1. Make the White Cross

First, collect the four white edge stickers around the yellow center. This temporary pattern is called the white daisy. You’ll then move those edges to the bottom to build a correctly matched white cross.

Find Your White Edge: Three Common Cases

Case 1: The White Edge Is in the Middle Layer

A quarter-turn can bring this edge to the top. Hold your cube as shown, then turn the right face.

Middle-layer white edge positioned for a right-face turn

Bring the white sticker onto the top face.

R

R move: turn the right face clockwise

Middle-Layer Edge on the Other Side

If the edge is on the left instead, use the mirrored move shown here.

Middle-layer white edge positioned for a left-face turn

L'

L prime move: turn the left face counterclockwise

Case 2: The White Sticker Faces Down

Put the edge at the front of the bottom layer. Turn the front face halfway to bring the white sticker to the top.

White edge on the bottom face before a front-face half-turn

F2

F2 move: turn the front face 180 degrees

Case 3: The White Sticker Faces Outward

An edge can be in the top or bottom layer without its white sticker facing up or down. Hold that sticker toward you, move the edge into the middle layer, then lift it to the top.

Top-layer edge with its white sticker facing forward

For the top-layer setup shown:

F R

F R move sequence for moving a white edge to the top Bottom-layer edge with its white sticker facing forward

For the bottom-layer setup shown:

F' R

F prime R move sequence for moving a white edge to the top

Keep the White Edges You’ve Already Collected

Before lifting another edge, check its landing spot. If a white edge is already there, turn the top layer to make room.

Turn the top layer to clear a space before lifting another white edge

U' R

U prime R sequence to avoid displacing a collected white edge Setup requiring a top-layer half-turn to clear a space

U2 R

Top-layer half-turn followed by an R move

Turn the Daisy into a Matched White Cross

Turn the top layer until a white edge’s other color matches the center directly below it. Hold that matching center at the front, then turn the front face halfway.

Align a white edge’s side color with the matching center before moving it down

F2

Front-face half-turn moves the aligned white edge to the bottom

Repeat for all four edges. A solved white cross has white stickers on the bottom and matching edge-and-center colors on all four sides.

Completed white cross with all four side colors matching their centers

2. Solve the White Corners

Keep the white cross on the bottom. Next, insert the four white corners to finish the first layer—not just the white face. Each corner’s two side colors must also match the adjacent centers.

Insert Each Corner with One Short Move Sequence

Place the Corner Above Its Correct Slot

Find a white corner in the top layer. Its other two colors tell you where it belongs. For example, the white-red-green corner belongs between the red and green centers.

Rotate the whole cube so that slot is at the front-right of the bottom layer. Turn the top layer to place the corner directly above it, then use this sequence:

White-red-green corner positioned above its slot between the red and green centers

R U R' U'

R U R prime U prime corner-insertion sequence

Not Solved Yet? Repeat Without Changing Your Grip

Depending on which way the white sticker faces, the corner may need one, three, or five repetitions in total. Check after each complete four-move sequence.

White corner orientation solved with three repetitions of the insertion sequence

This setup takes three repetitions in total.

(R U R' U') × 3

Corner-insertion sequence repeated three times

Another Corner Orientation

This starting position takes five repetitions in total. Don’t turn the cube or add extra top-layer moves between repetitions.

White corner orientation solved with five repetitions of the insertion sequence

(R U R' U') × 5

Corner-insertion sequence repeated five times

A White Corner Is Stuck in the Wrong Bottom Slot

Hold the problem corner at the bottom-front-right. Perform the sequence once to bring it into the top layer. Then place it above its correct slot and insert it using the method above.

Incorrectly placed white corner ready to be moved out of the bottom layer

R U R' U'

Move sequence used to lift an incorrectly placed corner into the top layer

3. Solve the Middle Layer

With the white layer still on the bottom, look in the top layer for an edge that does not contain yellow. That edge belongs in the middle layer.

Use its two colors to find the correct slot. Match your holding position to the relevant diagram before starting an algorithm: the front and right faces must be the same as shown.

Middle-Layer Edge Cases

Insert an Edge to the Left

Use this sequence when the edge and its destination match the left-insertion setup below.

Top-layer edge set up for insertion into the middle-layer slot on its left

F U F U F U' F' U' F'

Move-by-move diagram for the left middle-layer insertion

Insert an Edge to the Right

Use this sequence for the right-insertion setup. Keep the same front face throughout the algorithm.

Top-layer edge set up for insertion into the middle-layer slot on its right

R' U' R' U' R' U R U R

Move-by-move diagram for the right middle-layer insertion

Fix an Edge in the Wrong Slot or Flipped in Place

If no usable edge remains on top, check the middle layer. An edge may be in the wrong slot or have its colors reversed. Match the illustrated setup before using this correction sequence.

Incorrect middle-layer edge positioned for the correction sequence

R U2 R' U R U2 R' U F' U' F

Move sequence for the illustrated incorrect middle-layer edge

Recheck the top and middle layers afterward, then continue inserting edges until the bottom two rows match the centers on every side.

