Setting up your timezones and posting schedules

Each social channel connected to Buffer has its own timezone and posting schedule. This article explains how posting schedules work, how to set your timezone, why the time shown in Buffer may differ from the time a post is published, how to create and adjust your schedule, and how to troubleshoot common timezone and posting-time issues.

Each posting time you add creates a time slot in that channel’s queue. When you add a post to the queue, Buffer automatically schedules it for the next available slot, so you don’t need to choose a date and time for every post.

Video: Adjust your posting schedule, timezone, and more in Buffer

Watch the video below to learn more about adjusting your channel settings on Buffer. This includes information on adjusting your timezone, posting schedule, and other channel settings.

In this article:

1. How the posting schedule works
2. Next Available or Set Date and Time: the two ways to schedule a post
3. Set a default timezone for new channels
4. Changing the timezone for a channel
5. Which timezone will my post be published in? Display time vs publish time
6. Setting up your posting schedule

• Setting up your posting schedule with posting goals
• Adding more posting slots to match your posting goals
• Setting up your posting schedule with recommended times
• Adjust your posting schedule: add, edit, or delete times

7. Copying a posting schedule from another channel
8. Change your time format (12-hour or 24-hour) and the first day of the week
9. Troubleshooting timezones and posting times
   • My post published at the wrong time
   • The timezone is greyed out, or my changes won't save
   • I can no longer set a custom time, or the time picker will not let me enter a time
10. FAQ
11. Resources from our blog

How the posting schedule works

A posting schedule is a set of recurring weekly time slots for each social channel. Each time slot holds one post. When you add a post to the queue, Buffer schedules it in the next available slot and continues filling your schedule in chronological order.

Next Available or Set Date and Time: the two ways to schedule a post

There are two ways to schedule a post in Buffer, and each works differently. Understanding which option you are using can help explain why a post may not follow your posting schedule.

• Next Available (also shown as Add to Queue): Buffer places the post in the next open time slot in your posting schedule. Use this option when you want Buffer to space out your posts based on the schedule you have created. Posts scheduled this way are not fixed to a specific time. Instead, they occupy the next available time slot in your posting schedule. If your posting schedule changes, these posts may move to occupy new time slots.
• Set Date and Time: You choose an exact date and time for an individual post. This post does not follow your posting schedule and will be published at the scheduled time. In the queue, these posts have a Custom label. Because these posts don't occupy a time slot in your posting schedule, they will not move if you update your posting schedule.

Set a default timezone for new channels

You can set a default timezone for any new channels you connect to Buffer. Changing this setting does not affect channels that are already connected. To update the timezone for an existing channel, change it directly in that channel’s settings, as described in the next section.

To set a default timezone for new channels:

1. Click your profile avatar in the bottom left of your dashboard.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Click Preferences on the left side of the page.
4. Click the current timezone, search for a city in your timezone, and select it from the list.

Changing the timezone for a channel

Each channel has its own timezone, allowing you to schedule posts at the most appropriate times for each audience. The channel timezone determines when your posts are published. If you are in one country but your audience is in another, you can set the channel timezone to a city in your audience’s timezone.

To update the timezone for a single channel:

1. Go to the Publishing tab.
2. Select the channel from the left-hand panel.
3. Click the settings cog next to the channel name.
4. Start typing the first few letters of a city in your timezone and select the city when it appears.

Which timezone will my post be published in? Display time vs publish time

Your post publishes according to the timezone set for that channel. However, the calendar, queue list, composer, and Buffer home page may display times in your browser’s local timezone for reference.

If your browser and channel use different timezones, the time shown in Buffer may appear incorrect even though the post is scheduled to publish at the intended local time for the channel.

For example, if your channel is set to London time but you are using a computer set to New York time, Buffer may display the post time in the America/New_York timezone. The post will still publish at the intended time in London. To avoid confusion, view your posts in the individual channel’s queue, where times are displayed using that channel’s timezone.

Setting up your posting schedule

Setting up your posting schedule with posting goals

With posting goals, once you connect a channel to Buffer, you can set a goal for how many times you'd like to post per week. You can choose 1x, 3x, or 5x per week, or set a custom goal. Once you've selected your goal, Buffer populates your posting schedule for you.

For example, if you choose a goal of posting 3x per week, Buffer creates a posting schedule with three time slots spread across the week. You can use the steps below to adjust the days or times as needed.

Adding more posting slots to match your posting goals

If you already have a posting schedule set up and select a posting goal higher than your current number of slots, you'll see the option to Match Posting Goal. Clicking this adds recommended times to your schedule so it matches the goal you've set.

Learn more about how to track your posting goals.

Setting up your posting schedule with recommended times

Buffer can also recommend a posting schedule for you, based on industry-backed data. Recommended times are based on when your audience has been most active in the past. Reach and engagement depend on more than timing: content, format, and platform algorithms all play a role, so treat these times as a helpful starting point rather than a guarantee. Learn more about finding the best time to post.

