In this Article:
Plan and schedule your Instagram Stories ahead of time to stay organized and keep your audience engaged!
This article covers how to schedule and publish Instagram Stories. For other Instagram post types, see the following articles:
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Single-Photo Posts
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Multi-Photo (Carousel) Posts
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Reels
Important:
- Instagram Stories Scheduling is available on current paid plans
- Instagram Stories can only be scheduled through Later for desktop (not available for mobile)
- Each Instagram Story board counts as 1 post towards your Instagram post limit
- Instagram Stories scheduled for Auto Publish must have an aspect ratio between 16:9 and 9:16
- Team collaboration & content approval features aren't available for Stories
Limitations:
- Instagram Stories can be published using Auto Publish to Instagram business profiles only
- Instagram creator profiles must use notification publishing. Switch to a business account
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Instagram stickers, trending audio/music/sounds, polls, links, and other effects aren't available from within Later
- If you want to use these features, schedule your Story for notification publishing and add them from the Instagram app. For more details, see Auto Publish vs. Notification Publishing & How to Switch
- If you want to use these features, schedule your Story for notification publishing and add them from the Instagram app. For more details, see Auto Publish vs. Notification Publishing & How to Switch
- Users and locations can’t be tagged in Instagram Stories through Later
- Videos must be trimmed down to 60 seconds or shorter to be included in Stories
- Images in Stories will play for 5 seconds and this duration can’t be adjusted
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Only Instagram business profiles (not creator profiles) can schedule Stories through the Post Builder
- Creator profiles can schedule Stories through the Stories Timeline
Schedule Instagram Stories
There are two areas of Later from which you can schedule and edit your Instagram Stories posts: from the Post Builder or from the Stories Timeline. Select the appropriate tabs below to display instructions for each method.
Schedule a New Story
Schedule a New Story from the Post Builder
Note: Only Instagram business profiles (not creator profiles) can schedule Stories through the Post Builder. Creator profiles can schedule Stories through the Stories Timeline (select the From the Stories Timeline tab above for instructions).
- From Later for desktop, go to your Calendar
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Make sure the right Instagram profile is selected by selecting on it from the top of the Calendar page
Note: Only one Instagram profile can be selected when scheduling Stories. The Stories button will not be visible if you have multiple profiles selected. - Select Create Post
- Select or upload your media item(s)
- Next to Post Type, select Story from the dropdown:
- From the top right of the Post Builder, select Auto Publish or Send Notification
- Select a date and time for your Story to be published
- Select Schedule Post to schedule your Story as-is, or proceed to the next section to edit your Story further
- Alternatively, select the down arrow next to the Schedule Post button > Save as Draft to save your post as a draft and come back to it later
Schedule a New Story from the Stories Timeline
- From Later for desktop, go to your Calendar
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Make sure the right Instagram profile is selected by selecting on it from the top of the Calendar page
Note: Only one Instagram profile can be selected when scheduling Stories. The Stories button will not be visible if you have multiple profiles selected. -
Select Stories in the top right to reveal the Stories timeline:
- From the Side Library, select one or more media items
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Drag them over to the Stories timeline, which will create a new scheduled Story and open up the Stories editor:
Note: Stories time slots are shown horizontally, with each horizontal block representing a 24-hour period. The blue line indicates the current time in your time zone, as set in your Account Settings. -
You can fine-tune the time your Story is scheduled for from the top left of the Stories editor, as well as select your publishing method
Note: If Auto Publish is enabled in your account, it will be selected by default. -
To add another media item to your scheduled Story, drag it to the + area in the Stories editor below the timeline:
Important: If you schedule multiple Stories for Auto Publish and one fails to publish, the subsequent Stories in that batch will fail as well. This is to avoid Stories being published out of order.- To remove a media item from your Story, select the x in the top right corner of that item
- Select Save Story to schedule your Story as-is, or proceed to the next section to edit your Story further
Edit a Scheduled Story
Edit a Scheduled Story from the Post Builder
Note: Only Instagram business profiles (not creator profiles) can schedule Stories through the Post Builder. Creator profiles can schedule Stories through the Stories Timeline (select the From the Stories Timeline tab above for instructions).
- From the Post Builder, select Edit on a media item to add text (photos only) and/or trim or crop it (photos & videos):
Tip: Use the Instagram Stories crop option when editing! - Select Change Media to switch or re-order the media items in your Story
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Optionally, you can Add Clipboard Text in the textbox below your media
- If you’re using notification publishing, any text added here will be copied to your clipboard when you go to post your Story. This way, you can quickly paste it using the text tools in Instagram.