4. Make the Yellow Cross

Keep yellow on top. Your next goal is a yellow cross: the center and all four edge stickers should face upward. Ignore the yellow corners for now.

At this stage, the cross’s side colors do not need to match their centers. You’ll fix those in the final step.

Recognize the Dot, L Shape, or Line

The Dot: No Yellow Edges Face Up

If only the yellow center is showing among the center and edge positions, start with any side facing you. Perform the algorithm, then identify the new pattern.

Yellow dot case before forming the top cross

F R U R' U' F'

Yellow-cross algorithm: F R U R prime U prime F prime

The L Shape: Two Adjacent Yellow Edges Face Up

For the algorithm below, turn the top layer so the two yellow edges are at the front and right of the yellow center. Perform the sequence, then check the result and reposition the top layer if needed.

Adjacent yellow edges forming an L-shaped pattern on the top face

F R U R' U' F'

Move sequence used to progress from the L-shaped yellow-edge case

The Line: Two Opposite Yellow Edges Face Up

Turn the top layer so the yellow line runs left to right, not front to back. Perform the algorithm once to make the cross.

Yellow line case with opposite yellow edges facing upward

F R U R' U' F'

Move sequence that changes the horizontal yellow line into a cross

5. Solve the Yellow Face

Now turn the yellow corner stickers upward to complete the top face. The corners may still be in the wrong positions—that’s normal. This step fixes their orientation, not their location.

Use the same algorithm for each case below. The important part is the setup: match the yellow corner stickers to the relevant diagram before each attempt.

Count the Yellow Corners Facing Up

Two Yellow Corners Face Up

Compare both the top and side stickers with the diagram. Turn only the top layer to match the setup, then perform the algorithm and reassess.

Yellow-corner orientation case with two yellow corners facing up

R' U' R U' R' U2 R

Yellow-corner orientation algorithm: R prime U prime R U prime R prime U2 R

Another Two-Corner Pattern

Two yellow corners can face up in different arrangements. Use this diagram if it matches your cube more closely.

Alternative top-layer pattern with two yellow corners facing upward

R' U' R U' R' U2 R

Move-by-move yellow-corner orientation sequence

No Yellow Corners Face Up

The yellow cross is intact, but all four yellow corner stickers face sideways. Match the side-sticker arrangement shown before applying the algorithm.

Yellow cross with no yellow corner stickers facing upward

R' U' R U' R' U2 R

Algorithm used to change the zero-yellow-corner orientation case

One Yellow Corner Faces Up: The Fish Pattern

The yellow cross plus one yellow corner makes a fish-like shape. Position the upward-facing yellow corner at the back-left, and compare the side stickers with the diagram.

Perform the algorithm. If the yellow face is not complete, inspect the new pattern and set it up again before repeating.

Fish-shaped yellow pattern with one yellow corner facing up

R' U' R U' R' U2 R

Move sequence for orienting the remaining yellow corners

6. Put the Yellow Corners in the Right Places

A solid yellow face doesn’t mean the top layer is solved yet. Now move the yellow corners into their correct positions while keeping yellow on top.

Look around the upper row of each side for two corner stickers of the same color. Cubers often call this matching pair “headlights.” Ignore the edge sticker between them.

Find a Matching Pair of Corner Stickers

You Have a Matching Pair on One Side

Hold the matching pair at the front for this algorithm. Keep yellow on top and perform the full sequence.

Matching top-layer corner stickers held at the front

R B' R F2 R' B R F2 R2

Last-layer corner-positioning algorithm shown move by move

Afterward, turn the top layer as needed to line up the corner colors with their centers.

There Are No Matching Pairs

Start with any side facing you and perform the algorithm once. Then look for a matching pair, bring that side to the front, and follow the matching-pair case.

Last-layer corner case with no matching pair of side stickers

R B' R F2 R' B R F2 R2

Corner-positioning sequence used to create a matching pair

Check the cube between attempts. If you create a matching pair, reposition it before repeating the algorithm.

7. Solve the Last-Layer Edges

You’re almost done. The yellow face and its corners are solved; only the top-layer edges need to move. This final algorithm cycles three edges while leaving the corners in place.

Before you start, make sure the top-layer corners are aligned with the side centers.

Look for a Completed Side

One Side Is Already Solved

Hold the completed side at the front for this algorithm. Perform the sequence once, then check the remaining edges.

Final edge-cycle setup with one completed side facing forward

R' U R' U' R' U' R' U R U R2

Final edge-cycling algorithm shown move by move

Depending on which direction the edges need to move, you may need to perform the sequence a second time. Keep the completed side at the front.

None of the Sides Is Solved

With yellow still on top, perform the algorithm once from any side. Then look for a completed side and rotate the whole cube to bring it to the front.

Final-layer edge case with no completed side

R' U R' U' R' U' R' U R U R2

Edge-cycling sequence used to create a completed side

Continue with the one-solved-side case. Once every side matches its center, your cube is solved.

Stuck on the last step? Double-check your setup before repeating an algorithm. A wrong starting face, a missed apostrophe, or rotating the whole cube halfway through a sequence can change the result. Complete each sequence before judging what it has done.
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