Rubik's cube is a widely popular mechanical puzzle that requires a series of movement sequences, or algorithms, in order to be solved. Many of you have likely watched the tutorial videos that teach you how to solve the cube, but don't know or cannot remember those long, boring algorithms.


Therefore, I have created a handy cheat sheet of the algorithms that you can whip out at a moment's notice and use to solve the Rubik's Cube with ease. If you're looking for a guide or tutorial that shows you how to solve the Rubik's Cube, there are plenty articles and videos out there to help you (I've included a couple of great videos at the end of this hub). However, this hub likely won't make much sense or be very useful unless you already know the basics of how to solve a Rubik's Cube


The Basic Movement Notations!


Understanding the basic move notations are essential to understanding the algorithms. Each notation designates one of the cube layers that should be turned clockwise 90 degrees (or 1/4 of the way around the cube).

Standard notation for the Cube is UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, FACE, and BACK, or U, D, R, L, F, B for short.
  • U for Up
  • D for Down
  • L for Left
  • R for Right
  • F for Front
  • B for Back
These refer to the different layers of the cube. Remember, though, that the notations are all relative and are determined based on the Cube's orientation. FACE, for instance, refers to the layer that faces you when you hold the cube.

When the notation has an apostrophe - for example U' - that means you should move that layer counter-clockwise 90 degrees. See the full list of movement notations below.

Rubik's Cube Algorithms List

Quick List of Rubik's Cube Algorithms 3x3

Step
Algorithm

#1: Getting the "white cross"
F' U L' U'
#2: Placing the corners of the cross
R' D' R D
#3a: Right edge piece placement
U R U' Ri U' F' U F
#3b: Left edge piece placement
U' L' U L U F U' F'
#4: The white cross
F R U R' U' F'
#5: Aligning the third layer center pieces
R U R' U R U U R'
#6: Aligning the third layer corner pieces
U R U' L' U R' U' L
#7: Finishing the cube
R' D' R D

These are the Algorithms that are necessary to solve the Rubik's Cube and the step in the process where they are used.