Best Time to Post on Instagram for Maximum Reach in 2026

In 2026, everyone’s scrolling through Instagram’s reels, and the creator economy is booming like never before. In this cutthroat world, however, creating successful content is a difficult task. After all, you have just 10 seconds to grab someone’s attention before they scroll to something more interesting. Add to that the fact that people have less free time due to stressful workdays, and the success of your video depends on both the quality of the content and when you post it.

So, what is the best time to post on Instagram? The honest answer: it depends. Your ideal posting time varies based on your audience, their daily routines, and how they interact with your content. Fortunately, there are tools and data that can help you figure it out.

The Best Time to Post Depends on Your Audience

There is no “perfect” time to post on Instagram. The app’s algorithm is always changing, so sticking to just one time will do more harm than good. Instead, analyze who is following you. For example, if your audience consists of students or teenagers, posting after school hours can work well, as that’s when they’re most likely to be active online.

On the other hand, if your audience is working professionals, posting after office hours (around 5 PM to 8 PM) tends to perform better. To further help you reach the largest audience, Instagram also tracks the best time for you.

Instagram Insights

Instagram makes it easy to find the best time to post by tracking how many views your video gets every hour of the day. This helps paint a picture of when your audience is free to engage with videos. You need a professional account to access this feature.

1. Open your Instagram app and head to your account.
2. Tap the hamburger menu and scroll down to find Insights.
3. Scroll down to find the Most Active Times tab.

Here, you’ll find the exact hours of the day your audience is the most active. As a rule of thumb, don’t post exactly at peak time. Instead, post an hour or two before. This will help your content ride that wave and appear in people’s feeds at the right time.

Don’t Have Instagram Insights?

Unfortunately, Instagram is always experimenting with features and tools, so some might not have access to this feature right away. While that can be frustrating, a Sprout Social study analyzed millions of Instagram accounts to determine the best times to post. According to them, the best days are Tuesdays to Thursdays, between 11 am and 6 pm.

Interestingly, the best times to post differ by the specific day. So, if you post every day, you might need to change the timings. As per the study, the best times are:

• Monday: 1 PM – 2 PM, and 4 PM – 5 PM
• Tuesday: 11 AM – 6 PM
• Wednesday: 11 AM – 6 PM, and 7 PM – 9 PM
• Thursday: 11 AM – 6 PM
• Friday: 10 AM – 5 PM
• Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM
• Sunday: Around 4 PM

While this data is compiled from a global audience, meaning it should reflect different audiences, it is important to experiment. You should try different times, since there’s always a chance your audience prefers a different time.