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Beginner's Method · Stages 4–7

How to Solve the Last Layer of a Rubik's Cube: Yellow Cross, Edges, and Corners

With the first two layers complete, only the bottom yellow layer remains. Rather than trying to solve all 8 last-layer pieces at once, our method splits the final layer into four clean steps: first orient the four yellow edges into a cross, then match those edges to their side centers, next put the four corners into their right spots, and finally twist the corners to finish the cube.

Keep the white center on top (U) for all four stages—never flip the cube upside down.

Stage 4 of 7

Orient the Yellow Cross on the Bottom Face

Rule for the Yellow Cross: Look at the yellow stickers on the four edge pieces of the bottom face (ignore the corners for now). They will always show one of four patterns: a Dot, an L-shape, a Line, or a finished Cross.

1. Dot: hold from any side, run formula
2. L-shape: hold at back-left, run formula
3. Line: hold left-to-right, run formula
4. Cross: Stage 4 is complete!

Hold the cube (white on top) so the bottom pattern matches the orientation above: for the L-shape, the two yellow edge petals must point toward the back and left; for the Line, the bar must run horizontally from left to right (never front-to-back). Then apply the 6-move Yellow Cross formula:

F'front counter R' D' R Dbottom 4-move trigger Ffront clockwise

Each pass advances your cube one step along the chain: Dot → L-shape → Line → Cross. Remember to re-check how you hold the L-shape or Line before running the next pass!

What if 1 or 3 yellow edges face down? On a valid Rubik's Cube, the number of yellow edges facing down on the bottom face is always even (0, 2, or 4). If you see 1 or 3 yellow edges, one edge piece on your cube has been physically popped and re-inserted flipped—see Unsolvable Cube States.

Stage 5 of 7

Match the Four Yellow Edges with Their Side Centers

Rule for Yellow Edges: Turn only the bottom layer (D) and check the side stickers of the four bottom edges against the four side centers. You will always be able to match at least two edges at once.

  1. All four edges match their centers: Stage 5 is already finished!
  2. Two neighboring (adjacent) edges match: Hold the cube (white on top) so the two matching edges sit at the Front (F) and Right (R) faces. Run the Fish algorithm once, followed by D:
R D R' Dright up · bottom right · right down · bottom right R D2 R'right up · bottom 180° · right down Dbottom right to align
  1. Before Fish: red front and blue right bottom edges match their centers.
    Two neighbors match: hold the matching pair at Front and Right.
  2. After Fish and D: all four bottom edges match their centers.
    After Fish + D: all four bottom edges match their side centers.

What if two opposite edges match (Front and Back, or Left and Right)? Run the Fish algorithm (R D R' D R D2 R') once from any side. That breaks the opposite pair and creates two neighboring matching edges. Turn D to find the two neighbors, hold them at Front and Right, and run the Fish + D once more.

Stage 6 of 7

Put the Four Last-Layer Corners in Their Places

Definition of “in its place”: A bottom corner is in its right place if its three sticker colors match the three surrounding centers (Yellow + the two neighboring side centers), in any order. It does not need to be twisted with yellow facing down yet!

Do not turn D anymore, because turning D would unmatch your Stage 5 edges. Inspect the four bottom corners where they sit:

  • All 4 corners are in their places: Stage 6 is complete! Proceed to Stage 7.
  • Exactly 1 corner is in its place: Hold the cube (white on top) so that this one correct corner sits at front-right-bottom (DFR). Run the 8-move Corner Cycle formula once (or twice if needed) until the other three corners cycle into their home places:
D' R' D Lbottom left · right down · bottom right · left down D' R D L'bottom left · right up · bottom right · left up
  1. Before Corner Cycle: the yellow-red-blue corner sits in its home slot at front-right-bottom, even though twisted.
    Anchor corner at front-right-bottom: its three colors (yellow, red, blue) match the three centers around it.
  2. After Corner Cycle: the front-right-bottom corner stays put while the other three bottom corners cycle into their places.
    After D' R' D L D' R D L': the front-right corner stays in place while the other three corners cycle.

What if 0 corners are in their places? Run the Corner Cycle formula once from any side. Afterward, exactly one bottom corner will be in its right place—hold that corner at front-right-bottom and repeat the formula.

Stage 7 of 7

Twist the Final Corners with R U R' U'

Rule for Stage 7: Hold an untwisted bottom corner at front-right-bottom (DFR), repeat the top four-move trigger R U R' U' (2 or 4 times) until its yellow sticker faces down, and then turn ONLY the bottom layer (D, D', or D2) to bring the next twisted corner into that same front-right-bottom spot.

R U R' U'right up · top left · right down · top right
Where the Corner's Yellow Sticker Faces Repetitions of R U R' U' Next Action
Yellow faces Right (R) 2 times in a row (8 moves) Turn only D to bring the next twisted corner to front-right-bottom.
Yellow faces Front (F, toward you) 4 times in a row (16 moves) Turn only D to bring the next twisted corner to front-right-bottom.
Yellow already faces Down (D) 0 times (already oriented) Turn only D to bring an untwisted corner to front-right-bottom.
Critical Rule

Why the Top Layers Scramble During Stage 7—and Why You Must Not Rotate the Cube

When you twist the first bottom corner with 2 or 4 repetitions of R U R' U', the white cross and first two layers on top will look temporarily scrambled. Do not panic, and do not rotate the whole cube in your hands!

Here is why: on a solvable Rubik's Cube, the total twist of all corners must add up to a multiple of 3 ( meaning 6 total repetitions of R U R' U'). For example:

  • If two corners are twisted (one needing 2 repetitions and the other needing 4 repetitions), 2 + 4 = 6 repetitions of R U R' U'.
  • If three corners are twisted in the same direction (each needing 2 repetitions, or each needing 4 repetitions), 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 or 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 repetitions of R U R' U'.

As long as you keep the exact same front center facing you for the entire Stage 7 and feed each twisted corner into the front-right-bottom working slot by turning only the bottom layer (D), the final repetition of R U R' U' will magically restore the top two layers at the exact moment the last yellow sticker turns down! Finish with a single adjustment of D to line up the bottom layer, and your Rubik's Cube is solved.

Scan your cube and practice Stage 7 in Train mode