Rubik's Cube Patterns: 20 Patterns Step by Step

Once you can solve the Rubik's Cube, you can use it to draw: with just a few moves, its faces fill up with stripes, dots, crosses, letters or even a cube inside another cube. Here are 20 patterns, from easiest to hardest, with a picture of every move. Some of them are made by combining others you'll already have learned.

If you can't solve the cube yet, don't worry: start with a solved cube and, if you make a mistake, use our step-by-step solution.

How to make the patterns

Always start with a solved cube, with white on top and green in front (with other colors, the patterns come out the same, just in different colors). Then do the moves in order, without turning the whole cube in your hand.

  • R Turn the light blue layer in the direction of the arrow.
  • R2 With a 2: turn it twice (a half turn).
  • B Watch out for the back (B) and bottom (D) layers: you can barely see them, but they turn too.
  • y All light blue: turn the whole cube, without moving any layer.

Under each picture you'll find the move in the notation cubers use: each letter is a face (R right, L left, U up, D down, F front, B back). An apostrophe (R') means turning it the other way and a 2 (R2), twice.

The picture of each pattern shows the cube from the front and, on the right, turned around and seen from below, so you can see all six faces.

To solve the cube again, do the same moves in reverse order, turning each one the other way. Many patterns are easier to undo: just repeat their moves (we say so for each one). And if you get lost, you can always solve it with our step-by-step solution.

1. Checkerboard

Checkerboard: all six faces look like a checkerboard

The most famous pattern, and one of the easiest: a half turn of each face.

  1. U2
  2. D2
  3. R2
  4. L2
  5. F2
  6. B2

6 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

2. Vertical stripes

Vertical stripes: vertical stripes on the four side faces

Three half turns, done twice.

    1. R2
    2. B2
    3. L2
    ×2

6 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

3. Checkerboard on 4 sides

Checkerboard on 4 sides: a checkerboard on the four side faces, with the top and bottom untouched

Make Vertical stripes and then give the top and bottom layers a half turn.

  1. Vertical stripes
  2. U2
  3. D2

8 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

4. Plus and minus

Plus and minus: a plus sign on two faces and a minus sign on two others

Another three half turns that you do twice.

    1. U2
    2. R2
    3. L2
    ×2

6 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

5. Letter I

Letter I: an I on each of the four side faces

Eight half turns in two halves that look alike: R2 U2 D2 L2 and F2 U2 D2 B2.

  1. R2
  2. U2
  3. D2
  4. L2
  5. F2
  6. U2
  7. D2
  8. B2

8 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

6. Letter H

Letter H: an H on each of the four side faces

Five half turns, done twice. And if you make the Letter I first and then the Letter H, you get the Checkerboard on 4 sides.

    1. U2
    2. R2
    3. L2
    4. F2
    5. B2
    ×2

10 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

7. Four crosses

Four crosses: a cross on each of the four side faces

Make the Letter H and then give the top and bottom layers a half turn: the H's turn into crosses.

  1. Letter H
  2. U2
  3. D2

12 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

8. Letter T

Letter T: a T on each of the four side faces

Almost all half turns: only D' and U' are quarter turns.

  1. B2
  2. L2
  3. R2
  4. F2
  5. D'
  6. L2
  7. B2
  8. F2
  9. R2
  10. U'

10 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

9. Letter n

Letter n: an n on each of the four side faces

Twelve moves with no repetitions, so go slowly. Each side face ends up with an n in the color of the face to its right.

  1. B
  2. R'
  3. F'
  4. U2
  5. L'
  6. D'
  7. B
  8. L
  9. U2
  10. F
  11. U
  12. R'

12 moves

10. Six dots

Six dots: a dot of another color in the middle of each face

It looks as if the centers have swapped places, but it's the other way around: the centers never move; what changes is everything around them.

  1. U
  2. D'
  3. R
  4. L'
  5. F
  6. B'
  7. U
  8. D'

8 moves

11. Four dots

Four dots: a dot in the middle of the four side faces

Make Six dots, turn the whole cube a quarter turn (without turning any layer: the right face comes to the front) and make Six dots again.

  1. Six dots
  2. y
  3. Six dots

16 moves

Shortcut, in 8 moves: F2 B2 U D' R2 L2 U D'

12. Six crosses

Six crosses: a cross on every face

Each face ends up with a cross of its own color.

  1. U
  2. F
  3. B'
  4. L2
  5. U2
  6. L2
  7. F'
  8. B
  9. U2
  10. L2
  11. U

11 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

13. Zigzag

Zigzag: a zigzag on the four side faces

Four moves you do three times: easy to remember.

    1. R
    2. L
    3. F
    4. B
    ×3

12 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

14. Wire

Wire: a colored wire that goes around the cube

Make Zigzag and then, without undoing it, Vertical stripes.

  1. Zigzag
  2. Vertical stripes

18 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

15. Spiral

Spiral: a spiral on every face

Sixteen moves with no repetitions, so go slowly. Each face keeps its own color only in the center, one edge and one corner; the rest winds around them like a spiral.

  1. L'
  2. B'
  3. D
  4. U
  5. R
  6. U'
  7. R'
  8. D2
  9. R2
  10. D
  11. L
  12. D'
  13. L'
  14. R'
  15. F
  16. U

16 moves

16. Twisted corner

Twisted corner: the top front right corner twisted along with its edges, and the opposite corner too

The top front right corner looks as if it had been twisted in place, together with its three edges. Look at the back: the opposite corner is twisted too, because a real cube never lets you twist just one corner.

  1. U
  2. L2
  3. D
  4. F
  5. D'
  6. B'
  7. U
  8. L'
  9. B2
  10. U2
  11. F
  12. U'
  13. F'
  14. U2
  15. B'
  16. U'

16 moves

17. Cube in a cube

Cube in a cube: a small cube inside one corner of the big cube

A classic: 15 moves with no repetitions, so go slowly and check each picture.

  1. F
  2. L
  3. F
  4. U'
  5. R
  6. U
  7. F2
  8. L2
  9. U'
  10. L'
  11. B
  12. D'
  13. B'
  14. L2
  15. U

15 moves

18. Cube in a cube in a cube

Cube in a cube in a cube: three cubes, one inside another, in one corner

The Cube in a cube with yet another cube inside. It takes 18 moves: go slowly.

  1. U'
  2. L'
  3. U'
  4. F'
  5. R2
  6. B'
  7. R
  8. F
  9. U
  10. B2
  11. U
  12. B'
  13. L
  14. U'
  15. F
  16. U
  17. R
  18. F'

18 moves

19. Snake

Snake: a snake that winds its way around the cube

One of the prettiest patterns: the snake passes through all six faces.

  1. L
  2. U
  3. B'
  4. U'
  5. R
  6. L'
  7. B
  8. R'
  9. F
  10. B'
  11. D
  12. R
  13. D'
  14. F'

14 moves

20. Superflip

Superflip: every edge flipped

The corners and centers are in place, but all 12 edges are flipped. It doesn't look like much, yet it's the most famous position on the cube: in 1995 it was proven that it can't be made (or undone) in fewer than 20 moves, and 20 is the most any cube ever needs: God's number.

  1. U
  2. R2
  3. F
  4. B
  5. R
  6. B2
  7. R
  8. U2
  9. L
  10. B2
  11. R
  12. U'
  13. D'
  14. R2
  15. F
  16. R'
  17. L
  18. B2
  19. U2
  20. F2

20 moves · To undo it, repeat the same moves.

Want more?

Try inventing your own patterns: combine the ones on this page, or start one pattern on top of another. And if you wonder why some patterns need so many moves, read about God's number.