How to Solve a Megaminx - Step-by-Step Course

Before you start

Pick up your megaminx - the best way to learn is to repeat the moves on a real puzzle. You can rotate the animations in this course: drag the puzzle with your finger or mouse. If you know our 3x3 cube course, it will go faster: most of the algorithms are the same. If you do not - no problem, everything is explained from scratch.

What a megaminx is made of

The megaminx is a dodecahedron: 12 pentagon-shaped faces, each in a different colour. The pieces are the same as on a cube, there are just more of them:

• 12 centres - one on each face. They never change places, so they determine the colour of the face.
• 30 edges - two colours each.
• 20 corners - three colours each.

The colours sit in pairs opposite each other: white - grey, green - light green, red - orange, blue - light blue, purple - pink, yellow - cream. Around the white face there are: green, red, purple, yellow and blue; around the grey one - their lighter counterparts. If your megaminx has a different colour scheme, nothing changes: the colour of a face is set by its centre.

The solving plan

We solve in layers from the white face upwards - exactly like a 3x3 cube, there are just more layers:

1. White star - 5 white edges (like the white cross).
2. White corners - 5 corners, the R U R' U' algorithm.
3. Second layer - 5 edges, two insertion algorithms.
4. The middle belt - 5 corners and 10 edges, the same algorithms as above. This is the step where most people get lost - here you get a simple order to follow.
5. Upper corners and edges - finishing the lower faces, again with the same algorithms.
6. Last layer - grey star, edges and corners into place, corner twists. Like on a 3x3 cube, with one new thing.

The megaminx has about 10⁶⁸ positions - a hundred million billion times more than a 3x3 cube. Even so, a first solve with the course usually takes 10-15 minutes, and after a week a few minutes.

1Move notation

The letters stand for the faces of the puzzle held normally, just like on a cube: U up, F front, R right, L left. The megaminx has 12 faces, though, so there are lower faces too. In this course you only need one of them: DR - down-right, the face lying below the front and right faces (it touches both). You will only see the other names (BR, BL, DL, D…) in the simulator.

A letter, e.g. R, means turning the face by one fifth of a turn clockwise, when you look straight at that face. An apostrophe (R', read “R prime”) is a turn the other way, and a two (U2) means two steps; U2' is two steps the other way. Five steps make a full turn, so U2' is the same as three steps clockwise. Click a move below to see it on the megaminx:

y is a rotation of the whole puzzle in your hands around the vertical axis (the right face comes to the front), and x2 - turning it upside down. In the course we describe these rotations in words: “put the white face at the bottom”, “rotate the puzzle so the slot is on the right”.

The most important sequence in the course is R U R' U' - the same as on the cube. Repeat it a few times on a real megaminx until your hand remembers the move; it returns to the starting point after six repetitions.

2White star

Goal: the white centre on top, 5 white edges around it, and the other colour of each edge matching the centre of the face below it.

Hold the megaminx with the white centre on top. The five faces touching the white one are the upper faces (green, red, purple, yellow, blue); the five further ones and the grey one are the lower part. Remember one thing that makes life much easier: the faces of the lower part do not touch the white face, so you can turn them as much as you like - the star will not fall apart.

How to insert an edge

Every white edge has a second colour; it belongs above the face of that colour. An edge goes up to the top by turning the upper face it lies next to. There are three situations:

1. Edge in the ring below the star (between two upper faces). Turn whichever of the two faces does not have the white sticker on it, so that the edge goes up to the top - the white will land on top.
2. Edge lower down, next to one upper face (on its bottom edge). White on the lower face: turn the upper face two steps - the edge goes up with white on top. White on the upper face: turn it one step, the edge goes into the ring - then continue as in point 1.
3. Edge in the lower part (it does not touch any upper face). Turn the lower faces until the edge is next to an upper face - then continue as in point 2.

There is one catch: when you turn an upper face, you will knock off any white edge already sitting above that face. So before you turn an upper face, turn the top (U) so that above that face is the spot where the edge belongs - it is empty, because that edge is not there yet. After inserting, turn the top back. You insert the first edge without this, because the star is still empty.

Finally, check the top: the white centre, five white edges, and below each of them the face in the colour of its second sticker. If two neighbouring edges match and the rest do not - do not adjust the top, just take out the wrong edges (the “on top, but in the wrong spot” case).

3White corners

Goal: the whole white layer - the star and 5 white corners, each with colours matching the neighbouring faces.

