the traditional 3x3 Rubik's Cube in an even easier way than a beginner level.

Supplies

As this is a guide to solve a Rubik's Cube "for dummies", the supplies needed will be fairly easy to understand. All you will need are the following:

1) Yourself (if you can't find this, go to the nearest mirror, look in it, and you will find it there)

2) A Rubik's Cube

3) This guide you are reading right now

Step 1: Orient Yourself With the Cube (part 1/2)

Keeping the orientation of the cube to it's simplistic form, this guide will describe the most important aspects of what is needed to know in terms of it's pieces. From the pictures displayed above, these 6 items are the first things to know:

1) The top layer

2) The middle layer

3) The bottom layer

4) Center pieces, which only have 1 color. The center color determines what the "side" or "face" color should be.

5) Edge pieces, which have 2 colors

6) Corner pieces, which have 3 colors

Step 2: Orient Yourself With the Cube (Part 2/2)

The common mistake that people will have when learning to solve the Rubik's Cube is that they only focus on ONE COLOR. This is a 3-dimensional cube. There are 6 sides with 6 different colors. By holding the cube, as depicted in the pictures above, this will allow you to look at the cube from multiple angles. A few more layers to understand are the following:

1) The left side, which will be held by your left hand.

2) The right side, which will be held by your right hand.

3) The front side, which is the side your thumbs are on.

4) The back side, which is the side your fingers are on.

5) The bottom side, which is the side facing the ground.

6) The top side, which is the side facing the sky.

Step 3: Simplifying Common Terminology

Algorithms?? Prime movements?? WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?!?!

This can be a bit scary at first to try and understand. For the purpose of this guide, most of the typical terminology will be eliminated from the step by step process. Instead of saying to make a "right prime movement", there will be directions that instead say something like "turn the right side towards you" or "turn the left side away from you"

Every "turn" you make will be a simple 90 degree turn.

4 turns in a row of the same turn will bring you right back to where you started.

Now that the bare essentials have been laid out, once you feel ready to begin, move on to the following step!

Step 4: Top Side Cross (Part 1/2)

For simplicity sake, we will start by having the white center be on the top side of your cube.

To solve the top side cross, you will be looking for all of the EDGE pieces that have WHITE on them. There will only be 4 of them.

The idea here is to have the WHITE color of the edge pieces facing the ground FIRST.

In the picture above, there are two great examples of what to do for this step.

1) The WHITE/GREEN edge piece on the left can be easily turned to the bottom side.

Have that edge piece facing you.
Turn the FRONT face to the LEFT or RIGHT 2 times. Either direction will accomplish this.

2) The WHITE/RED piece on the right needs a couple extra turns.

Keep the side that now has the WHITE/GREEN edge on the bottom side from the step 1 facing you.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BACK side so that the WHITE is facing towards the GROUND.

3) Follow these similar turning patterns for the other 2 white edge pieces

Step 5: Top Side Cross (Part 2/2)

The reason for putting the white edge pieces on the BOTTOM first may seem backwards to do, but here is where it will make more sense.

As you can see in the left picture above, you have created a "daisy", like the flower, on the bottom of your cube.

Now this step is as simple as turning the bottom side to match the OTHER color of the white edge pieces.

Turn the bottom to match the 4 white edge pieces ONE AT A TIME.

Once you have, say the orange color, matching it's center color, turn that side to then have the WHITE facing the SKY.

The picture on the right will show how it should look when this first portion of solving the cube is complete.

The other two white edge pieces that are in the back of the picture on the right are the white/red piece on the back right and the white/blue piece on the back left.

Step 6: Top Side Corners (Part 1/3)

The next portion of solving the Rubik's Cube will be the top side CORNERS.

Since we began with the white side, we will now be looking for the WHITE corner pieces, which have 3 colors. There will only be 4 of these pieces as well.

The picture on the left shows the best case scenario for your corner piece. It's already solved!! Congrats you lucky dog you!

In most cases though, that first example won't always happen.

The picture on the right is one of the common situations you may find yourself in where the corner piece is in the correct spot in the TOP LAYER, but the colors are not right.

To solve this, using the right picture as our example for these steps, here is what you can do:

1) Hold the cube with the BLUE CENTER facing you with that white corner piece in the top right and do the following turns:

Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the RIGHT.
Repeat these 4 movements until the piece is in it's spot correctly with each color on their corresponding sides.

