# "The scanner says my cube can't be solved"

ScanMyCube checks your cube before solving it. Only 1 in 12 ways of putting a cube's pieces together can be solved by turning. So when something doesn't add up, it tells you, rather than making up a solution.

**Almost always the cause is a sticker that was read wrong.** On the Check step:
1. Pick the right colour.
2. Click the wrong sticker.
3. Or click a face letter to rescan just that face.

If every sticker is right, the cube itself was put back together wrong. That happens after it pops apart or someone "fixes" it.

## Each message, and what to do

| Message | Usually means | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Some stickers are still unset. Paint every sticker to continue. | A face hasn't been scanned or painted yet | Scan the missing face |
| There are 10 red stickers; a cube has exactly 9 of each. | One sticker was read as the wrong colour. Red and orange are the most common mix-up. | [Wrong sticker count](https://scanmycube.com/help/wrong-sticker-count) |
| Two faces have the same centre colour. | A centre was misread, or one face was scanned twice | Rescan one of the two faces |
| A corner piece has an impossible colour combination. | A corner sticker is wrong, e.g. a corner with two opposite colours like white and yellow | Check that corner's three stickers |
| An edge piece has an impossible colour combination. | The same, for an edge | Check that edge's two stickers |
| The same piece appears twice. | One sticker was misread, so another piece's colours appear a second time | Look for the duplicate |
| One corner is twisted. | A misread, or a corner was twisted by hand | [Twisted corner](https://scanmycube.com/help/twisted-corner) |
| One edge is flipped. | A misread, or an edge was put back the wrong way round | [Flipped edge](https://scanmycube.com/help/flipped-edge) |
| Two pieces are swapped. | Two stickers misread, or two pieces swapped when the cube was put back together | [Two pieces swapped](https://scanmycube.com/help/two-pieces-swapped) |

The colour in the sticker-count message is whichever one is off.

## Common mistakes

- **Scanning in a different order than the arrows show.** ScanMyCube works out which face is which from the centres, but a face scanned twice leaves another one missing.
- **Peeled or swapped stickers.** If stickers have been moved around on the cube, no amount of rescanning helps. Read the lessons linked above.

Source: https://scanmycube.com/help/scanner-says-unsolvable