How to hold it

From now until the last layer there is one way of holding the puzzle. The slot you are filling is always at the bottom, front right - between the front face (F) and the right face (R), above the face below them (DR). The face above F and R is U. The solved part (now: the white star) is underneath on the right, tilted slightly away from you - that is normal, the white face is then the DR face.

For each corner:

1. Choose an empty slot in the white layer (or a slot with a corner that has no white) and put it at the bottom front right, as above.
2. Find the corner that belongs there: white + the colours of faces F and R. If it is somewhere at the bottom in the white layer (in the wrong slot or twisted), put that slot at the front right and do R U R' U' once - the corner will pop up.
3. Bring the corner to the U F R position (up, front, right - just above its slot). Use the U face for this and, if needed, other faces of the upper part - none of them touches the white layer.
4. Look which way the white sticker is facing, and repeat R U R' U':

After inserting, rotate the puzzle so the next empty slot is at the front right, and repeat. When all five corners are at the bottom, check the sides: on each of the five faces around the white one the bottom row (corner, edge, corner) is one colour.

4Second layer

Goal: the 5 second-layer edges - the vertical edges between the faces surrounding the white one.

Hold it as in step 3: the edge slot at the front right, between F and R, the white layer underneath on the right. The edge that belongs there has the colours of F and R. Bring it up to the top (U) by turning the faces of the upper part, and turn U until it is next to the slot:

• At the front (above F), when its front colour matches F - that is, the R colour is on top. The Right algorithm: R' U' R F' R' U R F.
• On the right (above R), when its right colour matches R - the F colour on top. The Left algorithm: F U F' R F U' F' R'.

The two algorithms are mirror images: Right starts with the right face, Left with the front face. Remember Right, and do Left “the other way round” (swap R with F and turn every move the other way).

If an edge is stuck in the second layer in the wrong slot or flipped, put that slot at the front right and do Right with any edge from the top - the wrong edge will pop up to the top. You will use the same two algorithms in steps 6 and 7.

5Middle belt: corners

Goal: the 5 corners above the second-layer edges - each has the colours of two lower faces and one upper face.

After the second layer each of the five lower faces has 5 of its 11 stickers solved. What is left is the middle belt: 5 corners and 10 edges, and then the upper corners of the lower faces. This is where the “just like the cube” tutorials end, because there is no longer one free top - which is why the order matters: first all five corners, then the edges.

How to hold it

A corner slot lies between two lower faces and one upper face. Hold the puzzle so that the corner's upper face is on the right (R), and the slot is at the bottom front right - then one lower face is at the front (F), the other underneath (DR). The face above F and R is U. The corner that belongs here has the colours of F, R and DR.

1. Bring the corner to the U F R position. Use the right face (R) and the grey top for this - R is still empty, and the grey face does not touch anything solved. Do not turn U if a belt corner has already been inserted in it.
2. If the corner is stuck in another belt slot or higher up (outside the top layer), put that slot at the front right and do R U R' U' once - it will pop out.
3. Look at the sticker in the colour of the DR (lower) face: to the right - R U R' U' 1 time, up - 3 times, to the front - 5 times. Exactly as with the white corners.

After each corner, rotate the puzzle to the next belt slot (the next upper face on the right). The grey stickers in the animations are pieces we are not solving yet - do not worry about them.

6Middle belt: edges

Goal: the 10 belt edges - the upper edges of the lower faces, each between a lower face and an upper face.

Belt edges cannot be inserted directly as in the second layer: the upper face above the slot already has its belt corner, and a U turn would knock it out. That is why you insert each edge in two steps: first you park it in the empty spot just above its target, then you slide it down from there. Both steps are the familiar Right and Left algorithms.

Step 1: park it

Above each belt slot there is an edge between two upper faces (the one just below the grey layer). It is still empty - that is the parking spot. Hold the puzzle with the grey face on top so the parking spot is at the front right (between F and R). Find a belt edge (it has the colour of a lower face and the colour of an upper face), turn the grey top until it is next to the parking spot, and insert it with the Right algorithm (when it is at the front) or Left (when it is on the right) - just as in the second layer. Park it so that its upper-face colour ends up on the upper face; if it does not match, park it from the other side (the other algorithm). If the edge is stuck in one of the belt slots or in another parking spot, first push it out of there with the Right algorithm.

Step 2: slide it down

Now hold the puzzle so that the edge slot is at the front right (between F and R), and the face with the parking spot is above them (U). The parked edge is then either at the front above F, or on the right above R:

• above F (the slot's upper face is at the front) - the Right algorithm,
• above R (the slot's upper face is on the right) - the Left algorithm.