Note: Stickers, audio (music), and other Instagram effects aren't available from within Later, and users and locations can't be tagged. If you schedule your Story using notification publishing, you can add these effects using Instagram’s tools before posting. - When you're done, select Schedule Post
- Alternatively, select the down arrow next to the Schedule Post button > Save as Draft to save your post as a draft and come back to it later
Edit a Scheduled Story from the Stories Timeline
- From the Stories editor, select Edit on a media item to add text (photos only) and/or trim or crop it (photos & videos):
Tip: Use the Instagram Stories crop option when editing! -
Optionally, you can Add Clipboard Text in the textbox to the right of your media
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If you’re using notification publishing, any text added here will be copied to your clipboard when you go to post your Story. This way, you can quickly paste it using the text tools in Instagram.
Note: Stickers, audio (music), and other Instagram effects aren't available from within Later, and users and locations can't be tagged. If you schedule your Story using notification publishing, you can add these effects using Instagram’s tools before posting. -
If you’re using notification publishing, any text added here will be copied to your clipboard when you go to post your Story. This way, you can quickly paste it using the text tools in Instagram.
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You can rearrange media items by dragging & dropping them to change their order
- To open it again, just select on your Story block in the Stories timeline
- When you're done, select Save Story
Note: By default, Instagram Story image posts will play for 5 seconds and this duration can’t be adjusted.
Remove a Scheduled Story
Remove a Scheduled Story From the Post Builder
Note: Only Instagram business profiles (not creator profiles) can schedule Stories through the Post Builder. Creator profiles can schedule Stories through the Stories Timeline (select the From the Stories Timeline tab above for instructions).
If you scheduled your Story through the Calendar, you can remove it from your Calendar if you have Story visibility toggled on there:
- Select your scheduled Story from the Calendar
- Select the trash can icon in the lower left of the Post Builder
- Select Discard to confirm
If you've toggled off Instagram Story visibility from your Calendar, you'll need to delete it from the Stories Timeline. Select From the Stories Timeline tab above for instructions.
Remove a Scheduled Story From the Stories Timeline
You can delete a scheduled Story from your timeline at any time:
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Select Stories from the top of the Calendar page to open the Stories timeline:
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Select your Story block from the Stories timeline
- Select the trash can icon from the Stories editor
- Select Discard to confirm
Toggle Story Visibility on Calendar
By default, scheduled Instagram Stories will be displayed as posts on your Calendar. You can toggle their Calendar visibility on and off as follows:
- From the top of your Calendar page, select your Instagram profile only
- Select the gear icon from your Calendar page to access your Calendar settings:
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Next to Instagram Stories, toggle Show Instagram Stories on Calendar on or off:Note: If you don't see this option, ensure that only your Instagram profile is selected at the top of the Calendar.
- Select Close
Publish Instagram Stories Using Notification Publishing
If you selected Send Notification as your publishing method while scheduling your Story, you will have to complete the publishing process when you receive the notification at your Story’s scheduled time.
Note: If you selected Auto Publish while scheduling, your Story will be published automatically and the following steps aren't required. Learn more
Publish a Notification Story Post via iOS
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Open the notification sent to your iOS device at your Story's scheduled time
- Missed your notification? No problem—you can still access it in the Later app
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Tap Open in Instagram
Important: Please be sure you are logged in to the correct Instagram account - Once in Instagram, tap the photo in the bottom left to open your Camera Roll
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If your Story contains one media item:
- Tap your media item
- Tap the Select Multiple icon in the top right corner
- Select all your media items
- Tap the arrow (→) in the bottom left
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Optional: Edit your Story using Instagram’s tools
Tip: If you added clipboard text when scheduling your Story in Later, you can paste it now! It will have been automatically copied to your clipboard. - When you’re ready to share, tap the arrow (→) in the bottom left
- Configure your sharing options
- Tap Share!
Important: If your Story includes a video longer than 15 seconds, you must publish the video separately due to iOS limitations. To do this, select all media items before the video and then publish those media items to your Story. Then, repeat the publishing steps for the video only.
Publish a Notification Story Post via Android
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Open the notification sent to your Android device at your Story's scheduled time
- Missed your notification? No problem—you can still access it in the Later app
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Tap Add to Story on Instagram
Important: Please be sure you are logged in to the correct Instagram account - Once in Instagram, tap Your story in the top left
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If your Story contains one media item:
- Tap your media item
- Tap the Select in the top right corner
- Select all your media items
- Tap Next
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Optional: Edit your Story using Instagram’s tools
Tip: If you added clipboard text when scheduling your Story in Later, you can paste it now! It will have been automatically copied to your clipboard. - When you’re ready to share, tap Next
- Configure your sharing options
- Tap Share!
Note: If you’re having trouble receiving mobile notifications, check out our troubleshooting guide.