What is the best time to post on Instagram?

Public 2026 planning ranges put weekday late morning — about 11 AM ET (EST/EDT), 10 AM CT, 8 AM PT (PST/PDT), 4 PM GMT on standard time — as the usual first-push slot for Reels and feed. Evenings around 7–8 PM ET are the usual second slot for Stories. These are published planning ranges, not TrueWave console measurements.

What are the best times to post on Instagram each day?

Public 2026 planning ranges, Eastern Time: Monday 11 AM / 7 PM; Tuesday 10 AM / 8 PM; Wednesday 11 AM / 7 PM; Thursday 12 PM / 8 PM; Friday 11 AM / 2 PM; Saturday 11 AM / 7 PM; Sunday 10 AM / 3 PM. Convert CT −1 hour, PT (PST/PDT) −3 hours, GMT +5 hours on standard time. Not TrueWave console measurements.

What timezone are these Instagram posting times in?

The planning base is Eastern Time (ET / EST / EDT). The same clock: CT is one hour earlier, PT (PST/PDT) is three hours earlier, GMT/UTC is five hours later on standard time. Saturday 7 PM ET is 4 PM PT (PST/PDT). Your own analytics win once they exist.

What are the worst times to post on Instagram?

Public 2026 planning ranges put the weakest first-push windows late night and early weekday mornings before 9 AM ET. Stacking two Reels closer than three hours is worse than a quiet hour. Not TrueWave console measurements.

How often should I post on Instagram?

One Reel a day plus Stories is a week a campaign can assign. Consistency beats volume. Time the first push to a published peak; the hook still decides.

Should I trust these times over my analytics?

No. Your own analytics win once they exist. These windows are a public 2026 planning range for a new or small account. When analytics show when this audience is active, post to that instead.

Does the time you post actually matter?

It helps at the margin. Reels keep testing a good post for hours, so timing is a first-push tie-breaker. A strong hook still decides.

Is this a live campaign figure?

No. The figure is computed in this browser from the numbers you typed. A live TrueWave campaign also names the cycle, the counted platforms, and the age of the scrape.

Tools › Schedule

Best time to post on Instagram on Friday

Last changed 2026-09-15

Friday published windows sit at 11 AM and 2 PM, not late night.

Timezone

Campaign goal

Times convert from Eastern Time planning windows. Your own analytics win once they exist. Views-led campaigns prefer the first-push slot.

Published Friday windows. Eastern Time is the source. Converted to CT, PT (PST/PDT), and GMT. Public 2026 planning ranges, not console measurements.
Slot	ET (EST/EDT)	CT	PT (PST/PDT)	GMT
Primary	11 AM ET	10 AM CT	8 AM PT	4 PM GMT
Afternoon	2 PM ET	1 PM CT	11 AM PT	7 PM GMT

Friday

Friday published windows sit at 11 AM ET and 2 PM. Afternoon is the weekend warm-up, not a late-night slot.

Put the week’s best Reel on Friday at 11 AM ET. Use 2 PM for a Story or carousel leftover.

Friday planning windows.
Slot	Time	Note
Primary	11 AM ET	Friday late morning.
Afternoon	2 PM ET	Friday afternoon lift.

Counted

Published peak windows, Eastern Time

Window

One week of planning slots

Age

Refreshed quarterly; your analytics win once they exist

Method

Best times to post on Instagram

Windows are Eastern Time planning slots from published creator studies, refreshed quarterly.

A missing or zero denominator is an em dash, never a fabricated zero.

