Step-by-Step Rubik's Cube Solver

About this Rubik's Cube solver

Matthew's Cube Buddy is a free online Rubik's Cube solver for 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5 cubes. Enter your scramble by painting the flat net or by photographing the cube, pick Standard for the beginner layer-by-layer method or Fast for the shortest solution we can find, then step through the moves with a rotatable 3D cube showing exactly what to turn.

Questions people ask

How does the solver work?

Once your cube state is entered, the app checks that the cube is actually solvable, then runs a solver in the background. Standard mode walks the layer-by-layer beginner method stage by stage, while Fast mode searches for a much shorter sequence you can copy but not really reason about.

Do I have to enter every sticker by hand?

No. You can paint stickers on the flat net, or use the camera scan to photograph your cube and let AI read the colors. Anything the scan is unsure about is outlined with a dashed border so you can correct it before solving.

Which cube sizes are supported?

2x2, 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5. Bigger cubes are solved by reduction: centers first, then pairing edges, then finishing the cube like a 3x3.

Can it handle 4x4 parity?

Yes. The 4x4 and 5x5 solvers detect OLL and PLL parity cases during reduction and insert the parity algorithms for you, so the solution always finishes.

How should I hold the cube?

White on top and yellow on the bottom, with green in front. Every instruction in the app assumes that orientation, and the collapsible orientation guide under the cube shows which face is which.

What does Teach me mode add?

Teach me keeps the beginner method but adds a coach panel: the goal of the current stage, what to look for on the cube, the algorithm being used, and how to know the stage is done.

Meet Matthew

Matthew is an 8-year-old from New Jersey. Ever since he was a toddler he has been the kid who dumps out the puzzle box, empties the Lego bin, and starts building — usually something nobody asked for, usually before breakfast.

He got his first Rubik's Cube when he was 5. Within two weeks he had memorized the algorithms and could solve a 3x3 on his own, and after that the cube went everywhere with him — car rides, waiting rooms, the dinner table when we weren't looking.

Then came the 4x4. The centers moved, parity showed up out of nowhere, and the tricks that worked on a 3x3 suddenly didn't. He got stuck, and the videos we found explained the moves without ever explaining what to look for on the cube. So we started building this site together: a solver that shows the moves in 3D and teaches the reasoning behind them. Matthew picked the colors, the cube sizes, and which cubes are worth recommending, and we kept adding features until it explained things the way he wished someone had explained them to him.

It's free, it has no ads, and it always will. If it helps you or your kid get unstuck, that's the whole point.

Get in touch

Found a bug, have a cube we should support, or just want to tell Matthew you solved your first 3x3? Send a note — he reads all of them.