Repeat for all 10 edges, two for each lower face. The order does not matter - each parking spot lies above two belt slots (the left one of one face and the right one of the neighbouring face) and is empty again after the edge is slid down.

7Upper corners and edges

Goal: the 5 upper corners of the lower faces (each touches the grey layer) and the 5 edges between the upper faces. After this step everything except the grey layer is solved.

From now on the grey face is the top (U) and stays that way until the end - like yellow on the 3x3 cube. All the pieces you are looking for are in the grey layer or in the slots of this step.

Upper corners

Put the corner slot at the bottom front right: the two upper faces are F and R, the lower face below them is DR. Bring the corner (colours of F, R and DR) to the U F R position by turning the grey top - and if it is stuck in another slot of this step, push it out once with R U R' U'. Then look at the sticker in the DR colour and repeat R U R' U': to the right 1 time, up 3, to the front 5.

Edges between the upper faces

These are the same spots that served as parking spots. Slot at the front right (between F and R): bring the edge with the colours of F and R up to the grey top and turn it above F or above R - the Right or Left algorithm, exactly as in the second layer.

When the five lower faces are completely solved, and below the grey face five edges match their faces - only the last layer is left.

8Last layer

Goal: the grey layer - 5 edges and 5 corners. Four steps, like on the 3x3 cube: star, edges into place, corners into place, corner twists.

Grey face on top. When you rotate the whole puzzle (y) white stays at the bottom, only the face at the front changes.

8a. Grey star

Count the edges with the grey sticker on top: 5 (done), 3, or 1. The F R U R' U' F' algorithm flips two edges: the front one and the right one, and moves a few pieces around along the way - it does not matter, you will place them in the next step.

• Two flipped, with one good one between them - rotate the puzzle (y) so the good one is on the right (R), and the flipped ones at the front and back right. Do the algorithm once.
• Two flipped next to each other - put them at the front and on the right. Do the algorithm twice, without changing your grip.
• Four flipped - put the only good one at the back left (BL). Do the algorithm once; you will be left with two flipped with a gap - then continue as in the first point.

8b. Grey edges into place

Turn the top (U) and count the edges whose side colour matches the centre below them. Set the top so that as many as possible match: you can always get two (or all five). The R U R' U R U2' R' algorithm leaves the front and left edges, and cycles the other three (the corners will move too - it does not matter).

• Two next to each other match - rotate the puzzle (y) so they are at the front and on the left. Do the algorithm once; if it does not fit, a second time.
• Two with a gap match - look at the edge in the gap (the non-matching one between them): where does it belong? If two spots to the right - put it at the front (F); if two to the left - on the left (L). Do the algorithm once, then turn the top for the best match and continue as above.
• Only one matches - put it at the front, do the algorithm once, then start again.

8c. Corners into place

From now on do not turn the top - the edges already match. A corner is in place when its colours match the two edges next to it (ignore its twist). The U L U' R' U L' U' R algorithm leaves the two back corners, and cycles the three front ones: the front left goes to the front right, that one to the back right. It does not move the edges. Count the corners in place:

• Two next to each other - put them at the back (y). Do the algorithm once; if it does not fit, a second time.
• Two with a gap - the corner in the gap (wrong, between the good ones) belongs two spots to the right or two to the left. To the right: put it at the back left (BL); to the left: at the front left (L). Do the algorithm once - now two next to each other match.
• One - put it at the back right (BR). If the front right corner is swapped with the back left one (each belongs in the other's spot) - do the algorithm twice; otherwise once. Then continue according to the number of matching corners.
• None - find a corner that belongs in the spot of its right neighbour, and put it at the front left (L). Do the algorithm once. If there is no such corner - do the algorithm once in any position.

In the worst case you need a few repetitions, usually two or three. After each algorithm count again.

8d. Corner twists

What is left is twisting the corners - the same as on the 3x3 cube. Put the corner to be twisted at the top front right (by turning the top U, not the whole puzzle) and repeat R' DR' R DR until grey is on top - 2 or 4 times. DR is the down-right face, below F and R. The lower faces will get messed up along the way; do not fix them. Turn the top to the next twisted corner and repeat. When all of them are twisted, the lower faces will solve themselves, and finally align the top with a single turn.

Done - the megaminx is solved. Your first solves will take a quarter of an hour, and after a dozen or so you will do it in a few minutes without looking at the course.

