2x2 cube beginner method
How to Solve a 2x2 Rubik's Cube
The 2x2 Rubik's Cube — also called the Pocket Cube — is the simplest member of the Rubik's family. It has no centre pieces, only eight corners, which makes a beginner solve straightforward once you can read the notation. The walkthrough below uses a layer-by-layer (LBL) beginner method: solve one face first, then orient the top, then permute the top.
Solve from any scrambled state in 8 steps. Difficulty: Beginner. Estimated time: 30 minutes. Age: 10+.
Use the next and previous controls or the arrow keys to move through each step. Each step has the move sequence, a short explanation, and a common-mistake callout for the trap that most beginners hit at that point.
Notation legend
What the letters mean
R
Rotate the right face 90° clockwise (looking at the right face).
R'
Rotate the right face 90° counter-clockwise.
U
Rotate the top face 90° clockwise (looking down).
U'
Rotate the top face 90° counter-clockwise.
U2
Rotate the top face 180° (direction does not matter).
F
Rotate the front face 90° clockwise (looking at the front).
F'
Rotate the front face 90° counter-clockwise.
F2
Rotate the front face 180°.
Hover or tap a move to confirm its axis. Capital letters rotate a single face / tip; lowercase letters (pyraminx only) rotate a tip plus the centre below it.
Step-by-step
2x2 Rubik's Cube solution walkthrough
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Step 1 of 8 Learn the notation you will use
You only need six letters for the beginner method: R, U, F, and their primes. R rotates the right face 90° clockwise as you look at the right face; R' is the opposite. U rotates the top face clockwise as you look down at it. F rotates the front face clockwise as you look at the front. U2 means "rotate the top 180°" — direction does not matter for a half-turn. Practice reading 'R U R' U'' out loud and performing it five times before continuing.
Common mistake at this step
Reading the notation from the wrong perspective. Every letter is defined from the perspective of the face being turned, not from a fixed front-of-cube view.
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Step 2 of 8 Pick a starting colour and locate its corners
Choose white as the bottom-face colour (any colour works, white is conventional). Pick up the cube and rotate it slowly. Find all four corners that have a white sticker somewhere on them. These four corners are what you will bring to the bottom layer in the next two steps.
Common mistake at this step
Trying to solve the side stickers and the white face at the same time. The beginner method solves the bottom face first, side stickers second — never both at once.
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Step 3 of 8 Insert the first white corner into the bottom-front-right
Hold the cube with the white face down. Pick one white corner that currently sits in the top layer. Rotate the top face (U or U') until the corner is positioned directly above where it belongs in the bottom layer — its two side colours should match the side colours of the bottom-layer slot. Then perform the insertion sequence: R U R' U'. Repeat the sequence (one, three, or five times — always an odd count) until the white sticker faces down and the corner is locked in.
Common mistake at this step
Stopping after one repetition. A single R U R' U' rarely seats the corner; you usually need to repeat the sequence until the corner cycles into place. Two or four repetitions undo themselves.
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Step 4 of 8 Insert the remaining three white corners
Repeat the procedure from step 3 for each of the other three white corners. When all four are in, the entire bottom face shows one solid white square, and the side stickers around the bottom layer form four matching colour strips — for example red-red on the front-bottom, blue-blue on the right-bottom, etc.
Common mistake at this step
Ending up with a corner whose white sticker is on the side or on the top. That means R U R' U' was applied an even number of times during step 3; restart that corner.
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Step 5 of 8 Flip the cube so yellow is on top
Turn the cube over. White is now on the bottom (hidden) and yellow (or whichever colour is opposite white on your cube) is on top. Your goal in the next step is to make every top sticker the same colour.
Common mistake at this step
Not flipping. Every step from here on assumes the unsolved colour is on top.
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Step 6 of 8 Apply Sune to orient the top corners
The Sune algorithm is: R U R' U R U2 R'. It orients the top corners — it rotates them in place without moving them to a different slot. Hold the cube with the yellow face up. Look for any non-yellow sticker on top. Rotate the top until that sticker sits on the LEFT side of the front-right corner. Apply Sune. If the top is still not all yellow, rotate the top again to find another non-yellow corner in the same orientation and re-apply Sune. Most cases finish in one or two applications; a few need three.
Common mistake at this step
Applying Sune from the wrong starting orientation. If Sune appears to make things worse, you positioned the wrong corner at the front-right; rotate U and try a different corner.
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Step 7 of 8 Find a matching side; permute if necessary
With yellow on top, the four side faces each show two stickers in their top row. Rotate the top face (U) and look at each of the four side faces in turn. You want a side where both top stickers are the same colour and match the colour of the bottom-layer band beneath them. If at least one side matches, hold it on the LEFT of the cube (so the matching pair faces your left hand) and skip to step 8. If no side matches, apply the Y-perm in step 8 once anyway, then rotate U and re-check; one side will now match — hold it on the left and apply step 8 again.
Common mistake at this step
Holding the matched side at the front, back, or right. The Y-perm in step 8 swaps the two corners on the RIGHT of the cube (UFR and UBR), so the matched corners must be on the LEFT for the swap to land in the right place.
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Step 8 of 8 Permute the last corners with the Y-perm
With the matching side held on the LEFT, apply the 14-move Y-perm: R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'. The two right-side top corners swap, the cube is solved. Verify by checking that all six faces are one colour each. Tip: practice the sequence slowly the first few times; the F R2 in the middle catches beginners because it's the only F-face turn in the sequence.
Common mistake at this step
Mistyping the algorithm. The Y-perm is symmetric (you do R U R' U' then mirror through F R2 then U' R' U' R U R' F'). Write it on a note card the first ten times and read it move by move.
Before you start
What you need
- One 2x2 Rubik's Cube in any scrambled state.
- A flat surface and a few minutes of focused practice time.
- Prerequisites: None. A 2x2 puzzle in any scrambled state.
- Optional: print the algorithm cheat sheet so you can read it without unlocking your phone.
Algorithm summary
The full algorithm list
Insertion (bottom layer)
R U R' U'
Repeat 1, 3, or 5 times to seat a white corner into the bottom-front-right slot with white facing down.
Sune (orient last layer)
R U R' U R U2 R'
Orient the top corners so all four show the top colour. Apply repeatedly until the top face is solid.
Y-perm (adjacent corner swap)
R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'
Swap the two right-side top corners (UFR and UBR). Hold a matched side on the LEFT, or apply once first if no side matches.
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