Best Time to Post on YouTube in 2026, by Day
Top posting hours on YouTube for every day of the week, for long videos and YouTube Shorts, in your audience's local time, plus a calculator.
Evgenii PlugarevPublished
The best time to post on YouTube is Sunday at 10 AM for long videos and Friday at 4 PM for YouTube Shorts, in your audience's local time. Both are top slots in a 2026 engagement study of more than a million YouTube videos. Long videos do best in the morning and around midday, Shorts in the evening.
Pick your audience's location to see each day's best times on your clock, and switch the network to YouTube Shorts for Shorts. For other networks, see the best time to post on social media.
Best time to post on YouTube
Sunday, 10 AM
Your audience's local time
| Day | Best times |
|---|---|
| Monday | 7 AM, 9 AM, 10 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM |
| Wednesday | 7 AM, 3 PM, 5 PM |
| Thursday | 7 AM, 5 PM, 6 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM |
| Sunday | 9 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM |
Times are a starting point from aggregate engagement data. Test against your own analytics.
Best time to post YouTube videos by day of the week
The top hour for long videos on each day, in your audience's local time.
Best time to post on YouTube on Monday
On Monday, the best time to post on YouTube is 9 AM. Mornings lead, with a late-evening slot too.
Best time to post on YouTube on Tuesday
On Tuesday, the best time to post on YouTube is 9 AM, and the rest of the morning works too.
Best time to post on YouTube on Wednesday
On Wednesday, the best time to post on YouTube is 7 AM, the earliest peak of the week. Mid and late afternoon are second windows.
Best time to post on YouTube on Thursday
On Thursday, the best time to post on YouTube is 5 PM. It's the only day long videos peak after midday, with early evening close behind.
Best time to post on YouTube on Friday
On Friday, the best time to post on YouTube is 12 PM. Midday leads, from late morning to mid-afternoon.
Best time to post on YouTube on Saturday
On Saturday, the best time to post on YouTube is 12 PM, with late morning and mid-afternoon close behind.
Best time to post on YouTube on Sunday
Sunday is the best day of the week for long YouTube videos. Its peak, 10 AM, is the top slot overall, and the whole morning up to noon works.
Best time to post YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts peak later than long videos: every day's top hour falls in the late afternoon or evening. The best slot is Friday at 4 PM. Each day's top hour for Shorts:
- Monday: 8 PM
- Tuesday: 8 PM
- Wednesday: 7 PM
- Thursday: 7 PM
- Friday: 4 PM
- Saturday: 7 PM
- Sunday: 7 PM
How to find your own best time to post on YouTube
The times above come from many channels, so your viewers can keep different hours. In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, then Audience, and find the When your viewers are on YouTube report. It shows when your viewers were online across YouTube over the last 28 days (YouTube Help).
Post at those hours for a few weeks, alternating with the times above, and compare views in the first days after upload. Keep the hours that win and recheck every few months.
Schedule YouTube Shorts for the best time with Pubblica
Pubblica's YouTube scheduler publishes Shorts to your channel at the time you set. Upload a vertical video once and send it to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels from one post.
The Free plan includes 20 posts a month with unlimited accounts and no card. Pro is $20 a month for unlimited posts, with a 7-day free trial.