2) Hold the cube with the ORANGE CENTER facing you with that white corner piece in the top left and do the following turns:

Turn the LEFT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the BOTTOM side to the RIGHT.
Turn the LEFT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BOTTOM side to the LEFT.
Repeat these 4 movements until the piece is in it's spot correctly with each color on their corresponding sides.

Step 7: Top Side Corners (Part 2/3)

Another common example is the picture you see on the left, where the white corner piece is in the BOTTOM LAYER.

First thing you will want to do is turn the BOTTOM LAYER until the white corner piece is BELOW its correct spot.

Once you do this, the movements are IDENTICAL to the previous slide.

As a reminder, here is how to solve it if the piece is in the BOTTOM RIGHT:

Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the RIGHT.
Repeat these 4 movements until the piece is in it's spot correctly with each color on their corresponding sides.

And here is how to solve it if the piece is in the BOTTOM LEFT:

Turn the LEFT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the LEFT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the LEFT.
Repeat these 4 movements until the piece is in it's spot correctly with each color on their corresponding sides.

As you get more comfortable with these movements, you will begin to notice that these 4 moves will help you solve a large portion of the cube.

If you find yourself in a situation like the picture on the right, this will just require a combination of the following:

Look at either set of 4 moves and do it JUST ONCE.
Turn the BOTTOM LAYER until it is under its correct spot.
Choose whichever set of 4 movements you want to solve the piece.

Step 8: Top Side Corners (Part 3/3)

After solving each of the top side corner pieces, your cube should now look like this up to now!

You are now ready to move on to the third portion of solving the cube! Good job so far!

Step 9: Middle Row (Part 1/3)

Moving into the third portion of the cube, you will now be solving the MIDDLE ROW.

For orientation purposes to solve the rest of the cube and to help make solving the cube easier, go ahead and rotate your cube so that the SOLVED top side is now facing the GROUND.

From now until the end, the SOLVED side will now be the BOTTOM LAYER.

The movements in this portion may become a bit more difficult, so take your time here.

Step 10: Middle Row(Part 2/3)

Starting with your best case scenario in the picture on the left, the red/green edge piece is already solved for you! Once again, congrats you fortunate cookie you!

But, knowing how life can be for us, we may not be so lucky. Looking at the picture on the right, notice how the RED/BLUE edge piece is in the wrong place. For the following movements, we will be able to hit two birds with one stone.

Notice how the ORANGE/BLUE edge piece is oriented currently. The blue is matching its center, but it is not in its correct spot because of the RED/BLUE piece. To fix this, using the picture as the example for these movements, do the following:

Have the BLUE CENTER face you with the correct spot for the edge piece on your LEFT.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the LEFT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the LEFT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the FRONT side to the RIGHT.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the FRONT side to the LEFT.

If done correctly, you will now have the ORANGE/BLUE piece in it's correct spot and now the RED/BLUE piece is free to solve.

Step 11: Middle Row (Part 3/3)

Let's look at the same ORANGE/BLUE piece, but now having the orange matching its center instead of the previous example with the blue matching its center.

The movements to solve this are very similar to the previous example. To solve this orientation of the piece, do the following movements:

Have the ORANGE center face you where the correct spot for your piece is on your RIGHT.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the FRONT side to the LEFT.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the FRONT side to the RIGHT

As you can see, those movements were very similar!

Those 2 sets of moves are the only movements you will need to worry about in order to solve the middle layer.

Once this portion is completed, your cube should look like the picture on the right all the way around the cube with the respective colors! You are now ready to move on to the next portion of solving the cube!

Step 12: Bottom Side Cross(Part 1/3)

Moving into the fourth portion of solving the Rubik's Cube, you will now be solving the BOTTOM SIDE CROSS.

The MAJOR thing I want to point out here, to avoid confusion, is that the "bottom side cross" is meant to be for when the cube is fully solved. After the top layer was finished, we put it to the bottom and started calling the bottom "top" and the top "bottom". For now, follow the pictures, the steps, and ignore the name "BOTTOM SIDE CROSS".

Instead of looking at our best case scenario first, we will start from the worst case scenario as seen in the picture on the left where you have NOTHING solved for the cross.

To go from the picture on the left to the picture on the right, do the following moves:

Have any color facing you that is NOT WHITE. For our examples thus far, the white stays towards the GROUND.
Turn the FRONT face to the RIGHT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the FRONT face to the LEFT.
Now should have 2 edge pieces that make an "L" shape
Turn the TOP layer so that the 2 edge pieces are on the BACK side and LEFT side, like the picture on the right.