FAQ

Questions this page answers

What is the best time to post on Instagram?: Public 2026 planning ranges put weekday late morning — about 11 AM ET (EST/EDT), 10 AM CT, 8 AM PT (PST/PDT), 4 PM GMT on standard time — as the usual first-push slot for Reels and feed. Evenings around 7–8 PM ET are the usual second slot for Stories. These are published planning ranges, not TrueWave console measurements.
What are the best times to post on Instagram each day?: Public 2026 planning ranges, Eastern Time: Monday 11 AM / 7 PM; Tuesday 10 AM / 8 PM; Wednesday 11 AM / 7 PM; Thursday 12 PM / 8 PM; Friday 11 AM / 2 PM; Saturday 11 AM / 7 PM; Sunday 10 AM / 3 PM. Convert CT −1 hour, PT (PST/PDT) −3 hours, GMT +5 hours on standard time. Not TrueWave console measurements.
What timezone are these Instagram posting times in?: The planning base is Eastern Time (ET / EST / EDT). The same clock: CT is one hour earlier, PT (PST/PDT) is three hours earlier, GMT/UTC is five hours later on standard time. Saturday 7 PM ET is 4 PM PT (PST/PDT). Your own analytics win once they exist.
What are the worst times to post on Instagram?: Public 2026 planning ranges put the weakest first-push windows late night and early weekday mornings before 9 AM ET. Stacking two Reels closer than three hours is worse than a quiet hour. Not TrueWave console measurements.
How often should I post on Instagram?: One Reel a day plus Stories is a week a campaign can assign. Consistency beats volume. Time the first push to a published peak; the hook still decides.
Should I trust these times over my analytics?: No. Your own analytics win once they exist. These windows are a public 2026 planning range for a new or small account. When analytics show when this audience is active, post to that instead.
Does the time you post actually matter?: It helps at the margin. Reels keep testing a good post for hours, so timing is a first-push tie-breaker. A strong hook still decides.
Is this a live campaign figure?: No. The figure is computed in this browser from the numbers you typed. A live TrueWave campaign also names the cycle, the counted platforms, and the age of the scrape.

Also

Other campaign tools

Best time to post on Instagram
Best times for Reels, feed, and Stories — a first-push tie-breaker.
Best time to post on Instagram on Monday
Monday Reels and feed land late morning, then after work.
Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday
Tuesday’s published peaks are 10 AM and 8 PM.
Best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday
Wednesday is commute-and-after-work, not a lunch pile-up.
Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday
Thursday is the first weekday with a lunch Reel slot.
Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday
Saturday starts late and peaks at 7 PM.
Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday
Sunday morning is catch-up; afternoon is follows.
Instagram posting schedule generator
A week of Reels and feed slots a campaign can assign.
Best time to post on TikTok
Timing is a first-push tie-breaker. The hook still decides.
All creator-campaign tools

Run it as a measured campaign

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Published Friday windows. Eastern Time is the source. Converted to CT, PT (PST/PDT), and GMT. Public 2026 planning ranges, not console measurements.

Slot

ET (EST/EDT)

PT (PST/PDT)

GMT

Primary

11 AM ET

10 AM CT

8 AM PT

4 PM GMT

Afternoon

2 PM ET

1 PM CT

11 AM PT

7 PM GMT

Friday planning windows.

Slot

Time

Note

Primary

11 AM ET

Friday late morning.

Afternoon

2 PM ET

Friday afternoon lift.

Questions this page answers

What is the best time to post on Instagram?: Public 2026 planning ranges put weekday late morning — about 11 AM ET (EST/EDT), 10 AM CT, 8 AM PT (PST/PDT), 4 PM GMT on standard time — as the usual first-push slot for Reels and feed. Evenings around 7–8 PM ET are the usual second slot for Stories. These are published planning ranges, not TrueWave console measurements.
What are the best times to post on Instagram each day?: Public 2026 planning ranges, Eastern Time: Monday 11 AM / 7 PM; Tuesday 10 AM / 8 PM; Wednesday 11 AM / 7 PM; Thursday 12 PM / 8 PM; Friday 11 AM / 2 PM; Saturday 11 AM / 7 PM; Sunday 10 AM / 3 PM. Convert CT −1 hour, PT (PST/PDT) −3 hours, GMT +5 hours on standard time. Not TrueWave console measurements.
What timezone are these Instagram posting times in?: The planning base is Eastern Time (ET / EST / EDT). The same clock: CT is one hour earlier, PT (PST/PDT) is three hours earlier, GMT/UTC is five hours later on standard time. Saturday 7 PM ET is 4 PM PT (PST/PDT). Your own analytics win once they exist.
What are the worst times to post on Instagram?: Public 2026 planning ranges put the weakest first-push windows late night and early weekday mornings before 9 AM ET. Stacking two Reels closer than three hours is worse than a quiet hour. Not TrueWave console measurements.
How often should I post on Instagram?: One Reel a day plus Stories is a week a campaign can assign. Consistency beats volume. Time the first push to a published peak; the hook still decides.
Should I trust these times over my analytics?: No. Your own analytics win once they exist. These windows are a public 2026 planning range for a new or small account. When analytics show when this audience is active, post to that instead.
Does the time you post actually matter?: It helps at the margin. Reels keep testing a good post for hours, so timing is a first-push tie-breaker. A strong hook still decides.
Is this a live campaign figure?: No. The figure is computed in this browser from the numbers you typed. A live TrueWave campaign also names the cycle, the counted platforms, and the age of the scrape.