Have you ever wished to schedule Instagram posts and reels directly through the Instagram mobile app instead of using a third-party app or web? If yes, then today we are going to share how you can schedule posts and reels using the official Instagram app for free. No need for web browsers or third-party apps which often have the scheduling feature locked behind a paywall. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
Note: The scheduling feature is currently available for the Instagram creator and business accounts only. If you have a regular Instagram account, you can easily convert it to a Business account. This is a prerequisite.
Table of Contents
Schedule a Post on the Instagram App
Let’s take a look at the steps of how to schedule a post on the Instagram app.
Quick Tip: If you are using Instagram on Android, you don’t need to worry. Just follow the steps thoroughly as the steps are completely identical to the iOS ones.
1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
2. Tap on the + (add new) button.
3. Tap on an image to select it and then tap on Next.
4. Once done writing captions and tagging people, tap on Advanced Settings.
5. Now tap on the toggle next to Schedule this post.
6. Scroll and choose a preferred date and time for the post and then tap on Set time.
7. Tap on the back button to go back to the post.
8. Now tap on Schedule to schedule the post for the selected date and time.
Must Read: How to Turn off Comments on Instagram Posts, Live, Ads, or Video.
Schedule a Reel on the Instagram App
Scheduling a reel on Instagram is effortless just like scheduling a post. Let’s learn how to do so.
1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
2. Tap on the + (add new) button to begin.
3. Select a video and then tap on Next to proceed further.
4. Once done with adding music and filters, tap on Next.
5. After tagging and writing captions, tap on Advanced Settings.
6. On the Advanced settings page, tap on the toggle next to Schedule this reel.
7. Scroll and choose a preferred date and time for your reel and then tap on Set time.
8. Tap on the back button to go back to the new post/reel page.
9. Tap on the Schedule and the current reel will be scheduled for the chosen date and time.
Alternate Way to Schedule on Instagram
There’s one more way to schedule a post/reel on Instagram. Let’s take a look at the alternate way to do so.
1. Open the Instagram app and tap on the Profile tab.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu.
3. Tap on Scheduled content.
4. Now tap on Schedule now to begin.
5. After this, tap to select an image/video and tap on Next. After this, follow steps 4 onwards of Schedule a Post/Reel on the Instagram App section above.
View All Your Scheduled Content on Instagram
Once you are done with scheduling, let’s take a look at where to find all the scheduled content on the Instagram app.
1. Open the Instagram app and tap on the Profile tab.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu.
3. Now tap on the Scheduled content option to view all your scheduled posts and reels.
Your Scheduled content page should look like this if you have scheduled any post or reel earlier.
Reschedule Scheduled Content on Instagram
If you don’t want a scheduled post to go live on your feed at your previously selected time then Instagram also allows rescheduling of already scheduled content. Let’s learn how to reschedule previously scheduled content on the Instagram app.
1. Navigate to the Scheduled content page by following the steps mentioned above, or go to Profile > Hamburger menu > Scheduled content.
2. Tap on a scheduled post/reel to open it.
3. Tap on the kebab menu (three dots).
4. Now tap on Reschedule.
5. Scroll and choose a preferred date and time.
6. Once done with the selection of date and time, tap on Set time. Now your post/reel will be rescheduled.
Edit Scheduled Content on Instagram
You can also edit your scheduled posts/reels. Let’s take a look at the steps to do so.
Note: You can only edit your captions, location, music, etc. of the scheduled content. You can not edit the contents (images or videos) of the post or reel once it’s scheduled.
1. Navigate to the Scheduled content page from Profile > Hamburger menu > Scheduled content.
2. Tap on scheduled content.
3. Now tap on the kebab menu (three dots).
4. Tap on Edit reel/Edit post.
5. Edit the details and then tap on Done to save the scheduled content with the updated details.
Instagram also allows you to publish scheduled content earlier than its chosen date and time. Let’s learn how to do so.
1. Navigate to the Scheduled content page by following the steps mentioned above, or you can also go to Profile > Hamburger menu > Scheduled content.
2. Tap on scheduled content (post/reel).
3. Tap on the kebab menu (three dots).
4. Now tap on Share now to share the scheduled post to your feed.
Delete Scheduled Content on Instagram
You can also delete a scheduled post. Here are the steps to delete scheduled content (post/reel) on the Instagram app.
Note: Once scheduled content is deleted, it can’t be recovered. So proceed with caution.
1. Navigate to the Scheduled content page by following the above-mentioned steps, or go to Profile > Hamburger menu > Scheduled content.
2. Tap on the scheduled content which you want to delete.
3. Now tap on the kebab menu (three dots).
4. Tap on Delete.
5. A pop-up menu will appear on the screen, tap on Delete to confirm the deletion of the scheduled post/reel.
FAQs
1. I don’t have this feature, when will I get this?
If you don’t have this feature, first try updating your apps. Since this feature is currently available for creator and business accounts only, you can also try switching your profile to a creator or business one. Instagram may bring scheduling to personal accounts also but so far, no official announcements have been made.
2. Does the scheduled post need internet to go live on the feed?
No. Once you have scheduled a post, it doesn’t need internet at all. The post will go live on your feed at the chosen time automatically, cause the post was already uploaded to the Instagram server when you scheduled it.
3. If I schedule a post from one device, will it be visible and accessible on all of my logged-in devices?
Yes, it will be visible and accessible on all of your logged-in mobile devices.
4. Is this scheduling a post/reel feature available on the Instagram web version?
No, this feature is currently available on mobile devices only. If you wish to use the web version of Instagram to schedule posts, learn how to schedule posts and stories on Instagram.
Instagram Consistency Made Easy
In a nutshell, scheduling your posts and reels directly from Instagram can help you save a lot of time. And you can use that time for creating more and more content. Consistency is one of the important keys to growth on Instagram, so go ahead and plan and schedule your content without using a third-party app or a laptop.
Struggling to upload a reel on Instagram? Learn how to upload reels on Instagram from the gallery and PC.