Beginner method | CubeGuide

The beginner method (sometimes called layer-by-layer or LBL) is how almost every cuber learns. It solves the cube one face at a time, using just a handful of algorithms.

By the end of this page you’ll be solving full cubes — slowly, but on your own.

What you are building

Treat the solve like a checklist. Do not worry about speed yet.

1White cross
Four white edges match the side centers.
2White corners
The white face and first layer are solved.
3Middle edges
The first two layers are solved.
4Yellow cross
The top has a yellow plus.
5Yellow edges
Top edge pieces match the side centers.
6Yellow corners
Top corners are in the right slots.
7Orient corners
Yellow faces up and the cube is solved.

After each stage, pause and compare your cube to the checkpoint. If one earlier layer breaks, stop and fix that stage before continuing.

Stage 1 — White cross

White cross — four white edge pieces on top, with each side color matching its center.

Hold the cube with the white center on top. Find the four white edge pieces and bring them up so they form a plus sign, with the side colors matching their center.

There’s no algorithm here — just intuition. Use the cube above as a checkpoint while you work on your physical cube; the trick is getting the side color right before slotting an edge into the cross.

Stage 2 — White corners

Find a white corner in the bottom layer. Position it directly under the slot it belongs in (the top corner where the other two colors match). Keep the white center on top and hold the white corner under the highlighted top-right slot; the F label faces you, and R is your right hand. Then repeat this little algorithm until that corner pops into place with white on top.

Goal: put the white corner into the highlighted slotRepeat 1, 3, or 5 times — whatever it takes.

Do this for all four white corners. The first layer is done.

Stage 3 — Middle layer edges

Flip the cube over so the yellow center is on top and the solved white layer is on the bottom. Find an edge in the top layer that has no yellow. Turn only the top layer until that edge’s front sticker matches the front center, then run one of two algorithms depending on whether it goes left or right.

Goal: fill the highlighted right middle slotInsert edge into the right slot.

Goal: fill the highlighted left middle slotInsert edge into the left slot.

Common mistake: if an edge contains yellow, it belongs in the last layer. Ignore it for now. Only insert top-layer edges with no yellow sticker.

Stage 4 — Yellow cross

We want a yellow plus on top. Hold the cube so the yellow pattern matches one of these three shapes:

Dot — no yellow edge touches the center. Apply the algorithm three times.

L-shape — hold the yellow edge stickers at back and left, then apply once.

Line — hold the yellow line left-to-right, then apply once.

Keep yellow on top and rotate only the whole cube until your top pattern matches the dot, L, or line position above. Then run the algorithm until the yellow cross appears.

Pattern: dot, back-left L, or horizontal lineDo this 1–3 times until you have a yellow cross.

Stage 5 — Yellow edges (positions)

The cross exists, but the side colors might be wrong. This step is not “spam the algorithm.” The algorithm cycles three top edges, so after every run you must stop, turn only the top layer, and check the side colors again.

Look at the four edge pieces in the yellow cross. Each one has a side color facing the front, right, back, or left center.

Find the setupTurn only U until two neighboring side colors match their centers.
Hold itPut those two matching yellow-cross edges at the back and right.
Run onceDo the algorithm one time from that hold.
Check againTurn only U and look at the side colors. If all four match, you are done. If not, find the next matching pair and start this loop again.

If two opposite edges match instead of two neighboring edges, run the algorithm once from any side, then check again. That usually turns the case into a neighboring pair.

Run once from this highlighted setup, then re-checkDo not spam this from the same hold.

Stage 6 — Yellow corners (positions)

Find a corner that’s already in the right slot (colors can be misoriented). Keep yellow on top and put that corner in the top-right corner closest to you. The yellow sticker does not need to face up yet.

Keep the correct corner in the highlighted spotCycles the other three corners.

Repeat until all four corners are in their correct slots. If no top corner is in the right slot yet, hold the cube in any direction, run the algorithm once, then check again.

Special case: if the whole top face is already yellow but the cube is not solved, do not skip this stage. Your corners are oriented, but at least some of them are still in the wrong slots. Keep doing Stage 6 until each corner’s three colors belong between the matching side centers. Once the top is yellow and every corner is in the right slot, you can skip Stage 7.

Stage 7 — Orient last corners

The corners are in the right places, but some yellow stickers still point sideways. In this stage you are not moving corners to new slots. You are twisting the corner in the highlighted spot until its yellow sticker faces up.

Use this short trigger:

R’D’RD

Fix one corner: keep yellow on top and put one twisted corner in the top-right corner closest to you. Repeat the short trigger until yellow faces up on that one corner. It usually takes 2 or 4 repeats.

Move to the next corner: do not rotate the whole cube. Turn only U to bring the next twisted corner into the same highlighted spot, then repeat the trigger again.

Finish: after the last corner is yellow, turn only U one final time if the side colors need to line up.

(R' D' R D x2, U, R' D' R D x4, U')Fix one corner, U to the next, then alignEnd state: solved cube with yellow on top.

Important: while doing this, the bottom layers will look scrambled. That is expected. Keep going with the same cube orientation; they come back once the last corner is done.

That’s the whole method. Congratulations — your cube is done.