The best time to post on YouTube depends on what you post. In Buffer's study of about 1.8 million videos, long videos did best in the morning, with Sunday at 10 a.m. first, while Shorts did best in the evening, with Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. on top. Metricool's study of almost 800,000 videos puts both a little later in the day. Either way, YouTube Studio shows when your own viewers are online, and that beats any study.
The short version: publish long videos between 9 a.m. and noon, with Sunday first, and Shorts between 6 and 9 p.m., with Friday first, in your viewers' local time. Then open YouTube Studio › Analytics › Audience, read "When your viewers are on YouTube", and publish an hour or two before your own peak.
In this guide
- What is the best time to post on YouTube?
- Why do long videos and Shorts peak at different times?
- What is the worst time to post on YouTube?
- Best time to post on YouTube by day
- How do I find when my viewers are on YouTube?
- How to find your own best time to post on YouTube
- Can you schedule a YouTube video?
- Plan YouTube with your other channels
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
For long videos, a weekend or early-week morning: Buffer's top slots are Sunday at 10 a.m., Sunday at 9 a.m., Friday at noon and Sunday at noon, and its best days are Sunday, Tuesday and Monday. For Shorts, the evening: Buffer's top three slots are all on Friday, at 4, 6 and 7 p.m., and its best days are Friday, Saturday and Thursday. The two formats peak at nearly opposite ends of the day, which is why it is worth scheduling them separately.
| Study | Data | Long videos | Shorts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer, July 2026 | About 1.8 million videos, ranked by median engagement | Sunday 10 a.m. first; mornings strongest; weakest Wednesday and Thursday afternoons | Friday 4–7 p.m. first; evenings strongest; weakest noon to 5 p.m. |
| Metricool, July 2026 | 799,718 videos from 71,177 channels | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 2 to 6 p.m. |
Buffer's times are local to the viewer; Metricool's page does not say. Figures read from each study's own page on October 22, 2026. Sprout Social's and Hootsuite's 2026 timing studies do not cover YouTube.
Why do long videos and Shorts peak at different times?
The studies measure when posts did best, not why, but the pattern fits how each is watched. A long video is something people sit down for, and a morning upload gives it the whole day. Shorts are watched in the feed, and Buffer's data puts their peak in the evening, from about 6 p.m. Buffer also notes that its previous study, a year earlier, favoured weekday afternoons for long videos, so the pattern shifts and is worth rechecking.
What is the worst time to post on YouTube?
For long videos, weekday afternoons in the middle of the week: Buffer's weakest slot was Thursday at 2 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday were its weakest days. For Shorts, noon to 5 p.m., except Friday's late afternoon, and Monday and Tuesday were the weakest days. If your viewers are spread across time zones, avoid whatever hour is night for most of them.
Best time to post on YouTube by day
| Day | Long videos (local time) | Shorts (local time) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 9 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 7 a.m. | 7 p.m. |
| Thursday | 5 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
| Friday | Noon | 4 p.m. |
| Saturday | Noon | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10 a.m. | 7 p.m. |
Each cell is the top hour for that day in Buffer's study. Treat it as a starting point; your own Audience report overrides it.
How do I find when my viewers are on YouTube?
In YouTube Studio, select Analytics in the left menu, then Audience at the top. The "When your viewers are on YouTube" card shows the days and hours your viewers were on YouTube over the last 28 days, according to YouTube's help page on the Audience tab.
Publish an hour or two before the darkest block on that chart, as Buffer recommends for long videos. That way the video is already up when your viewers arrive.
How to find your own best time to post on YouTube
- Read the Audience report. Note the two or three busiest blocks of the week.
- Schedule long videos one to two hours before the morning block, and Shorts at the start of the evening block.
- Keep the slot fixed for a month. A regular time also teaches subscribers when to expect you.
- Compare views in the first 48 hours for videos on similar topics, not lifetime views, so the topic does not hide the effect of the time.
- Move the slot by an hour if the first day is flat, and check the Audience report again each quarter.
Can you schedule a YouTube video?
Yes. In YouTube Studio, upload the video, go to Visibility, choose Schedule and pick the date and time; YouTube's help covers the details, including Premieres. Skryvo's YouTube publishing, which writes the title and description in your brand's voice and puts the video on one calendar with your other channels, is built and waiting for Google to verify our app; the YouTube page has the current status.
Make the thumbnail at the size YouTube now recommends, 3840 × 2160, with our YouTube thumbnail size tool.
Plan YouTube with your other channels
A new video usually means posts elsewhere too: a clip on Instagram, a note on LinkedIn, a link on X. Each network has its own hours, so check Instagram, LinkedIn and X, plan the week in the free social media calendar template, and keep every caption inside each network's character limits.
Let your agent write the next one in your voice
Skryvo drafts each post in your saved voice and publishes it after your go-ahead. Free to start.
