2x2 Cube Solver
Keep the yellow-blue-orange corner at the back-bottom-left
Yellow faces down, blue faces the back and orange faces left. Hold the cube this way for every side.
How the 2x2 solver works
Enter the colors of your 2x2 Rubik's Cube side by side, and the solver finds the shortest way back to solved and plays it move by move.
Hold one corner in place
A 2x2 has no center pieces to show which way the cube is held, so the solver uses one corner instead. Keep the yellow-blue-orange corner at the back-bottom-left, with yellow facing down, blue facing the back and orange facing left, while you enter every side and while you follow the solution.
Enter the colors by hand
Tap a sticker, then tap its color; the next sticker is selected for you. The three stickers of the corner you hold are already filled in, so each cube is 21 taps. Each side is entered as you see it when it faces you: the four sides around the cube with the top side up, the top with the front side down, and the bottom with the front side up.
Checked before it solves
Before solving, the solver checks that every color appears exactly four times, that every corner has a real combination of colors, that no corner appears twice and that the corners are not twisted. If something is wrong, it names the side to check.
The shortest solution, step by step
Every 2x2 position can be solved in 11 moves or fewer. The solver searches all of them and gives you one of the shortest solutions, using only the right, top and front sides, so the corner you hold never moves. Follow it on the 3D cube one quarter turn at a time.
2x2 solver guide
How to solve a 2x2 Rubik's Cube with the online solver
A 2x2 is quick to enter and quick to solve, as long as the cube stays the same way up the whole time. These notes explain why.
Why one corner stays fixed
On a 3x3, the center stickers never move, so they tell the solver which side is which. A 2x2 is only corners, and any of them can end up anywhere, so there is nothing fixed to go by.
The solver therefore asks you to hold one corner still: the yellow-blue-orange one, at the back-bottom-left. With that corner in place, every other sticker has exactly one place it can be, and white, green and red end up on the top, front and right when the cube is solved.
Why the solution only turns R, U and F
Turning the left, bottom or back side would move the corner you hold. The same positions can always be reached by turning the right (R), top (U) and front (F) sides instead, so the solution uses only those three and the corner never moves.
A plain letter is a quarter turn clockwise as you look at that side, and a letter with an apostrophe (R') is a quarter turn counterclockwise. A half turn is shown as the same quarter turn twice.
Why the solver says a 2x2 is impossible
Most impossible cubes are one sticker entered wrong: a color then appears five times, or a corner gets two stickers of opposite colors, such as white and yellow. Check the side the solver names, and compare every sticker with the cube in your hand.
If every color matches, a corner may have been twisted or popped out and put back the wrong way. No sequence of turns can fix that; twist the corner back by hand and enter the cube again.
Before you solve
- Hold the yellow-blue-orange corner at the back-bottom-left.
- Enter the four sides around the cube with the top side up.
- Enter the top with the front side down and the bottom with the front side up.
- Check that every color appears exactly four times.
- Keep holding the cube the same way while you follow the solution.
Frequently asked questions
How many moves does a 2x2 solution take?
Never more than 11. Every one of the 3,674,160 positions of a 2x2 can be solved in 11 moves or fewer, counting a half turn as one move. The solver checks all of them and always gives one of the shortest solutions. The move list shows each half turn as two quarter turns, so it can be a little longer than that.
Why do I have to hold one corner in place?
A 2x2 has no center pieces, so nothing on the cube shows which way up it is. Holding the yellow-blue-orange corner at the back-bottom-left gives the solver a fixed reference, and the solution never moves that corner.
Can I scan my 2x2 with the camera?
Not yet. The 2x2 solver takes the colors by hand; with the held corner already filled in, that is 21 stickers and usually about a minute. Camera scanning works on the 3x3 solver.
What should I do if the solver says my cube is impossible?
Check the side it names first: usually one sticker was entered as the wrong color. Also check that the top and bottom were entered with the front side down and up. If every sticker matches, a corner was probably twisted by hand; twist it back and try again.
Does the solver work for a Pocket Cube or any 2x2?
Yes, for any 2x2 with the standard color scheme: white opposite yellow, red opposite orange and green opposite blue. Speed cubes, stickerless cubes and Pocket Cubes all work the same way.