How to schedule Instagram posts and Reels in 2026: app, desktop and Postdom

How to schedule Instagram posts: in the Instagram app, tap Create, pick a photo or video, tap Next, add your caption, tap More options, turn on Schedule this post, choose a date and time, then tap Done, Back and Schedule. You need a public account, and you can schedule up to 25 posts a day, up to 30 days ahead.

If you don't have the posts yet, Postdom, the AI social media tool, makes them from your website and schedules the ones you approve to Instagram and your other accounts.

This guide covers photos, carousel posts and Reels, and three ways to schedule them. Only posting Reels? Jump to how to schedule Reels on Instagram.

Can you schedule Instagram posts?

Yes. Instagram's help center says a public account can schedule Reels, photos and carousel posts from the app, up to 25 posts a day and up to 30 days in advance. On a computer, Meta Business Suite schedules Instagram posts too. Scheduling tools such as Postdom, Buffer and Later post through Instagram's official connection.

Posting right now instead of later? Our guide on how to post on Instagram has the steps for photos, carousels, videos and stories, in the app and on a computer.

Product tagging, collaborative posts, sponsored posts and fundraisers can't be scheduled, so publish those directly. Stories aren't on the list either.

Schedule Instagram posts

There are three ways to schedule Instagram posts, and the table shows which suits what.

Last checked: 7 October 2026, against Instagram's help center and Meta's Business Help Center.

Schedule Instagram posts with Postdom

Postdom reads your website, then fills a For You feed with finished posts in your brand: real clips and photos with native text boxes, as videos, slideshows and single images. You approve, edit or skip each one. At your first Approve, Postdom asks where to post and you connect Instagram or TikTok.

Approved posts are scheduled by default at 9am and 7pm in your time zone, 2 a day per account, with nothing between 22:00 and 07:00. Videos publish to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn. Slideshows publish to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn. Nothing posts until you approve it.

Starter is $39 a month for 30 posts, and Starter, Growth and Scale start with a 7-day free trial. See pricing. Already have a finished post and only need a time set? The two free routes below do that.

How to schedule Instagram posts in the app

Instagram's help center lists these steps for scheduling a post or Reel from the app. You need a public account.

1. Tap Create in the top left, or swipe right anywhere in Feed. Then tap Post or Reel.
2. Select a photo or video, then tap Next.
3. Add a caption, effects or filters.
4. Tap More options.
5. Turn on Schedule this post or Schedule this reel, then choose a date and time.

Stuck on what to write before you schedule it? Our guide to Instagram captions has 200+ to copy, grouped by business and occasion.

1. Tap Done, then tap Back.
2. Tap Schedule to schedule the post or Reel.

Two details catch people out. Leaving the date picker without the final Schedule tap doesn't confirm the post. And your scheduled content keeps the privacy and audience settings you chose when you scheduled it, so check them first.

How to schedule a post on Instagram

Instagram's help center says you can schedule reels, photos and carousel posts. The taps above are the same for each. What changes is the type of content you pick:

• Photo or single image. Tap Post, select one photo, then follow the steps above.
• Carousel. Tap Post, select several photos or videos, then follow the steps above. Our guide on how to make a carousel on Instagram covers sizes and steps.
• Reel. Tap Reel, then follow the steps above. Our guide on how to make a reel on Instagram covers recording and editing.

Instagram's help page lists reels, photos and carousel posts. It doesn't list Stories, so don't plan on scheduling those in the app.

Can you schedule Reels on Instagram?

Yes. Instagram's help center covers scheduling Reels from a public account in the app, and Meta Business Suite schedules Reels from a computer. Collaborative, product-tagged, sponsored and fundraiser Reels can't be scheduled, so publish those directly.

How to schedule Reels on Instagram

Start with the finished video and a public Instagram account. These steps follow Instagram's scheduling help.

