Best Time to Post on YouTube: Long-Form Upload Times
A heatmap of the best upload times for regular YouTube videos, built from three published studies and converted to your time zone. Posting Shorts? They follow a different clock; see our guide to the best time to post YouTube Shorts.
Best YouTube slots for today
Finding your time zone…
Times are shown as your audience’s local time.
| 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | vidIQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Monday 7 AM: Buffer | Monday 9 AM: Buffer | Monday 2 PM: SocialPilot | Monday 3 PM: SocialPilot | Monday 10 PM: Buffer | ±0% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tue | Tuesday 8 AM: Buffer | Tuesday 9 AM: Buffer | Tuesday 11 AM: Buffer | Tuesday 2 PM: SocialPilot | Tuesday 3 PM: SocialPilot | −1.4% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wed | Wednesday 7 AM: Buffer | Wednesday 3 PM: Buffer, SocialPilot | Wednesday 4 PM: SocialPilot | Wednesday 5 PM: Buffer | −2.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Thu | Thursday 7 AM: Buffer | Thursday 3 PM: SocialPilot | Thursday 4 PM: SocialPilot | Thursday 5 PM: Buffer | Thursday 6 PM: Buffer | −1.6% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fri | Friday 11 AM: Buffer | Friday 12 PM: Buffer | Friday 1 PM: SocialPilot | Friday 2 PM: SocialPilot | Friday 3 PM: Buffer | −0.5% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sat | Saturday 8 AM: SocialPilot | Saturday 9 AM: SocialPilot | Saturday 10 AM: Buffer | Saturday 12 PM: Buffer | Saturday 3 PM: Buffer | +2.2% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sun | Sunday 8 AM: SocialPilot | Sunday 9 AM: Buffer, SocialPilot | Sunday 10 AM: Buffer | Sunday 12 PM: Buffer | +3.5% |
vidIQ gives day-of-week only (30-day views vs the channel’s average day), so it sits in its own column.
Sources behind the map
- Buffer: The Best Time to Post on YouTube — Data from 1.8M Shorts and Long-form Videos · Jul 24, 2026 · 1.8 million YouTube videos (long-form and Shorts, analysed separately) published through Buffer · Median engagement by hour and day · Long-form · Times: normalized so the times apply in local time
- SocialPilot: Best Time to Post on YouTube in 2026: Videos and Shorts · May 1, 2026, updated Oct 30, 2026 · 301,000 YouTube videos from 27,000+ channels published through SocialPilot · Engagement rate normalized per view · Long-form (8+ min), upload time · Times: local time
- vidIQ: Best Time to Post on YouTube: What 40 Million Videos Actually Show · Jun 23, 2026 · 40.2 million U.S. long-form uploads, each compared with its own channel’s typical video · 30-day views vs the channel’s average day · Long-form, day of week only · Times: u.s. uploads
The short answer, and why it comes with a caveat
Buffer’s July 2026 study of 1.8 million videos found long-form uploads did best in the morning, roughly 8 to 11 AM, with Sunday at 10 AM as the top slot of the week. Thursday at 2 PM was one of its weakest.
SocialPilot’s May 2026 study of 301,000 videos from 27,000+ channels points the other way on weekdays: upload 2 to 4 PM, a few hours before the evening viewing peak, with Wednesday to Friday strongest and weekend mornings (8 to 10 AM) best on Saturday and Sunday.
vidIQ’s analysis of 40.2 million U.S. long-form uploads (updated June 2026) is the most sobering: the upload hour barely changed a video’s views after 30 days. The day did matter a little. Sunday ran about 3.5% above a channel’s average day and Saturday about 2.2%, while Wednesday was about 2.2% below.
Put together: weekend mornings are the one slot two studies agree on, weekday afternoons are a reasonable second choice, and on YouTube the hour is a small lever. Post when your viewers are around, and spend the rest of your effort on the title and thumbnail.
Best time to upload on YouTube, day by day
Long-form videos only, in your audience’s local time. Buffer lists its top hour first.
| Day | Buffer (top 3 hours) | SocialPilot (upload window) | vidIQ (day vs average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9 AM, then 10 PM and 7 AM | 2–4 PM | about even |
| Tuesday | 9 AM, then 11 AM and 8 AM | 2–4 PM | −1.4% |
| Wednesday | 7 AM, then 3 PM and 5 PM | 3–5 PM | −2.2% |
| Thursday | 5 PM, then 6 PM and 7 AM | 3–5 PM | −1.6% |
| Friday | 12 PM, then 11 AM and 3 PM | 1–3 PM | −0.5% |
| Saturday | 12 PM, then 10 AM and 3 PM | 8–10 AM | +2.2% |
| Sunday | 10 AM, then 9 AM and 12 PM | 8–10 AM | +3.5% |
Sources: Buffer, Jul 24, 2026, median engagement of 1.8 million videos. SocialPilot, May 1, 2026 (updated Oct 30, 2026), engagement rate per view on 301,000 videos. vidIQ, updated Jun 23, 2026, 30-day views of 40.2 million U.S. uploads vs each channel’s own average.
