The cube file

The cube in numbers

The Rubik's Cube began as a classroom model. Ernő Rubik, an architecture teacher in Budapest, built the first one in 1974 to show his students how a solid block can rotate around itself. In Hungary it was sold as Bűvös kocka ("magic cube") before the international launch in 1980. The numbers below give a short profile of the puzzle. The solver on this page accepts any 3x3x3 twisty cube, not only the original brand.

43 quintillion possible positions, 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 in full. Only one of them is solved.
20 moves God's number: no scramble needs more than 20 moves. Proved by computer search in 2010.
26 cubies 8 corners, 12 edges and 6 fixed centers under 54 stickers.
500 million+ cubes sold worldwide since the 1980 launch.
~3 seconds current human record for a single solve. The 1982 world champion needed 22.95 seconds.
0.305 s robot record, set in 2024.

From Budapest to the world

  1. 1974Ernő Rubik builds the first working prototype in Budapest
  2. 1975Rubik files a Hungarian patent for his "spatial logic toy"
  3. 1977The Bűvös kocka reaches Hungarian toy shops
  4. 1980Licensed worldwide and renamed the Rubik's Cube
  5. 1982The first World Championship is held in Budapest
  6. 2010Computer proof shows that God's number is 20

How the solver works

Paint the 54 stickers of your cube in either view, then press Calculate solution. The program turns the colors into a cube state, checks that the state can exist on a real cube, and searches for a short sequence of turns. Solutions are usually 20 to 24 moves long and the search takes a few milliseconds. Everything runs in your browser and the cube state is not sent anywhere.

Reading the display and entering algorithms

While you paint, the display in the control panel lists your cube as 54 letters, 9 per face, in U R F D L B face order: W white, R red, G green, Y yellow, O orange, B blue, and - for an empty sticker. The field under the display accepts a move sequence such as F R2 U'. Press APPLY or Enter and the moves are performed on the current cube, which is a quick way to enter a known scramble.

Learning and practice

If you would rather learn to solve the cube by hand, CubeSolve.com explains a beginner method layer by layer. If you already solve and want to get faster, you can time yourself with the online stopwatch at Ruwix.com.

Frequently asked questions

How many moves does the solver need?

Usually between 20 and 24. The solver does not always find the shortest possible solution, but it stays close to the proven 20-move upper bound.

Why does the solver say my cube is unsolvable?

The painted stickers describe a state that cannot occur on a real cube. In most cases a corner is twisted, an edge is flipped, or two pieces are swapped, which happens easily when colors are copied by hand. Check the stickers again with the white center up and the green center toward you.

What does F R2 U' mean?

The letters name the faces: front, back, up, down, left and right. A plain letter means a clockwise quarter turn, an apostrophe means counter-clockwise, and a 2 means a half turn.

Is the solver free?

Yes. There is no registration and no installation, and the cube state never leaves your browser.

Does it work with cubes that aren't the Rubik's brand?

Yes. Any 3x3x3 cube with the standard six-color scheme can be entered, including speed cubes.

About this site

Rubik Solver (rubiksolver.com) is an unofficial project made by fans of the puzzle. "Rubik's Cube" is a registered trademark of Spin Master Toys UK Ltd, formerly Rubik's Brand Ltd. The name is used here only to say which kind of puzzle the tool solves. This site is not connected to, endorsed by, or sponsored by the trademark owner.