1. Prepare the Reel

   In Instagram, tap Create or swipe right in Feed, then choose Reel. Select your video, tap Next and finish the caption and edits. Check the account and the Reel's audience before scheduling.

2. Set the date and time

   Open More options. Turn on Schedule this reel and choose an available date and time. Confirm which time zone you are using before saving.

3. Finish scheduling

   Tap Done, go Back, then tap Schedule. Leaving the date picker without the final Schedule action is not the same as confirming the post.

4. Find the saved Reel

   Open your profile, then Menu, then Scheduled content under Your insights and tools. Check that the Reel appears with the intended time.

Instagram says scheduled content keeps the privacy and audience settings set when it was scheduled, so check them before saving.

How to schedule Instagram posts on desktop

Meta Business Suite is Meta's desktop tool for Facebook and Instagram. Meta's help page for reels shows the desktop flow. To use it, you need full control of the Instagram account, or content permission for it.

1. Go to Meta Business Suite and click Create reel, from the home page or the Content tab.
2. Under Post to, select your Instagram profile.
3. Under Media, click Add video, then choose a thumbnail.
4. Add a caption under Reel details, then click Next.
5. Choose to schedule in advance and select the date and time you want to publish.
6. When you're done, click Schedule. Check you haven't clicked Share, which publishes now.

Two limits from Meta's help page. You can't create a reel from photos if you are posting to Instagram, and you can't edit a reel from a video if you are posting to Instagram, so finish your edits first. Meta's page for photo and carousel posts in Business Suite is separate, so check it for those formats.

How to schedule Reels on Instagram from PC

From a PC, use Meta Business Suite in your browser with the desktop steps above, or instagram.com, where the switch is called Schedule content. Postdom also runs in the browser: approve Reels in For You and they are scheduled for you, with no file to move from your phone.

How to find, change or cancel a scheduled Instagram post

Instagram's help center gives two routes. From your profile:

1. Tap Profile, then tap Menu in the top right.
2. Under Your insights and tools, tap Scheduled content.
3. Tap Options next to the post or Reel.
4. Choose Delete, Edit post, Reschedule or Share now.

You can also tap Create, tap Post or Reel, then tap Scheduled. In Meta Business Suite, go to Content, open Posts & reels, and select the Scheduled tab. Click the three dots, then Manage post. The options depend on the item's status, and include Change date and Reschedule post.

Best Instagram schedulers

Five ways to schedule Instagram posts, compared. Postdom is first for businesses that want the posts made as well as scheduled. If you make your own posts, Instagram's own scheduler is free, and Buffer or Later add a calendar for several accounts.

How to schedule Instagram posts for free

Instagram's app scheduler is the free route. Its help page lists no charge for scheduling. Meta Business Suite is Meta's desktop route, and the help page we checked describes no fee either.

If you want the posts made as well as scheduled, Postdom's 7-day free trial on Starter, Growth and Scale is a way to see the whole flow, from your website to a scheduled post, on your own account.

Why you can't schedule an Instagram post

• Your account is private. Instagram's scheduler needs a public account. Don't make a private account public only to schedule a post.
• The post uses a feature that isn't supported. Product tagging, collaborative posts, sponsored posts and fundraisers aren't compatible with scheduled content. Keep the feature, and publish those posts directly.
• You've reached the limit. The limit is 25 scheduled posts a day, and 30 days ahead.
• You're looking for Stories. The help page doesn't list them as schedulable.
• The app is out of date. Update Instagram and check Create again.

When a scheduled post or Reel does not appear

What to avoid

• Leaving the date picker without the final Schedule tap. The post isn't scheduled until you tap it.
• Scheduling in the wrong time zone. Check the time shown before you confirm, especially when posting for someone elsewhere.
• Scheduling a month of posts without a review. Open Scheduled content now and then, and check each post still fits.
• Using a scheduling tool that asks for your Instagram password. Use the official connection flow instead.

To plan the posts ahead, use our social media content calendar template.