Why the hour matters less on YouTube than on TikTok
Videos keep getting found
A long-form video gets traffic from search, suggested videos and the home feed for weeks. A slow first hour is not the end of it. That fits vidIQ’s finding that the gaps between upload hours shrink to a few percent by day 30.
Upload before the peak
vidIQ suggests publishing two to four hours before your viewers show up, and SocialPilot’s upload windows sit a few hours before its viewing peaks. The video is then processed, captioned and already being tested when your audience arrives.
Some niches care more
vidIQ found timing mattered most for time-sensitive topics: News and Politics channels were about 32% ahead in their strong windows, Sports about 29%, Entertainment about 24%. How-to and Style channels gained about 15%.
Consistency compounds
Viewers who like a channel come back for the next upload, and a day they can count on makes that easier. vidIQ puts it plainly: for established channels, consistency outweighs precision.
How to find your channel’s best time in YouTube Studio
Once your channel has some views, this report beats every study on this page.
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Open YouTube Studio analytics
Go to studio.youtube.com (or the YouTube Studio app), choose Analytics, then the Audience tab.
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Find “When your viewers are on YouTube”
This chart shows the days and hours your viewers are on YouTube. The darker the block, the more of them are online. Newer channels may not see it until there is enough data.
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Aim a couple of hours early
Pick the darkest block and plan to publish two to four hours before it starts. Check it against the heatmap above to see whether the studies agree.
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Schedule the upload
When you upload, open the Visibility step, choose Schedule and set the date and time. Your video goes public on its own, and subscribers get notified then.
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Compare after a few uploads
In each video’s analytics, compare views in the first 48 hours and after a week. Give a new slot at least three or four uploads before you decide.
Shorts, time zones and other things to know
- Shorts run on a different clock. Buffer and SocialPilot both found Shorts peak in the evening, especially on Friday, while long-form does best in the morning. We cover Shorts in detail in the best time to post YouTube Shorts.
- Don’t stack a Short and a video together. vidIQ suggests keeping a Short and a long-form upload out of the same four-hour window, so they don’t compete for the same notifications.
- Global audience? Use the country that sends the most views (Analytics → Audience → Top geographies) as “Where most of your viewers are”.
- Your thumbnail matters more than your hour. A video that gets clicked keeps getting shown. Check the thumbnail size guide and thumbnail ideas, or make one with the AI thumbnail generator.
- Avoid big holidays if you need strong early numbers. vidIQ notes viewer behavior gets unpredictable then.
Turn each upload into a week of Shorts, posted on schedule
Short.now cuts your long videos into captioned Shorts, TikToks and Reels, then auto-posts them to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram on the weekly time slots you set. Scheduling is on the Creator and Pro plans.
Questions
For long-form videos, Buffer’s 2026 data says Sunday at 10 AM, and mornings from 8 to 11 AM in general. SocialPilot says weekday afternoons from 2 to 4 PM. vidIQ found the hour barely changes views after 30 days, while Sunday and Saturday run a few percent ahead. Weekend mornings are the safest overlap. Times are your viewers’ local time.
Sunday, in two of the three studies. vidIQ measured Sunday at about 3.5% above a channel’s average day and Buffer ranked it first. SocialPilot ranks Wednesday to Friday highest for weekday uploads. Wednesday and Thursday were the weakest days for both Buffer and vidIQ.
For long-form, morning or early afternoon, so the video is ready before the evening viewing peak. Buffer saw the best engagement from about 8 to 11 AM. Shorts are the exception: they tend to do better in the evening.
A little, mostly in the first day or two. vidIQ’s study of 40.2 million uploads found the gaps between hours had shrunk to a few percent by day 30. It matters more for news, sports and other time-sensitive videos.
Your viewers’ times. YouTube Studio’s “When your viewers are on YouTube” chart is based on your own audience. Use the studies when your channel is new and doesn’t have that data yet.
The one most of your viewers are in. Pick it as “Where most of your viewers are” in the tool above and it converts each slot to your local time, including daylight saving.
