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Best time to post on YouTube Shorts

What two studies say, and the evening slot they share.

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On this page
  1. The short answer
  2. YouTube Shorts, hour by hour
  3. Use it on your channel
  4. What each study says
  5. Read next
  6. Questions

The short answer

For YouTube Shorts, the two studies that publish local times both name 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday. Buffer’s single best slot is Friday at 4 p.m.; SocialPilot names 12–2 p.m. or 6–7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Thursday. YouTube itself says time of day is not something its recommendations optimise for.

Updated

Illustration: a vertical phone playing a short video next to an alarm clock and an evening sun, with the last three day tiles lit

YouTube Shorts, hour by hour

12a6a12p6p
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun

Where all 2 studies agree on YouTube Shorts

  • Monday 6 p.m.–7 p.m.
  • Friday 6 p.m.–7 p.m.
  • Saturday 6 p.m.–7 p.m.

Each cell counts how many of the two studies name that hour, in the audience’s local time. Sprout Social and Hootsuite publish no Shorts hours.

Use it on your channel

  1. 01

    Start with early evening

    6 p.m. in your audience’s time zone, Thursday to Saturday.

  2. 02

    Check YouTube Analytics

    The “When your viewers are on YouTube” card shows your own audience’s hours.

  3. 03

    Do not chase the clock

    YouTube ranks Shorts on whether viewers choose to watch and keep watching; a good Short at an odd hour still travels.

  4. 04

    Keep a steady rhythm

    YouTube says there is no minimum posting cadence; consistency helps you learn what works.

What each study says

Each study’s own YouTube page, read on 1 October 2026. Percify is not affiliated with either.

  1. Buffer

    Fridays lead.

    Source: buffer.com, read Invalid Date

    Best time, as published
    Friday at 4 p.m., then Friday at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
    Time zone
    Adjusted to your time zone
    Data
    Almost 2 million Shorts and long-form videos

  2. SocialPilot

    Midday or early evening.

    Source: socialpilot.co, read Invalid Date

    Best time, as published
    12–2 p.m. or 6–7 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Thursday
    Time zone
    “Your target audience’s local time”
    Data
    301,000 videos from 27,000 channels
FAQs

Your questions, answered

Short answers to what people ask next.

Early evening: both studies that publish local times name 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday. Buffer’s single best slot is Friday at 4 p.m.

Friday leads in both studies for Shorts, followed by Saturday and Thursday.

Less than on other platforms. YouTube says time of day is not something it optimises for; it ranks Shorts on whether viewers choose to watch and how long they stay.

These studies’ Shorts findings do not carry over automatically. For long videos, use the “When your viewers are on YouTube” card in YouTube Analytics.

Yes. Percify schedules your approved videos to YouTube and up to 9 other platforms at the times you choose.

Have your Shorts go out on time

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