To schedule a YouTube video, upload it in YouTube Studio, fill in its details, and on the Visibility step choose Schedule. Set the date, time and time zone, then select Schedule. The video stays private until that time, then goes public by itself. It's free, and you can do the same from the YouTube app on your phone.
Checked on November 3, 2026, against YouTube's Schedule video publish time help.
Schedule a video in YouTube Studio (computer)
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Select Create, then Upload videos, and choose your file.
- Add the title, description, thumbnail and audience (made for kids or not), then the remaining steps.
- On Visibility, select the Schedule card.
- Set the date, time and time zone you want it published.
- Select Schedule.
Then open Content and check the video shows the scheduled time. A private upload with no saved schedule never goes public.
Schedule a video from your phone
In the YouTube app, the labels move between versions, so look for these:
- Tap Create (+), then Upload a video, and pick the file.
- Add the title and other details, then tap Visibility.
- On Set visibility, tap Schedule, and pick the date and time.
- Go back and tap Upload.
A square or vertical video up to 3 minutes uploads as a Short. For Shorts, see how to schedule YouTube Shorts.
Change or cancel a scheduled video
- In YouTube Studio, open Content and select the video.
- Open Visibility. Keep it Private.
- Select Edit draft and choose a new time under Schedule, or set it to Public to release it now.
- Select Publish.
Three things that catch people out
- The date under the video is Pacific time. If you schedule for early morning in a zone ahead of California, the watch page can show the day before.
- A Community Guidelines strike freezes publishing. A video scheduled during the penalty stays private. Reschedule it after the freeze ends.
- Private before release means private. Comments are off and the video is out of search and your channel page until it goes public (YouTube's visibility settings).
Schedule YouTube videos with Flaghand
Flaghand is for people who let an AI agent prepare uploads. The agent drafts the video's details. You approve the exact video, words and time with a passkey, and Flaghand uploads it. These are the steps in Flaghand's desk today:
- Settings → YouTube → Connect, and pick your channel on Google's sign-in page.
- New post → YouTube, then Choose a video: one MP4 or MOV.
- Add the Title (100 characters), Description (5,000 bytes) and thumbnail, and pick the channel under Posting as. Set Altered or synthetic content and Paid promotion if they apply. Made for kids is asked when you approve.
- Under Publishing, choose Public, Unlisted or Private, and set Goes public at.
- Under Who times it, choose YouTube publishes it (it uploads as private now and YouTube makes it public at your time) or Flaghand uploads it then (it uploads at your time, public from then).
- Select Upload to YouTube and approve with your passkey.
If you cancel a video YouTube is holding for later, Flaghand takes it off YouTube's schedule, and it stays on your channel, private. A Short can go to TikTok in the same approval.
Before you upload, try the free YouTube title checker and thumbnail preview, and pick a time with the best time to post on YouTube. No sign-up needed.
Start free: 7 days to draft, no card to start.
Questions
Can you schedule a YouTube video for free?
Yes. Scheduling is built into YouTube Studio and the YouTube app, at no cost.
How do I schedule a YouTube video on my phone?
In the YouTube app, tap Create, then Upload a video. Add the details, tap Visibility, choose Schedule, pick the date and time, and upload.
What happens to a scheduled YouTube video before it goes live?
It's private. Only you and people you shared it with privately can see it. At the scheduled time, it turns public.
How do I change the time of a scheduled YouTube video?
In YouTube Studio, open Content, select the video, open Visibility, keep it Private, select Edit draft and set a new time under Schedule. Then select Publish.
Why didn't my scheduled YouTube video go public?
Check for a Community Guidelines strike: a scheduled video stays private during the penalty and needs rescheduling. Also check in Content that a schedule was saved, not only a private upload.