How to Schedule TikTok Videos

TikTok's native scheduler requires 1000 followers and only works on desktop. Here's how to use it—and what to do if you don't meet the requirements.

5 min read

Scheduling TikTok videos lets you batch your content creation and post at optimal times without being glued to your phone. The catch? TikTok's built-in scheduler has some frustrating limitations.

The 1000 Follower Problem

TikTok's native scheduling feature requires at least 1000 followers to unlock. If you're a new creator or just haven't hit that threshold yet, you're locked out of scheduling entirely—at least through TikTok's own tools.

Even if you do have 1000 followers, native scheduling only works on desktop at tiktok.com. The mobile app doesn't support it. And you can only schedule up to 10 days in advance, which limits how far ahead you can plan your content calendar.

How Native Scheduling Works

If you meet the requirements, here's how to schedule through TikTok:

  1. Go to tiktok.com on desktop and sign in
  2. Click the Upload button in the top right
  3. Select your video file and wait for it to process
  4. Add your caption, hashtags, and adjust settings
  5. Instead of clicking Post, click Schedule
  6. Pick your date and time (up to 10 days ahead)

Once scheduled, you can view and manage your queued videos in Creator Tools on the desktop site.

Schedule posts for 30-60 minutes before your audience's peak activity time. This gives TikTok's algorithm time to start testing your video with early viewers before the rush.

Scheduling Without 1000 Followers

Third-party scheduling tools use TikTok's official Content Posting API, which doesn't have follower requirements. Tools like ShortSync let you schedule TikTok videos from day one, regardless of your follower count.

The API approach also removes other limitations. You can schedule from any device, queue up more content at once, and if you're posting to multiple platforms, upload once and schedule everywhere simultaneously.

Ready to save hours on video uploads?

ShortSync lets you upload once and publish to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels simultaneously.

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Want to automate your video distribution?

Schedule TikTok Videos

When to Post

General best times for TikTok engagement are weekday evenings (7-9 PM) and lunch hours (11 AM-1 PM) in your audience's timezone. But your specific audience might be different.

Check your TikTok Analytics under Creator Tools to see when your followers are most active. Look for the "Follower activity" chart and schedule your posts accordingly.

Batch Scheduling Strategy

The real power of scheduling is batching. Instead of uploading videos one at a time throughout the week, dedicate a few hours to creating and scheduling all your content at once.

Record multiple videos in one session, edit them back-to-back, then upload and schedule everything. Creators who batch their content report saving 5-10 hours per week compared to posting manually each day.

Multi-Platform Scheduling

If you're also posting to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or Facebook Reels, scheduling becomes even more valuable. Rather than logging into four different apps and uploading the same video four times, you can schedule everything from one place.

Tools that support cross-platform scheduling let you customize captions for each platform while using the same video file. Different hashtags for TikTok vs Instagram, different descriptions for YouTube—all scheduled in one session.

For more on uploading to TikTok, see our TikTok upload guide. If you're posting to multiple platforms, check out our guide on cross-posting videos.