Want to learn the moves yourself? Our complete 2×2 beginner lesson teaches a method without the solver. This page explains how to use the tool.

A 2 × 2 looks small, but a few turns can still leave you wondering where to start. You do not need to memorise a long list of moves to use our solver. Take it one turn at a time.

1. Find your starting corner

Every piece on a 2 × 2 is a corner with three coloured stickers. Find the one with white, green and red. Turn the whole cube in your hands until that corner is at the top front right:

• Its white sticker points up.
• Its green sticker faces you.
• Its red sticker points to your right.

You are only choosing how to hold the cube. You do not need to solve any pieces first. If this feels tricky, see our guide to holding a 2 × 2.

2. Copy the colours onto the screen

Open the 2 × 2 solver. Start with the face in front of you. Click a grey tile until it matches the sticker in that position on your cube. The three reference stickers are already entered.

Use Next face and follow the holding instructions carefully. The names Front, Right and Top describe positions, not the colours currently on those faces. A scrambled face can have several colours.

3. Check your entry

After the last face, select Check my cube. If something needs checking:

• Make sure you copied the face requested on screen.
• Check each row from left to right as you look straight at that face.
• Use Undo tile or Clear this face to correct an earlier entry.

Do not force a different colour just because your first choice is unavailable. An earlier entry or the way you are holding the cube may need correcting.

4. Follow your solution

Select Find my solution, then return your cube to the starting position. The solver uses three face letters:

• D: turn the bottom layer.
• L: turn the left layer.
• B: turn the back layer.

A letter on its own means a quarter turn clockwise. A prime mark, such as D′, means a quarter turn anticlockwise. A 2, such as L2, means a half turn. Always judge the direction as if you were looking straight at that face. The back face can feel surprising, so check the picture after your turn.

Keep holding the whole cube the same way. Turn only the layer named in the instruction. Then select I’ve made this turn. The picture will update to show how your cube should look. Compare the colours before you make the next turn.

5. Take your time if something goes wrong

Back one move rewinds the screen and tells you how to undo the last planned turn. You need to reverse that turn on your physical cube too. If you are unsure which turn went wrong, use Cube Reset and enter the colours you have now. Starting again is fine.

What does a first layer mean?

A face is one flat side of the cube. A layer includes that face and the sides of its four corner pieces. Four white stickers together make a white face, but a proper white layer also has matching pairs of colours around its sides. Keep that difference in mind when you start learning a method without the solver.