To find this option, click Generate New Posting Times and then click Use Recommended Times. Review the changes, then click Save Recommendations to update your posting schedule.

Adjust your posting schedule: add, edit, or delete times

Adding posting times. Select the day or days you'd like to add times to, choose the time, then click Add Posting Time.

Editing posting times. Click the hours or minutes dropdowns and change them as needed.

Deleting posting times. Hover over the time and click the x icon.

Disable posting on individual days. Toggle the day to Off. When a day is set to off, no posting slots appear in your queue for that day, even if you have times configured. Any posts you set to a specific custom date and time will still be sent.

Copying your posting schedule from another channel

Once you’ve dialed in a posting schedule you’re happy with, you can reuse it for another channel instead of setting everything up again.

1. Select Generate New Posting Times.
2. Choose Copy from Channel.
3. Select the channel you’d like to copy the posting schedule from.
4. Review the changes, then click Save Recommendations to complete the process.

The posting times will update automatically to match the selected channel.

Change your time format (12-hour or 24-hour) and the first day of the week

To switch your time format between a 12-hour clock and a 24-hour clock, and to change the day your week starts on:

1. Click on your profile avatar in the bottom left corner of your Buffer dashboard and then select Settings. 
2. Click Preferences in the left side menu.
3. Select your time format and the day to start your week.

Troubleshooting timezones and posting times

Use this section if a post was published, or is scheduled to publish, at an unexpected time, or if the time picker is not working as expected.

My post published at the wrong time

Posts are published in the channel's timezone. First, open the channel's settings cog and confirm the timezone is correct. Remember that the calendar and queue show times in your browser's timezone for reference, so a post may appear to have gone out early or late when it was actually published at the correct local time for the channel. See Display time vs publish time.

The timezone is greyed out, or my changes won't save

Try updating the timezone in a private or incognito browser window to rule out issues caused by cached data or a browser extension. If the change still does not save, contact us and include the channel name and the timezone you would like to use.

I can no longer set a custom time, or the time picker will not let me enter a time

You can enter a custom time directly in the time field instead of selecting one of the suggested times. Click the time field and type the time you would like to use. If the time picker closes or resets while you scroll, try entering the time manually instead.

If the issue continues, refresh the page and try again. You can also use a private or incognito browser window to rule out issues caused by cached data or a browser extension.

FAQ

Why isn't my preferred timezone listed?

If your preferred city isn't listed when you search for your timezone, select a major city within the same timezone. It will use the same time and Daylight Saving rules.

Is there a way to hide posting slots from the queue?

Yes. You can hide posting slots from a channel's queue by clicking More in the upper right corner of the queue, then toggling Show Posting Slots to OFF. Toggle Show Posting Slots back ON to make them reappear.

How are posting slots in Buffer chosen for each channel?

If you don't choose your posting slots manually, we configure your posting schedule by analyzing when content on that channel tends to perform best, based on actual engagement data. Here's how it works:

• We analyze each platform (Instagram, X/Twitter, TikTok, and so on) separately, using data from active, real accounts in U.S. timezones, starting from 2025.
• We use a method called z-scores to compare post performance fairly, no matter how big or small an audience is.
• We identify which days and times are most likely to produce above-average results and rank them accordingly.
• We make sure your top posting slots aren't all clustered on one day, so you get a spread of high-performing days and times.

Because these times come from real engagement data, they often have specific minute values, such as 9:57 or 8:33 PM, rather than rounded times. You can edit any time slot to use a time that better suits your needs.

Why are my recommended (best) posting times not showing?

Recommended and suggested posting times appear once you've set a posting goal for the channel. Open the channel's posting schedule, set a posting goal, and Buffer will surface recommended times.

What happens to my scheduled posts if I remove all of my posting times?

Removing all time slots from your posting schedule does not change the scheduled times of posts already in your queue.

• For example, if your posting schedule included 8:00 AM slots on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, removing all of those time slots would not affect a post already scheduled for Monday at 8:00 AM. The post would remain scheduled for its original date and time.
• If you remove only some posting times, queued posts are rescheduled into the remaining available slots based on the usual queue behavior.
• If you remove all posting times and then add new ones, existing queued posts are rescheduled into the new time slots.

Can I leave an empty slot in my queue?

Not directly. The queue automatically fills open time slots, so when you move or remove a post, the next queued post shifts into the available slot.

To keep a post at a fixed time and maintain a gap around it, schedule it for a specific date and time. You can also temporarily remove the time slot from your posting schedule.

Is there a video that shows how to update my timezone and posting schedule?

Yes! To see these steps in a video, visit our Getting started with Buffer’s publishing features article and select the relevant chapter.

Resources from our blog

• When Is The Best Time To Post On Instagram
• The Best Time to Post on LinkedIn — Data
• The Best Time to Post on TikTok — Data
• The Best Time to Post on YouTube — Data
• The Best Time to Post on Facebook — Data
• The Best Time to Post on Threads — Data
• The Best Time to Post on Twitter/X — Data