Cheat sheet: all algorithms

Seven algorithms for the whole megaminx. The slot is always at the front right, white face at the bottom.

Printable cheat sheet (A4 / PDF)

1. White star - an edge goes up to the top by turning the upper face it lies next to (the face without the white sticker; from the bottom edge of a face - two steps). Before that, set the top so the edge's spot is above that face; then undo the top.
2. Corner (white, belt, upper) - slot at the bottom front right, corner at U F R, lower face colour: to the right R U R' U' x1, up x3, to the front x5. Belt corner: the corner's upper face on the right.
3. Edge (second layer, belt, upper) - slot at the front right, edge above F: Right R' U' R F' R' U R F; above R: Left F U F' R F U' F' R'. Belt edge: first park it above the slot (grey top, the same Right/Left), then slide it down.
4. Grey star - F R U R' U' F': two with a gap (good one on the right) x1; two next to each other (front and right) x2; four (good one at the back left) x1, then as with a gap.
5. Edges into place - top for the max match; R U R' U R U2' R': two matching next to each other at the front and left x1-2; with a gap: gap edge at the front (belongs 2 to the right) or on the left (2 to the left) x1; one matching at the front x1 - and start again.
6. Corners into place - without turning the top; U L U' R' U L' U' R: two next to each other at the back x1-2; with a gap: the wrong one between the good ones at the back left (belongs 2 to the right) or at the front left (2 to the left) x1; one: at the back right, x2 if the front right is swapped with the back left, otherwise x1; none: the corner that belongs in its right neighbour's spot at the front left x1.
7. Corner twists - corner at the top front right, R' DR' R DR x2 or x4, turn the top to the next one; finally align the top.

Solve it yourself

A simulator for practice. You can scramble the whole megaminx or choose one step - then the goal checks only that step (the pieces below are solved in a random scramble just like in a real solve: all that counts is whether you solve the chosen step). The buttons cover all 12 faces; dragging over a sticker turns the face along the sticker's edge.

Common problems

I did an algorithm and it is worse than before

The culprit is almost always the wrong grip: the slot must be at the front right, and the face above F and R is U - on a megaminx it is easy to take the wrong face for U. The second cause is U2' in the edge algorithm: it is two steps the other way, not half a turn. Do the algorithm slowly, move by move, together with the animation.

I inserted an edge in the belt and a corner fell out

You turned the upper face (U) with an inserted belt corner to set up the edge. In the belt you do not set up edges with a U turn - you first park them in the ring below the grey layer (step 6, step 1), and slide them down from the parking spot without any setting up.

The belt corner will not go in

Check that the corner's upper face is on the right (R), not at the front - this decides which lower face is DR. The corner's colours must match the centres of F, R and DR.

In the last layer the corners will not match

Most often the top was turned after the edges were solved - you count corners relative to the edges next to them, not relative to the centres. If the edges do not match the centres, go back to step 8b. It also happens that you need four or five repetitions - that is normal with five corners.

One twisted corner or one flipped edge is left

A solved megaminx cannot have a single twisted corner or a single flipped edge. A piece was twisted in place or put back the wrong way round after it popped out. Carefully twist the corner back with your fingers (do not force it - the mechanism is easy to damage) or take out the edge and put it back the right way round.

My puzzle has different colours

The course assumes the white face at the bottom and the grey one on top, but face colours are set by the centres - if your megaminx has no white or grey face, choose any pair of opposite faces and read “white” as the colour of the bottom one, “grey” as the colour of the top one.

Pieces skip or pop out

The megaminx has lots of cuts and cheap models tend to catch halfway through a move. Modern models have magnets that snap the layers into place. See our megaminxes.

How long does it take to learn?

If you know the 3x3 cube, your first solve with the course will take one evening; without it - two or three. This method needs about 500-700 moves, which at first means 10-15 minutes, and after a few weeks 3-5 minutes.

What next?

Once you have solved the megaminx a few times without looking at the course, start taking shortcuts. The biggest gain comes from inserting pairs: a corner together with the edge above it, as in the F2L method on the 3x3 cube - then parking disappears. After that, the last layer in fewer steps: separate algorithms for each case, just like OLL and PLL on the cube.

Megaminx is an official WCA competition event; the best solvers do it in about 25 seconds. If you like layer-by-layer solving, the Kilominx (a megaminx without edges, like a 2x2) and the Gigaminx (with double layers, like a 5x5) are solved in a similar way.