The best time to post YouTube Shorts is in the evening, between 6pm and 9pm in your viewers' local time, and the best day is Friday, according to Buffer's 2026 study of 1.8 million YouTube videos. The single best slot was Friday at 4pm. Shorts peak at almost the opposite time to long YouTube videos, which do best in the morning.
Below are the best Shorts times for every day, why they differ from long videos, and how to time Shorts and TikToks together. Checked on 10 November 2026.
Best times to post YouTube Shorts at a glance
| YouTube Shorts | |
|---|---|
| Best time of day | 6pm to 9pm |
| Best single slot | Friday 4pm |
| Best days | Friday, then Saturday and Thursday |
| Weakest days | Tuesday and Monday |
| Weakest time of day | Mornings |
Source: Buffer, "The Best Time to Post on YouTube", median engagement across about 1.8 million long videos and Shorts, published July 2026. Times are local to your viewers.
Best time to post Shorts for each day of the week
The three strongest hours for each day, best first.
| Day | Best times |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8pm, 5pm, 6pm |
| Tuesday | 8pm, 9pm, 7pm |
| Wednesday | 7pm, 8pm, 9pm |
| Thursday | 7pm, 8pm, 9pm |
| Friday | 4pm, 6pm, 7pm |
| Saturday | 7pm, 11am, 6pm |
| Sunday | 7pm, 8pm, 5pm |
The pattern is simple: 7pm or 8pm works on every day of the week, Friday starts earlier, and Saturday has a late-morning slot as well.
Why Shorts peak in the evening
Shorts are scrolled, not chosen. People open the Shorts feed to fill time: after work, after dinner, on the sofa. That's the same evening pattern you see on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Long YouTube videos are different: people pick a 20-minute video when they have 20 minutes, which is why they do best on weekend and weekday mornings. Our best time to post on YouTube guide covers long videos.
Buffer also notes that YouTube keeps resurfacing Shorts long after they're posted. So timing gives a Short its first push, but a good Short can still find viewers days later. Don't hold back a finished Short just to wait for 7pm on Friday.
Find your own best time for Shorts
- Open YouTube Studio, then Analytics, then the Audience tab.
- Look at When your viewers are on YouTube: a heat map of the days and hours your viewers were active across YouTube in the last 28 days.
- Post Shorts at the start of the darkest evening blocks.
- Compare views in the first 24 to 48 hours for Shorts posted at different times, and the viewed versus swiped away rate for each.
Check your audience's countries under the same tab. If most viewers are in the US and you're in Europe, 7pm for them is the middle of your night: schedule it.
Shorts times in EST, CST and PST
| Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Pacific (PT) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7pm | 6pm | 4pm | Evening in the East, late afternoon in the West |
| 8pm | 7pm | 5pm | Strong on most days in the East |
| 10pm | 9pm | 7pm | Evening on the West Coast; late in the East |
For a national US audience, 8pm to 9pm Eastern catches the East's evening and the West's early evening.
Posting Shorts and TikToks at the same time
Many creators post the same vertical video to Shorts and TikTok. Their best times overlap in the early evening:
| Best window | |
|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 6pm to 9pm; Friday 4pm |
| TikTok (creators) | Evenings and Saturday; Sunday 9am |
| TikTok (brands) | Tuesday to Thursday, 2pm to 6pm |
If you post to both, 6pm on a weekday or Friday afternoon is a good shared slot. Our best time to post on TikTok has the full TikTok data.
In Postbase you upload the vertical video once, choose YouTube and TikTok, write the title and caption for each, and schedule both for the slot you picked, or different slots for each. YouTube treats a vertical video of 3 minutes or less as a Short automatically. (TikToks from Postbase go out as private for now, until TikTok approves it for public posting.)
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
Between 6pm and 9pm in your viewers' local time, with Friday at 4pm the single best slot in Buffer's 2026 study of 1.8 million videos.
What is the best day to post YouTube Shorts?
Friday, followed by Saturday and Thursday. Monday and Tuesday were the weakest days for Shorts.
Should I post Shorts in the morning or at night?
At night, or at least in the evening. Mornings were the weakest time for Shorts, the opposite of long YouTube videos.
Does posting time matter for YouTube Shorts?
Less than for most content. YouTube keeps resurfacing Shorts for days, so timing mainly affects the first push. Posting regularly matters more than the exact hour.
How many Shorts should I post a week?
Three a week is a good start, and one a day if you can keep the quality up. Consistency over months matters more than volume in one week.
Is the best time to post Shorts the same as TikTok?
Close. Both do well in the early evening. TikTok brand accounts peak a bit earlier, from 2pm to 6pm on weekdays, and TikTok creators also do well on weekend mornings.
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