Step 2 · F2L (First Two Layers)

In the beginner method you insert a corner, then later an edge. In F2L you pair the corner with its edge on top and insert both at once. Four pairs and the bottom two layers are done. This is J Perm's "Learn F2L in 6 minutes" method: no algorithms to memorize, just a few rules.

4 basic inserts The rules Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Special cases Pieces stuck in slots Tips & habits

In the players below, the slot being solved is always the front-right (green/orange). The yellow last layer is gray because it doesn't matter yet.

The 4 basic inserts

Everything in F2L ends with one of these. Don't memorize the letters, memorize what your hands do. Two are for the right slot, two are the mirror for the left slot.

Right slot · pair already made

R U' R'

The pair lies along the front-top, corner on the left (white facing left). Right side up, push the pair over, right side down.

Right slot · split pair

R U R'

Corner above the slot (white facing right), edge at the back, and the two top colors don't match. The corner and edge meet as they go in.

Left slot · pair already made

L' U L

Mirror of R U' R': pair along the front-top, corner on the right (white facing right), into the left slot.

Left slot · split pair

L' U' L

Mirror of R U R': corner above the left slot (white facing left), edge at the back, top colors don't match.

The rules (from J Perm's summary)

Get both pieces into the top layer. If one is stuck in a slot, take it out (see below). If they're touching each other, you might have a special case.
Is the corner's white sticker facing up?

White sticker not facing up

Place the corner above its slot, then turn the top once so you can still see the white sticker.
Compare the top colors of the corner and the edge.
- Same → turn the corner away, move the edge beside the corner, bring it back (they pair up).
- Different → move the edge across from the corner (they stay apart).
Insert the pair with a basic insert.

White sticker facing up

Match the edge to its center (turn the top until the edge's side color is above its matching center).
Turn that center's face away (the edge goes to the back) and place the corner on top of the edge.
Bring the face back. Now they're paired. Insert.

Not sure where the edge should go? Put your index finger on top of the cube, parallel to the corner's white sticker. The two edge spots your finger touches are the two places the edge can go: beside the corner (top colors match) or apart from it (they don't).

"Turn the face away" means turning the face that holds the corner and the empty slot, so the corner dips down for a moment. The top layer is then free to move the edge, and turning the face back brings the corner up where you want it. Only empty slots come up, so nothing solved gets broken.

Case 1 · White not up, top colors match

Corner is above the slot with white facing the front. Both top colors are green, so they should go together.

U': turn the top once. White now faces right, still visible.
R U R': turn the right face away (corner dips down), move the edge beside it, bring it back. Now they're a pair.
U2 R U' R': bring the pair around and insert with the first basic insert.

Case 2 · White not up, top colors don't match

Corner above the slot with white facing right. Corner top is orange, edge top is green: different, so they should end up apart.

U: turn the top once. White now faces the front, still visible.
F' U F: the corner sits in the front face. Turn it away, move the edge across from the corner, bring it back.
U' R U R': these don't look paired, but this is exactly the "split pair" basic insert. They join on the way in.

Case 3 · White sticker facing up

"This case is a lot easier." The edge on the right already matches its center (orange over orange).

R: turn the orange face away. The edge goes to the back.
U: put the corner on top of where the edge went.
R': bring it back. Corner and edge come up together, paired.
U R U' R': insert.

Special cases

Sometimes the corner and edge are stuck together in a way the rules can't handle. Here white faces up and the edge already matches its center, but turning the orange face away would take the corner down with it. "That's how you know you have a special case."

You don't need an algorithm. Find a move that splits them up: put the corner into the bottom layer, move the edge away, bring the corner back. Now it's a normal case.

U2: move them so the corner is in the front face (above the left side).
F' U2 F: corner down, edge away, corner back up.
R U2 R': now it's Case 3. Edge's face away, corner on top, back.
U R U' R': insert.

Don't break a solved slot. When you move a corner down to split a pair, another slot comes up to the top. Make sure it's an unsolved slot. That's why step 1 above turns the top first: it lets the split use the front face, which only lifts the empty front-right slot.

Pieces stuck in a slot

If the edge (or corner) is in a slot, get it into the top layer first: move it up, move it away, and put the cross piece back. Then continue with the normal rules.

Edge in the slot, flipped

R U' R': take the edge out.
U: match the edge to its center (white is up on the corner, so it's Case 3).
R U R': away, corner on top, back.
U R U' R': insert.

Corner in the slot (edge on top)

R U R': take the corner out. Do it so white ends up facing sideways, not up.
U' U': corner above its slot, then turn the top once (white still visible). Top colors match, so it's Case 1.
R U R': away, edge beside, back.
U2 R U' R': insert.

Advanced F2L is about doing this smarter: taking a piece out in a way that already pairs it with the other one.

Tips & habits

Learn this before anything else in CFOP. J Perm: it "takes the most amount of time to get used to". It's also the step that changes how you see the cube.
It will make you slower at first, and that's okay. At first it's "put this here, move that, insert". Eventually it becomes "oh, that one, I know that one".
Keep your thumbs on the front (home grip) while doing R U R', with either hand. Regripping for every insert feels faster at first but costs time between pairs. This is one of J Perm's "top 10 mistakes".
Solve into any slot, not just the front-right. Rotating the cube to put every pair in the front-right is a common bad habit. Learn the left-hand inserts and solve back slots from where they are. Fewer rotations, and you get better at spotting pieces anywhere.
Turn the top to find pieces instead of rotating the cube. If you can't find a piece, it's in your blind spot: the back.
Look-ahead comes later. Only start once you can glance at a pair and know exactly what to do without thinking. Until then, a choppy F2L ("solve fast, pause, look, solve fast") is correct. More in Tips → look-ahead.
Advanced F2L: J Perm has a full list of F2L algorithms at bit.ly/bestf2l if you get stuck on a case. You don't have to learn them. Intuitive F2L can take you a long way.

Source: Learn F2L in 6 minutes (Full Intuitive F2L Tutorial), plus tips from How to Learn CFOP, Finger Tricks Tutorial and Top 10 Most Common Speed Cubing Mistakes. Every example on this page was checked in a cube simulator: the cross and the other three slots stay solved.