Six solved centre blocks and twelve fully matched edge groups.
White centre down, yellow up. Treat every centre block and edge group as one large piece.
1. Treat the reduced cube as a 3×3
A whole centre block acts like one centre. A complete two-piece edge group acts like one edge. The actual corner pieces already behave like 3×3 corners.
For the remaining ordinary solving steps, use only outer R, U, F, L, D, and B turns. R turns only the outer right layer. Using Rw in its place disrupts the reduction.
2. Follow the same checkpoints
| Order | Target | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White edge groups aligned with centres | Daisy, then white cross |
| 2 | White corners are solved and the bottom row on each side matches its centre | First layer |
| 3 | Middle edge groups match their centres | Middle edges |
| 4 | Four edge groups have yellow facing up | Yellow cross |
| 5 | The yellow stickers on the top corners face up | Yellow corners |
| 6 | Top corners match the side centres | Corner positions |
| 7 | The remaining edges are in place, completing every face | Final edges |
Keep your physical 4×4 in its current state when opening a linked explanation. Its pictures show smaller pieces, but the outer-turn relationships are the same. Skip a stage if its checkpoint is already satisfied.
3. Recognize when to leave the ordinary path
If exactly one or three edge groups have yellow facing up after the first two layers are solved, use the next lesson on OLL parity, then recheck the yellow cross. If all the corners are in place but exactly two complete edge groups need to be swapped, use the PLL parity lesson, then resume positioning the last-layer pieces. Either case can occur even if you completed the earlier steps correctly.
4. Keep your grouped pieces intact
After each algorithm, check that every centre is still a solid block and every edge is still a complete group. A single outer turn keeps matched groups together. If a group has split, check whether you used an inner or wide turn in your 3×3 sequence.
The animation below reviews the final three-edge cycle. Watch each grouped edge move as a single unit. Use this sequence only when you reach this stage of the reduced solve and have the matching case.
Need a reminder of the move notation?
R right · L left · U top · D bottom · F front · B back. A plain letter means a 90° clockwise turn as you look directly at that face. An apostrophe (′) reverses the direction. A 2 means a 180° turn. Keep the same face toward you throughout the algorithm.
Rw turns the rightmost two layers together. 2R turns only the second layer from the right. 3Rw turns three layers. x rotates the whole cube like R, so the old front becomes the new top.
Watch, then try
Work through an example
Start by going through the example one move at a time. It shows a specific action from a prepared position. Use the lesson’s setup instructions to recognize when that action applies to your own scramble.
Watch one worked example
This edge cycle uses outer turns and keeps the grouped pieces intact on the 4×4. The top-back edge group and all corners stay fixed while the other three top edge groups cycle.
Example grip: yellow up · blue front · red right at the start. Follow any written whole-cube rotations.
0 / 11
Loading 3D cube…
Prepared position · 0 / 11 moves
Use Next move to follow the sequence.
Drag to inspect other faces. Use the arrow keys to rotate the view when the cube has focus.
Copy this exact example on your own cube
Start with a solved 4×4, with yellow on top and blue at the front. Apply the setup below from left to right to create the example’s starting position. Keep this practice setup separate from the scramble you’re solving throughout the course.
R2 U R U R' U' R' U' R' U R'Then follow the lesson sequence. If your cube’s colour scheme differs, match the piece relationships using your own colours.
Compare the starting position and the result
Drag each cube to inspect its other faces.
Explain it to yourself
Check your understanding
Now use your own cube
Your turn
Follow the linked 3×3 stages in order using only outer turns. Check that centres and paired edges remain intact after each complete algorithm.
Open a 4×4 Digital Cube for practiceOpens in a new tab so you can keep this lesson open while you practise. Check for yourself whether you’ve met the lesson goal. The Digital Cube doesn’t grade your work.
If you get stuck
An edge pair comes apart during a 3×3 algorithm.
Check that each ordinary face turn moved only the outer layer. If you can identify an accidental wide or inner turn, undo it. Otherwise, restore the reduction before continuing.
Before moving on
Check your result
Your cube at this stage
All six faces solved
Every face is one colour. Check the back and bottom as well as the faces you can see here.
Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.
Check off each item once you can do it yourself.