This page summarizes a beginner-friendly method for the 3×3 Rubik’s Cube: Cross → F2L → OLL → PLL.

Notation

  • R, L, U, D, F, B: turn Right/Left/Up/Down/Front/Back 90° clockwise
  • ' (prime): counter-clockwise (e.g., R')
  • 2: 180° turn (e.g., R2)

Step 1: Daisy Cross

Build a “daisy” first (four white edge petals around the yellow center on U), then convert it into the white cross on D.

Steps:

  • Bring white edge pieces to the U face around the yellow center (make 4 petals)
  • For each petal, turn U until the side color matches its center
  • Turn that matched face 180° (F2, R2, L2, or B2) to send the white edge down to D
  • Repeat for all 4 petals to complete a color-aligned white cross

Common fixes:

  • If a white edge is stuck in the middle layer sideways, first lift it to U with a quick setup like R U R' or F U F'
  • Preserve existing petals by using U/U’/U2 to align before doing the 180° turns

Step 2: F2L

Pair each corner with its edge and insert into the target slot. Start simple, then move to paired insertions.

Basic insert example (white down, front-right slot):

U R U' R'

Step 3: OLL

Orient the last-layer color (e.g., yellow) to face up. Learn 2-look OLL first.

  • Line: F R U R' U' F'
  • L-shape: f R U R' U' f'
  • Dot: F R U R' U' F' f R U R' U' f'
  • Sune: R U R' U R U2 R'
  • Antisune: R U2 R' U' R U' R'

Step 4: PLL

Permute last-layer pieces. Start with 2-look PLL.

  • Ua perm (3-edge clockwise cycle):
R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2
  • Ub perm (3-edge counter-clockwise cycle):
R2 U R U R' U' R' U' R' U R'
  • T perm (corner swap + 2-edge swap):
R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'

If things don’t solve:

  • Double-check case recognition (orientation vs permutation).
  • Execute slowly and accurately while building muscle memory.