2x2 Cube Solver
Solve any 2x2 cube in the fewest possible moves. Colour in your real 2x2 or scramble the one on screen, press Solve, and follow the moves on the 3D cube.
Get 3D Cube Puzzle as an app
Free, no app store and no sign-up. The cube, the 2x2, 3x3 and 4x4 solvers, the trainer, the timer and the patterns all work without the internet once it is saved.
How to add it on this device:
Scramble or turn the cube
Mix up the 2x2 on screen (or turn it to match your own), then press Solve.
Scramble:
Enter your cube’s colours
Hold your cube any way up and keep it that way. Pick a colour, then tap the matching stickers on the map or on the 3D cube. The map shows top, then left, front, right and back, then bottom. Drag the background to see the other sides.
Solution
How to use the 2x2 solver
- Choose “Enter my cube’s colours”.
- Hold your cube one way and keep it that way. A 2x2 has no centres, so any way up works, as long as you don’t turn it round while you copy the colours.
- Colour in all 24 stickers. Pick a colour, tap the stickers. The solver checks as you go and tells you if a corner can’t exist or a colour is used too often.
- Press Solve and follow the moves. Each one is explained in words, like “Turn the right face clockwise”.
The letters are standard cube notation: R is the right face clockwise, R’ anticlockwise, R2 half a turn. The solver only uses the top (U), right (R) and front (F) faces, so the bottom-back-left corner never moves. That is why the answer is so short.
How the 2x2 solver works
Because the bottom-back-left corner stays put, a 2x2 position is just two things: where the other seven corners are (5,040 ways) and how they are twisted (729 ways). The solver works out, for each of those, the fewest moves needed, in a few thousandths of a second. It then searches, depth by depth, and uses those numbers to skip any path that can’t finish in time. This is called IDA* search, and it always finds a shortest solution.
We tested it on hundreds of random positions: every one was solved, the average was under 9 moves and none needed more than 11. It all runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Why a cube can be impossible
- Wrong colour counts: a 2x2 has exactly four stickers of each colour.
- A corner that can’t exist: for example one with two opposite colours, or a colour order that is a mirror image of a real corner.
- One twisted corner: if someone twisted a corner in place by hand, turning alone can’t fix it. Twist it back.
Usually it is one mis-tapped sticker, so check the corner named in the message.
Rubik's Cube is a trade mark of Spin Master. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Spin Master.
Questions people ask
How many moves does the 2x2 solver need?
It always finds a shortest solution, which is never more than 11 moves (counting a half turn as one move). Most positions need 8 or 9.
Which way should I hold my 2x2?
Any way, as long as you keep it the same way while you enter the colours and while you follow the solution.
Can I learn to solve it myself?
Yes. Our how to solve a 2x2 guide needs just two algorithms.