How to Use the Online 3x3 Cube Timer for Speedcubing Practice

To use the timer on onlinecube.com, hold down the space bar and release it to start timing, then press the space bar again to stop. On a phone, tap the clock instead. Each solve comes with a fresh 20-move scramble, and the timer automatically tracks your best time, your average, and your averages of 5 and 12 — the figures speedcubers use in competition. You can also switch on inspection to get the WCA-standard 15 seconds, and your times stay saved in your browser between visits.

Starting and Stopping a Solve

The control scheme is built around the space bar, which mirrors how most speedcubing timers work in practice:

1. Hold the space bar down. This is the "ready" position — keep holding until you're set.
2. Release the space bar to start the clock.
3. Press the space bar again to stop it when you finish the solve.

On a touchscreen, tap the clock in place of the space bar for both the start and stop actions.

A few practical notes:

• The hold-then-release pattern exists so you can't start the timer by accident with a stray keypress. Get in the habit of holding until your hands are in position.
• If you're solving on the on-screen 3D cube rather than a physical cube, you'll need to move between the simulator and the timer. Most people use the timer alongside a real cube.
• The timer is designed for any 3x3 speedcube — the site notes it works with an original Rubik's brand cube, a GAN, a MoYu, or whatever cube you happen to own.

What the Timer Records

Every solve feeds into a set of statistics that update automatically:

Averages of 5 and 12 are the numbers used at official competitions, so tracking them gives you a realistic picture of your progress rather than a flattering single lucky solve. Watch the ao5 and ao12 trends rather than your best time — a dropping average means you're genuinely getting faster, while a single fast solve can just be luck.

Using Inspection Mode

If you want to practice under competition conditions, turn on inspection. This gives you the WCA's 15-second inspection window before each solve, so you can plan your first moves the way you would at a real event.

Inspection changes your routine: instead of picking up the cube cold, you get a fixed period to study the scramble and decide on your cross. Practicing with it on trains the planning habit that separates casual solvers from competitors.

Scrambles and Saved Times

Each solve generates a new 20-move scramble, so you never repeat the same position twice in a session. That's enough moves to thoroughly mix the cube — the site points out that a 3x3 has over 43 quintillion possible arrangements, and any one of them can be solved in 20 turns or fewer (a limit known as God's Number).

Your times are stored in your browser, which means:

• You can close the tab and come back later without losing your history.
• Your records are tied to that browser on that device — they won't follow you to a different browser or a different computer.
• Clearing your browser data will wipe your saved times.

A Simple Practice Routine

If you're new to timed solving, a workable session looks like this:

1. Enable inspection if you're training for competition; leave it off if you're just building consistency.
2. Hold, release, solve, stop — one solve at a time, no rushing between attempts.
3. After every five solves, glance at your ao5. After twelve, check your ao12.
4. Use the scramble each time rather than re-solving a cube you've half-mixed by hand.

The layer-by-layer beginner method taught on the same site is a reasonable first solving approach — most people get through it in a weekend — and once you can solve without referring to the steps, the timer becomes a useful way to measure whether your practice is paying off.