You have ten posts ready, three social accounts to feed, and no time to log in five times a day. That is exactly the problem Buffer was built to solve. Learning how to schedule posts in Buffer takes about fifteen minutes the first time, and after that your whole week of social media can run itself while you get on with real work. In this guide, you will learn how to set up your posting schedule, schedule your first post step by step, understand the four scheduling options, and stay inside the free plan limits without running into surprises.
What Is Buffer?
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that lets you write posts once and publish them across several networks on a schedule you set. Instead of opening Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and TikTok separately, you connect those accounts to Buffer, write your content in one dashboard, and Buffer sends each post out at the time you choose.
The core idea is simple: a queue. Each connected account, called a channel in Buffer, has its own posting schedule made of time slots. When you add a post to the queue, Buffer drops it into the next open slot. When the time arrives, Buffer publishes it for you. You can also pick an exact date and time for a single post, or push a post to the top of the queue when something is urgent.
Buffer supports the major networks, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, Threads, Mastodon, and Google Business Profile. The free plan covers up to 3 channels, which is enough for a small business or creator starting out.
Before You Schedule: Set Up Your Posting Times
Most beginners skip this step and then wonder why two of the four scheduling options are missing. Buffer only shows the Next Available and Prioritize options when every channel you selected has posting times set. Spend five minutes on this setup first and everything after it gets easier.
Step 1: Check your timezone. Open your channel settings and confirm the timezone matches where your audience lives, not necessarily where you live. A post timed for 9 a.m. in the wrong timezone can land at 3 a.m. for the people you want to reach.
Step 2: Pick your posting slots. From the Publish tab, select a channel, open its settings, and look for the Posting Times section. Buffer suggests some starting times based on general engagement patterns. You can add slots, remove them, or set different times for weekdays and weekends. A common starting point is one slot a day per channel, for example 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Step 3: Repeat for each channel. Posting times are set per channel, not for the whole account. Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn each need their own slots, because the best time to post on LinkedIn is rarely the best time on Instagram.
Step 4: Decide how often to post. Consistency beats volume. Three good posts a week on a schedule you can keep is better than seven posts one week and silence the next. Start small, watch which slots get the most engagement in Buffer’s analytics, and adjust after a few weeks.
How to Schedule Posts in Buffer: Step by Step
Once your posting times are set, scheduling a post takes less than two minutes. Here is the full flow.
Step 1: Open the composer. Click the blue + New Post button at the top right of your Buffer dashboard. The composer is where every post is built.
Step 2: Choose your channels. Click + Channels and select the accounts this post should go to. You can pick more than one, but note that only one X account can be selected at a time because of X’s own rules. You must select at least one channel before you can save a draft or schedule anything.
Step 3: Write your post. Type your text, add a link, and upload an image or video if you have one. Keep it short for X, a little longer for LinkedIn and Facebook. Buffer shows a preview for each network so you can see how the post will look before it goes out.
Step 4: Customize for each network. Click Customize for each network and Buffer gives you a separate text box per network. This is where you adjust hashtags, tone, and length. A post that works on LinkedIn usually needs trimming for X, and Instagram rewards more hashtags than Facebook does.
Step 5: Pick when it goes out. Use the scheduling dropdown next to the Schedule Post button. The four options are explained in detail in the next section. For a first post, Next Available is the simplest choice: it drops the post into the next open slot in that channel’s schedule.
Step 6: Click Schedule Post. That is it. The post joins the queue and Buffer publishes it at the scheduled time. If you are working through a batch of posts, tick the Create Another checkbox first. It keeps the composer open so you can write the next post straight away instead of reopening it each time.
Step 7: Check the queue. After scheduling, open the channel’s Publish view to see the queue. You can drag and drop posts to reorder them, click a scheduled post to edit it, or delete it with the three-dot menu if plans change. Editing a scheduled post is safe right up until it publishes.
One practical tip: batch your writing. Sit down once or twice a week, write five to ten posts in one session, and queue them all. That is how small teams keep a daily posting rhythm on a few hours a week. If you want to grow your audience steadily, a regular schedule matters more than any single viral post.
The 4 Scheduling Options Explained
Buffer gives you four ways to time a post. They look similar at first, but each one fits a different situation.
| Option | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Next Available | Adds the post to the next open slot in the channel’s posting schedule | Regular content, keeping a steady rhythm |
| Prioritize | Bumps the post to the top of the queue, ahead of everything scheduled | Time-sensitive news or announcements |
| Set Date and Time | Lets you pick an exact date and time, with suggested optimal slots | Launches, events, and holiday posts |
| Now | Publishes the post immediately, skipping the queue | Breaking news or a post you want live right away |
Two details catch people out. First, Next Available and Prioritize only appear if every selected channel has posting times set, as explained above. If even one channel is missing its schedule, you will only see Set Date and Time and Now. Second, a specific posting slot belongs to one channel’s schedule, so the same post can land at different times on different networks if their schedules differ. That is usually fine, and often desirable, because audiences are active at different times on different platforms.
You can also set a posting default in your account preferences. If you almost always use Next Available, set it as your default and you can skip choosing an option each time. Just click Schedule Post and the post goes into the queue.
Buffer Plans and Scheduling Limits
Buffer’s limits are the most misunderstood part of the tool, so it is worth getting them straight before you plan a month of content.
