How to Do Two‐Look OLL to Help Solve a Rubik's Cube

Last Updated: October 16, 2022

Two-look OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer) is a part of the CFOP (Cross, First 2 Layers, Orientation, Permutation) method used by most speedcubers. Two-look refers to the technique of doing this maneuver in two parts, which gives you 11 algorithms to learn, as opposed to the 57 algorithms for traditional OLL. The goal of OLL is to make sure the last face is complete. This does not mean the cube is solved, as the last layer is still scrambled. After you have done OLL, you must do PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer) to completely solve the cube.^{[1]
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Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Cross on Top

1
Hold the cube so the unsolved face is on top. Most people start with white, so their last face will be yellow, which we will use in this how-to. If you see yellow, but your unsolved face is e.g. blue, just replace yellow with blue.
2
Look at your cube and determine which scenario you have. Below are how the unsolved face looks from above, for each of the four possibilities. The yellow squares indicate that they are already the right colour, the white squares could be any other colour. The corners could also be yellow, but that doesn't matter (for now, at least). The bottom side is the side facing you.
- These are the possibilities:
  - The Dot
  - The Hook
  - The Bar
  - The Cross (the ideal scenario)
- Below is the solution for each case, find the one you have and follow the instructions. If you already have a cross, proceed with the next part: solving the corners. Note that one or more corners may or may not be solved. This doesn't affect the following steps.
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3
Keep holding the unsolved face on top unless specifically stated otherwise.

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Getting the Cross from the Dot

1
Hold the cube any way you look, as long as the unsolved face is on top.
2
Apply the following algorithm: F R U R' U' F' f R U R' U' f'. This should give you a cross on top, now you're ready to go to the next part: solving the corners.

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Getting the Cross from the Hook

1
Hold the cube so one "leg" of the hook is pointing right and the other pointing towards you.
2
Apply the following algorithm: f R U R' U' f'. This should give you a cross on top, now you're ready to go to the next part: solving the corners.

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Getting the Cross from the Bar

1
Hold the cube so the bar is horizontal.
2
Apply the following algorithm: F R U R' U' F'. This should give you a cross on top, now you're ready to go to the next part: solving the corners.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Solving the Corners

1
Hold the unsolved face on top.
2
Look at your cube and determine which scenario you have. This is how the unsolved face looks from above. The yellow squares indicate that they are already the right colour, the white squares could be any other colour. A line on the side of a square means that yellow is not on top, but on the side. The bottom side is the side facing you.
- These are the possibilities:
  - The Sune
  - The Anti-Sune
  - The H
  - The Pi
  - The Headlights
  - The Chameleon
  - The Bowtie
- Below is the solution for each case, find the one you have and follow the instructions
3
Keep holding the unsolved face on top unless specifically stated otherwise.

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Solving the Corners from the Sune

1
Hold the cube so the one solved piece is in the bottom left corner.
2
Apply the following algorithm: R U R' U R U2 R'

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Solving the Corners from the Anti-Sune

1
Hold the cube so the one solved piece is in the top left corner.
2
Apply the following algorithm: R' U' R U' R' U2 R. The entire last faced should be solved now.

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Solving the Corners from the H

1
Hold the cube so two yellow corners point toward you and the other two away from you.
2
Apply the following algorithm: F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U R' U' F'.

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Solving the Corners from the Pi

1
Hold the cube so two corners point to your left, one toward you, and one away from you.
2
Apply the following algorithm: R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R.

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Solving the Corners from the Headlights

1
Hold the cube so two corners point towards you.
2
Apply the following algorithm: R2' D R' U2 R D' R' U2 R'

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Solving the Corners from the Chameleon

1
Hold the cube so one yellow piece points away from you and the other points towards you. Both pieces must be on the left side.
2
Perform the following algorithm:r U R' U' r' F R F'.

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Solving the Corners from the Bowtie

1
Hold the cube so one corner points towards you and one points to your left.
2
Apply the following algorithm: F' r U R' U' r' F R

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References

↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFOP_method
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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 44,244 times.

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Co-authors: 4

Updated: October 16, 2022

Views: 44,244

Categories: Rubik's Cube

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