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

Co-authored by Timothy Huynh

Last Updated: April 22, 2024

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

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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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Getting the Cross from the Dot

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.

Getting the Cross from the Hook

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.

Getting the Cross from the Bar

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.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Solving the Corners

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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

Solving the Corners from the Sune

R U R' U R U2 R'

Solving the Corners from the Anti-Sune

R' U' R U' R' U2 R. The entire last faced should be solved now.

Solving the Corners from the H

F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U R' U' F'.

Solving the Corners from the Pi

R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R.

Solving the Corners from the Headlights

R2' D R' U2 R D' R' U2 R'

Solving the Corners from the Chameleon

Both pieces must be on the left side.

Solving the Corners from the Bowtie

F' r U R' U' r' F R

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I solve a 4 x 4 Rubik's cube?

Timothy Huynh
Rubik’s Cube Artist
Timothy Huynh is a Rubik’s Cube Artist based in Tampa, Florida. Timothy has been solving Rubik's Cubes professionally since 2016 and became a Guinness World Record Holder with advanced Rubik's cube-solving skills. Timothy has a follower base of over 8.6 million YouTube subscribers and 124k followers on Instagram. Internet celebrities including David Dobrik and Simu Liu have sung his praises, and Pixar has deemed his work "incredible."

Timothy Huynh

Rubik’s Cube Artist

Expert Answer

To solve a 4x4 Rubik's cube with the Two-Look OLL method, start by solving the centers of each face, focusing on one color at a time, ensuring they are correctly aligned. Next, pair up the edge pieces to create complete edge pairs by matching two pieces with the same colors on adjacent faces. Then, reduce the cube to a 3x3 size and treat it as such, utilizing familiar algorithms and techniques from solving the 3x3 cube. Apply the Two-Look OLL method to orient the last layer's edges by executing the first set of algorithms, simplifying orientation into two steps. Finally, complete the solve by using PLL algorithms to permute the last layer's corners into their correct positions while preserving edge orientation.

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What's easier, a 3x3 Rubik's Cube or a 4x4?

Timothy Huynh
Rubik’s Cube Artist
Timothy Huynh is a Rubik’s Cube Artist based in Tampa, Florida. Timothy has been solving Rubik's Cubes professionally since 2016 and became a Guinness World Record Holder with advanced Rubik's cube-solving skills. Timothy has a follower base of over 8.6 million YouTube subscribers and 124k followers on Instagram. Internet celebrities including David Dobrik and Simu Liu have sung his praises, and Pixar has deemed his work "incredible."

Timothy Huynh

Rubik’s Cube Artist

Expert Answer

So a 4x4 Rubik's cube has a more complex structure. Each face comprises 16 stickers arranged in a 4x4 grid, resulting in a total of 24 edge pieces and eight corner pieces. Unlike the 3x3 cube, the 4x4 cube features movable centerpieces, making the solving process more challenging as these centers need to be correctly aligned. Additionally, the increased number of pieces introduces parity errors, where pieces appear to be in the correct position but are oriented incorrectly. Solving a 4x4 cube often requires advanced techniques and algorithms, such as edge pairing and parity algorithms, to overcome these challenges and achieve a solved state. Overall, the 4x4 Rubik's cube offers a more intricate and stimulating solving experience compared to its 3x3 counterpart.

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Tips

While this method requires far less algorithms than the traditional OLL, it will still be a lot for most people. Just learn one or two algorithms a day, and check our article about memorising speedcubing algorithms.

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If you end up with something else than you're supposed to, try doing the algorithm in reverse to restore your cube (this won't always work, but it's worth giving a try), and slowly revise the steps and algorithms to see where it went wrong.

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After you've learnt and mastered the two look OLL, give the traditional OLL a try. Though it requires 57 algorithms, your solving time will drop to under 45 seconds.

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