The free plan includes up to 3 connected channels and up to 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time. That is a queue limit, not a monthly limit. Every time a post publishes, a slot opens up and you can schedule another one. Posting once a day, you can batch about ten days ahead. Posting three times a week, the same queue covers about three weeks. Across three full channels, you can have up to 30 posts waiting at once.
Paid plans raise the ceiling sharply. Essentials costs about $5 per channel per month when billed yearly ($6 month to month) and holds up to 5,000 scheduled posts per channel. The Team plan, about $10 per channel per month billed yearly ($12 month to month), adds unlimited users, a fuller analytics dashboard, and comment management. Prices change over time, so check Buffer’s pricing page before you buy.
There are also per-network daily caps that apply to all plans. These run per rolling 24-hour period, not per calendar day, and they only count posts sent through Buffer. The caps are roughly 25 posts a day for TikTok, 35 for Facebook, and 50 each for Instagram and LinkedIn. Most small accounts will never come close to these numbers, but they matter if you run a high-volume account.
One more limit to know: on the free plan, you can only have one threaded post (for X or Threads) scheduled at a time. Paid plans allow unlimited threads. If threads are a big part of your strategy, that alone can justify the upgrade.
When should you pay? Stay on free while 3 channels and 10 queued posts per channel cover your rhythm. Upgrade when you add a fourth channel, when the 10-post queue forces you to refill it every few days, or when you need more than 30 days of analytics history. The free plan is genuinely useful, not a trial in disguise, and there is no credit card required to start it.
Buffer vs Scheduling Inside Each Network
Every major network now lets you schedule posts natively, for free, inside its own app. So why pay for Buffer, or even use the free version? The answer comes down to how many networks you manage.
Where Buffer wins: one dashboard for every network, one composer instead of five, a single queue you can reorder with drag and drop, and cross-network analytics in one place. If you post to three or more networks, Buffer saves real time every week.
Where native scheduling wins: it is free with no queue limits, and some network-specific features arrive there first. Meta Business Suite, for example, lets you schedule Facebook and Instagram posts up to 29 days ahead with no count limit. If you only post on one network, native scheduling is usually enough.
The practical rule: one network, schedule natively. Two or more networks, use Buffer or a similar scheduler.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
The Schedule button is greyed out. Check that all images and videos in the post have finished uploading. Buffer will not let you schedule until the media is fully attached. Also check that at least one channel is selected.
Next Available and Prioritize are missing. At least one selected channel has no posting times set. Open that channel’s settings, add posting times, and the options will appear.
A post failed to publish. The most common cause is a disconnected channel. Social networks sometimes revoke access after a password change or a security check. Reconnect the channel in Buffer’s settings and reschedule the post. Buffer’s help center has a step-by-step guide for scheduling posts and fixing failed publishes.
Posts go out at the wrong time. This is almost always a timezone problem. Check the timezone on each channel, not just your account. If your audience is in the US and your channel is set to another timezone, every post will land hours early or late.
FAQs
Can you schedule posts in Buffer for free?
Yes. Buffer’s free plan lets you connect up to 3 channels and keep up to 10 scheduled posts per channel in the queue at any time. There is no time limit on the free plan and no credit card is required. The 10-post number is a queue cap, not a monthly cap: each published post frees a slot for the next one.
How many posts can you schedule in Buffer at once?
On the free plan, 10 per channel at a time, so up to 30 across three channels. On Essentials and Team plans, the limit rises to 5,000 scheduled posts per channel. Per-network daily caps also apply, roughly 25 a day for TikTok, 35 for Facebook, and 50 each for Instagram and LinkedIn, measured over a rolling 24 hours.
What is the best time to schedule posts in Buffer?
There is no single best time, because it depends on your audience and network. Buffer suggests optimal posting slots based on each channel’s past engagement when you pick a date and time. A good starting point is mornings on weekdays for LinkedIn, lunch and early evening for Instagram and Facebook, and late morning for X. Test a few slots, check Buffer’s analytics after two or three weeks, and keep the times that earn the most engagement.
Can you edit a scheduled post in Buffer?
Yes. Open the channel’s queue, click the scheduled post, edit the text or swap the image, and save. You can also drag and drop posts to reorder the queue, or delete a scheduled post from the three-dot menu. Changes are safe right up until the post publishes.
Can Buffer schedule Instagram Reels and TikTok videos?
Yes. Buffer supports scheduling Instagram Reels and TikTok videos, including direct publishing for most account types. Make sure your video meets the network’s format and length rules before scheduling, and check that the upload has fully finished, or the Schedule button will stay greyed out.
What is the difference between the queue and scheduling a specific time?
The queue fills your preset posting slots automatically: you add a post and Buffer picks the next open slot. Scheduling a specific time pins a post to an exact date and time you choose, outside the regular slots. Use the queue for everyday content and specific times for launches, events, and anything tied to a deadline.
Conclusion
Scheduling posts in Buffer comes down to three habits: set your posting times once, write in batches, and let the queue do the daily work. Start on the free plan, connect your three most important channels, and queue ten posts per channel. Within a few weeks you will know which times your audience responds to, and you can adjust from there. Your social media will stay active even on your busiest days, because the posts were written when you had time, not when the deadline hit.
