- Set posting times before you open the composer
- Seven steps from New Post to a full queue
- What Next Available, Prioritize and the other options do
- Posting to several channels in one go
- Queue caps and daily caps side by side
- Why the queue cap decides how far ahead you plan
- First comments and TikTok scheduling
- Other schedulers worth a look
- My advice for your first week in the composer
- Frequently asked questions
In Buffer, click New Post, choose your channels, write and customise the post, then pick a scheduling option such as Next Available, Prioritize or Set Date and Time and click Schedule Post. The Free plan holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time as of Nov 2026, while Essentials and Team hold 5,000.
Set posting times before you open the composer
One setting decides how smooth this is. Two of the four scheduling options, Next Available and Prioritize, only appear if every channel you've selected has posting times set. If you skip that, you'll only see Set Date and Time and Now, and you'll be picking a slot by hand for every post. Spend five minutes setting a posting schedule for each channel first, and the queue does the rest.
Seven steps from New Post to a full queue
1. Open the composer
Click the + New Post button at the top right of the dashboard. The composer is where every post is built.
2. Pick your channels
Click + Channels and choose where the post goes, or use the Last used suggestion. You can write the caption first and add channels later, but you'll need at least one before you can save a draft or schedule. Only one X/Twitter account can be selected at a time, because of X's guidelines.
3. Write the base post
Write your caption, add media and, if you use them, pick a tag. A shared base saves you retyping the same message for every network.
4. Customise for each network
Click Customize for each network to get one text box per network. Media options vary too: the help article's example is 20 images on an Instagram plus X post, where only 4 show on X. This is the step to tighten copy for shorter networks.
5. Choose when it goes out
Pick Next Available, Prioritize, Set Date and Time, or Now. More on what each one does below.
6. Schedule it
Click Schedule Post. If you're working through a batch, tick Create Another first, which keeps the composer open so you can write the next post straight away.
7. Review the queue
Check your queued posts in the All Channels view. To remove one, use the three-dot menu and delete it, but be sure, because deleted posts can't be recovered.
What Next Available, Prioritize and the other options do
Next Available drops the post into the next open slot in that channel's posting schedule. Prioritize bumps it to the top of the queue, which is handy for something time-sensitive. Set Date and Time lets you pick an exact moment, and Now publishes straight away.
Bear in mind that a specific posting slot belongs to one channel's schedule. If you pick a slot in the queue, you can't schedule that post for several channels at once.
Posting to several channels in one go
Select each channel with + Channels and the one post goes to all of them. With more than three channels connected, an All channels suggestion appears in the composer, and with more than four you'll also see Select All. Just remember the X rule: one X/Twitter account per post.
Queue caps and daily caps side by side
| Item | Limit | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled posts in queue | 10 per channel, 30 total with 3 channels | Free plan, as of Nov 2026 |
| Scheduled posts in queue | 5,000 per channel | Essentials and Team |
| Posts per 24 hours | TikTok 25, Facebook 35, Instagram 50, LinkedIn 50 | All plans |
| Posts per 24 hours | X/Twitter 100 verified or 50 unverified; Pinterest 25 (5 without a verified email) | All plans |
The daily caps from the Buffer Help Center run per rolling 24-hour period rather than per calendar day, and they only count posts sent through Buffer. YouTube Shorts is listed at 10 for unverified users. When a channel's queue is full, it stops taking new posts until something publishes or you delete one.
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Why the queue cap decides how far ahead you plan
This is the detail that matters most for small accounts. The Buffer Help Center is clear that the scheduling limit is a queue cap per channel, not a daily one. On the Free plan a channel stops accepting posts at 10 queued, so if you post daily, you can only plan about 10 days ahead. The separate daily caps per network apply on top of that.
If you like to batch a month of content in one sitting, that's the number to plan around.
First comments and TikTok scheduling
You can schedule a first comment on LinkedIn, Instagram professional accounts and Facebook Page posts on the plans above the Free plan, but not for Facebook Reels, Stories or Group posts. TikTok scheduling is on the newer plans only, so if you're on an older legacy plan and can't see it, that's why. For the TikTok side in detail, my piece on getting more from social media scheduling goes further.
Other schedulers worth a look
Later's TikTok scheduler page says you can schedule multiple TikTok posts in advance and have them publish automatically. Planable's TikTok scheduling guide says it sends a push notification when a scheduled TikTok is due so you can finish it in the app. If you're still deciding, my full Buffer review covers the rest of the tool.
My advice for your first week in the composer
Set posting times on every channel before anything else, so Next Available and Prioritize are there when you need them. Then batch a few days at once with Create Another ticked, customise each network's text, and keep an eye on the queue count if you're on the smaller plan. That one habit turns scheduling from a daily chore into a short weekly session.
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Frequently asked questions
How many posts can I schedule in Buffer?
The Free plan holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time as of Nov 2026; Essentials and Team hold 5,000 per channel.
Can I schedule one post to several channels?
Yes. Click + Channels in the composer and select each channel, unless you chose a specific queue posting slot, which is tied to one channel.
Can I schedule to more than one X/Twitter account at once?
No. Only one X/Twitter account can be selected per post.
What is the daily posting limit for TikTok in Buffer?
25 posts per 24 hours, counted over a rolling 24-hour period.
What does Prioritize do?
It bumps your post to the top of the queue, and it only appears when all selected channels have posting times set.
