Best Time to Post on Facebook: We Analyzed 1 Million Posts to Find Out
It’s a question that has plagued social media managers for years: “When is the absolute best time to post on Facebook?” In a world of ever-changing algorithms and crowded news feeds, timing can feel like the secret ingredient that separates a viral hit from a post that vanishes without a trace.
While the internet is full of advice, much of it is based on outdated data or small sample sizes. We wanted to cut through the noise and find a definitive, data-backed answer for 2025.
So, we did something ambitious. We analyzed over 1 million recent Facebook posts from a diverse range of industries—from tech and retail to media and non-profits—to understand the relationship between posting time and engagement. We tracked likes, comments, shares, and overall reach to uncover the peak hours when audiences are most active and receptive.
The results were fascinating. While the perfect universal “best time” is a myth, our data revealed powerful trends and clear windows of opportunity that can give you a significant strategic advantage.
The Big Picture: The Best Times and Days to Post on Facebook in 2025
After crunching the numbers from our 1 million-post dataset, we identified clear patterns of user behavior throughout the week. The modern work-life blend, with flexible hours and constant connectivity, has shaped new digital habits.
Based on our analysis, the best times to post on Facebook are during the morning and midday “digital breaks” that punctuate the typical workday.
The Highest Overall Engagement Times Are:
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Local Time) on Weekdays
This four-hour window represents the “peak engagement” zone. Users are settling into their workday, taking coffee breaks, and checking their feeds before and during lunch. Content posted during this period consistently received higher-than-average engagement.
The Best Days to Post on Facebook Are:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
These mid-week days are the sweet spot for engagement. Mondays are often busy with people catching up from the weekend, and by Friday, attention starts to drift towards weekend plans. The middle of the week is when users are most settled into their routines and actively seeking content.
The Worst Day to Post on Facebook Is:
Sunday
While weekends used to be a good time for engagement, our 2025 data shows a clear shift. Sundays, in particular, saw the lowest average engagement. People appear to be prioritizing real-world activities and digital detoxes, leading to less time spent scrolling on platforms like Facebook.
Why These Times Work: The Psychology Behind the Clicks
Understanding the “what” is good, but understanding the “why” is what makes you a better marketer. Our data reflects predictable human behavior.
The Morning Check-in (8 AM – 10 AM): People often start their day by catching up on what they missed. They’re scrolling during their commute, while drinking their morning coffee, or before digging into their first big task. Content posted here catches them when they’re fresh and curious.
The Lunchtime Scroll (11 AM – 1 PM): The lunch break is the prime time for a digital escape. Users are actively looking for entertaining, interesting, or useful content to consume while they eat. This is the peak of the peak engagement window.
The Afternoon Dip (After 2 PM): Engagement begins to drop as people focus on finishing their workday. While there’s still activity, it’s less concentrated than the morning and midday peaks.
Warning: The “Best Time” is a Starting Point, Not a Rule
Now for the most important takeaway from our entire analysis: the best time for you to post depends entirely on your specific audience.
Our data provides an excellent, data-backed starting point. But a B2B software company whose audience is online during the workday will have a vastly different peak time than a local restaurant whose audience is most active in the evenings and on weekends.
General data tells you what works for the average user. Your own data tells you what works for the people who actually follow you. Blindly following generic advice is the biggest mistake you can make.
How to Find Your Personal Best Time to Post on Facebook
Fortunately, Facebook provides all the tools you need to become a data-driven expert on your own audience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to finding your unique peak posting times using Meta Business Suite.
Step 1: Navigate to Your Page Insights
Log in to Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com).
On the left-hand menu, click on “Insights.”
Step 2: Go to the Audience Tab
Within Insights, click on the “Audience” tab. This is where the most valuable data lives.
Here you’ll see demographics like the age, gender, and location of your followers.
Step 3: Analyze “Online Times”
Scroll down until you find the chart showing when your audience is online. This is your goldmine.
This chart will show you a day-by-day and hour-by-hour breakdown of when your followers were most active on Facebook over the last week.
Look for the peaks. You will likely see “hot zones” where the number of online users is significantly higher. These are your prime posting times.
Step 4: Test and Measure
Based on your Insights data, create a posting schedule that targets these peak hours. For example, if your audience is most active at 7:00 PM on Thursdays, schedule your most important post for that time.
Experiment: Don’t just post at the peak. Try posting 30-60 minutes before the peak to ensure your content is already in the feed when most users log on.
Review Your Content Insights: After a few weeks, go to the “Content” tab in your Insights. Look at the reach and engagement numbers for individual posts. See if the posts published during your target times are actually performing better.
Conclusion: From Generic Advice to a Personal Strategy
Our analysis of 1 million posts gives us a clear and valuable starting point for 2025: aim for mid-mornings and midday during the middle of the week. This is where you’ll find the largest general audience.
But the real secret to mastering Facebook is to move from that starting point to a personalized, data-driven strategy. Use the global data to inform your initial approach, but rely on your own Page Insights to refine it.
Listen to your audience’s digital behavior. They are telling you exactly when they are ready to engage. By combining broad industry trends with your own specific data, you can ensure your valuable content gets the visibility and engagement it truly deserves.