Step 1 – The White Cross
Begin with the white center facing up. Centers never change places, so they tell you the final color of every face. Find the four edges with a white sticker and bring them around the white center. A proper cross has two conditions: white makes a plus sign on top, and each edge's side color matches the center below it. A white plus with mismatched side colors is a false cross.
There is no single algorithm for the cross because the starting positions vary. Look for a white edge in the bottom layer, align its other color with the matching center, then bring it upward. The short example below shows how a half turn lifts an edge without changing its orientation. Rotate the 3D cube to inspect the side centers before and after.
F2Common mistake: the white plus looks finished, but the sides do not match
Turn the top face until one side color lines up. Move the other white edges out and reinsert them beside their matching centers. The side colors matter as much as the white top.
Step 2 – The White Corners
The goal is a complete white face and a fully matched first layer around the sides. Find a corner with white in the bottom layer. Its other two colors show where it belongs. Turn the bottom layer until that corner sits beneath the slot between its two matching centers. Work on bottom corners first: inserting one often pushes a misplaced top corner down where you can solve it next.
With the target slot at the front right, repeat the right-hand sequence until the white sticker faces up. Watch how the corner leaves and returns to the top without destroying the white cross. Different white-sticker orientations need a different number of repetitions; always check the result after each cycle.
R' D' R DWhat if a white corner is in the top layer but in the wrong place?
Put that corner in the front-right slot and perform the insertion sequence once to move it into the bottom layer. Then align it under its correct slot and reinsert it.
Step 3 – The Second Layer
Turn the whole cube over so white is now on the bottom. Look across the top layer for an edge without yellow. Turn U until its front sticker matches the front center, making an upside-down T. The edge's other color tells you whether it belongs on the left or the right.
If it belongs on the right, use the first sequence below. If it belongs on the left, use its mirror. Break the eight turns into two ideas: move the top edge away from its slot, then bring the front corner pair back together. Pause the 3D demonstration between those halves and rotate it to see where the edge went.
U R U' R' U' F' U FU' L' U L U F U' F'What if the needed edge is trapped in the second layer?
Use either insertion algorithm with any top edge. It pushes the trapped edge to the top. Find it there, line it up with the center, and insert it correctly.
Step 4 – The Last Layer Cross
Keep yellow on top. Ignore the corners for now and count yellow edges on that face. You will see a dot, a bent L, a straight line, or a cross. If you already have the cross, continue to Step 5. Hold an L at the upper-left of the top face. Hold a line horizontally. The orientation matters because the formula acts on specific edge positions.
For an L, use F R U R' U' F'. For a horizontal line, use F U R U' R' F'. A dot needs an algorithm first and will become an L or line; recognize the new shape, orient it, and continue. The 3D playback makes the intermediate shape visible, so you can compare it with your own cube before doing the next sequence.
F R U R' U' F'F U R U' R' F'Why is my L not working?
The two yellow edge stickers must sit at the back and left of the top face when you look down at it. Rotate only the entire cube to put the L in that position before starting.
Step 5 – The Last Layer Edges
You have a yellow cross, but the side colors of its edges may not match their centers. Turn the top layer to match as many side colors as possible. If you can match two adjacent edges, keep those solved edges at the back and right, then run the sequence. Check all four side centers afterward. If only opposite edges match, use the sequence once, realign the top, and you should get the adjacent case.
The important check is the side stickers, not the yellow stickers on top: all four yellow edges already point upward. This stage moves those edges around the top. Step through the turns slowly and notice how the right and top faces move the edge positions.
R U R' U R U2 R' UTwo edges appear diagonal rather than adjacent
Run the sequence once from any orientation. Turn U to match two side colors, then use the adjacent-edge case.
Step 6 – Position the Last-Layer Corners
A corner is in the right position when its three sticker colors belong between the three surrounding center colors. Its yellow sticker does not have to point upward yet. Find a correctly positioned corner and hold it at the front right. If none is correctly positioned, run the sequence once from any side; then look again.
Use U R U' L' U R' U' L to cycle the other corners. After each run, inspect the three-color sets, ignoring their orientation. Once all four corners occupy the right slots, stop. The cube may still look unsolved because some yellow stickers point sideways. Step 7 will rotate those corners in place.
U R U' L' U R' U' LHow do I tell if a corner is in the right position?
Compare its three colors with the adjacent centers. A yellow-red-blue corner belongs between yellow, red, and blue centers even if its yellow sticker currently faces sideways.
Step 7 – Orient the Last-Layer Corners
Keep the cube facing the same direction throughout this stage. Bring an incorrectly oriented corner to the top-front-right position by turning only U. Repeat R' D' R D until that corner's yellow sticker faces up. Then turn only U to bring the next twisted corner to the same top-front-right position. Repeat until all yellow corners face up; finally align U with the side centers.
The cube can look temporarily scrambled during this step. That is normal. Finish every four-move cycle and all corners before judging the result. Rotating the whole cube between corners is the mistake that most often breaks this method. Use the 3D playback to see how an intermediate state can look worse even though the full sequence restores the lower layers.
R' D' R D R' D' R DIt looks more scrambled than before. Should I undo?
No. Keep your grip and complete the four-move cycle. Turn only U to bring the next corner over, then continue. The lower layers return when the last corner is oriented.
Example Solve
To practice, choose Scramble the cube on the 3D solver. First find the white center and make a cross whose side stickers match. Complete the white corners, flip white to the bottom, and insert the middle edges. Work through the four last-layer checks in order: yellow cross, edge positions, corner positions, and corner orientation. If your cube differs from any demonstration, use the solver for moves based on your exact sticker layout.
What's Next?
The seven stages teach a reliable first solve. When the moves feel familiar, browse the CFOP algorithm library to reduce pauses and move count, or review cube notation whenever a prime or double turn is unclear.