The corner pieces during this portion of solving the cube can be completely disregarded for now as they will constantly be moved around until the cross is fully solved.

Step 13: Bottom Side Cross(Part 2/3)

To go from the the "L" shape to the "straight line" shape like the picture on the left, all you have to do is repeat the same movements for the "L" shape, which are as follows:

Have the "L" shape be oriented like the picture from the previous slide.
Turn the FRONT face to the RIGHT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the FRONT face to the LEFT.
This will now give you the "SRAIGHT LINE" shape.
Turn the top layer so the "STRAIGHT LINE" is now HORIZONTAL.

To go from the "straight line" to the full cross, repeat the same movements until you have the picture on the right!

Step 14: Bottom Side Cross(Part 3/3)

Although you will now see the cross, this does not mean that those edge pieces are in their correct places.

Notice how in our example in the picture on the left, only the ORANGE/YELLOW edge piece is correct. In order to solve the other edge pieces, do the following:

Have the ORANGE/YELLOW edge piece and orange center facing you.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT 2 TIMES.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.

Once your cross is back together, look at the other edge yellow edge pieces that were NOT CORRECT.

If the other edge pieces are still not matching, repeat the above movements ONE MORE TIME.
If the other edge pieces are matching like the picture on the right, you have now solved this portion of the cube!
In the picture, the other yellow edge pieces that are not seen are in their correct spots.

Good job you lucky charm you!

Step 15: Bottom Side Corners (Part 1/3)

Moving into the final portion of solving the Rubik's Cube, you will now be solving the BOTTOM SIDE CORNERS.

Just like the BOTTOM SIDE CROSS, the name can be disregarded to avoid confusion while you finish the cube.

If you have followed all of the preceding steps correctly up until now, the two pictures above should be what your cube looks like with the 4 edge pieces all matching their respective colors.

Step 16: Bottom Side Corners (Part 2/3)

At this point, you will want to look at the 4 remaining corner pieces to see if you have any pieces that look like the YELLOW/GREEN/ORANGE piece.

In the left picture, that corner piece is already solved.

If that same piece looks like the picture on the right where it's in the correct spot, but the COLORS are no correct, then that is still ok! This will be our point of reference to start fixing the other corners.

In order to do so, you want to make sure just ONE CORNER PIECE is in the correct spot, regardless of the colors being right or now, do the following moves:

Using our pictures as an example, orient the green side to face you so that the YELLOW/GREE/ORANGE piece is in the top right.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the LEFT side AWAY from you.
Turn the TOP layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the TOP layer to the RIGHT.
Turn the LEFT side TOWARDS you.

At this point, look at the 4 corner pieces to see if they are in their CORRECT SPOTS.

If they are not in the correct spots, REPEAT THOSE STEPS AGAIN.

Doing that set of movements up to 2 times will put the corner pieces in their CORRECT SPOTS and will allow you to do the last set of movements!

Step 17: Bottom Side Corners (Part 3/3)

By now, your cube should look something similar to this where your last 4 pieces are at least in their correct spots, regardless of their colors being correct.

If one of the 4 pieces is correctly place with the colors matching correctly, use that piece as the point of reference for the rest of the cube. To finish solving the cube, do the following:

Have the corner piece that's 100% correct facing you with it in the TOP RIGHT corner. Using the pictures as our example, lets use the YELLOW/RED/GREEN piece as our point of reference.
Turn the RIGHT side TOWARDS you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the LEFT.
Turn the RIGHT side AWAY from you.
Turn the BOTTOM layer to the RIGHT.
REPEAT until the colors are in their proper spots for that ONE PIECE.
Once that one piece is correct, turn the TOP layer to the LEFT and REPEAT those moves for the rest of the pieces.

You will notice that the white side will appear to be messed up as you solve this last portion. THAT'S OK! This is supposed to happen. Since these movements are a pattern, the white side will fix itself without you having to worry about it.

Step 18: Celebrate!

If you have made it all the way to this step, CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have successfully solved the Rubik's Cube!!! Treat yourself to something nice! Go get some food. Take a nice, relaxing bath. However you choose to celebrate this is up to you at this point, but now you have the ability to say that you have solved a Rubik's cube at least once in your lifetime!