You don't have to be sitting at your desk when a post goes out. Write it now, pick the day and time you want it to appear, and WordPress will publish it for you.

## Before you start

- Your post, open in the editor and ready to publish.
- Permission to publish posts on the site — an Administrator or Editor account.

## Steps

### Step 1: Open the date picker

In the settings sidebar, find the **Publish** row. It says **Immediately** right now — click it to open the date picker.

![Open the date picker](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6ODk5OCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d2cfed4035ca3b583589cc5a2050e94277cae8f7/block_open-the-date-picker.png)

### Step 2: Choose the day and time

Set the time you want at the top of the panel, then click the day you want on the calendar underneath it. When the date looks right, click **Close** to put the picker away.

![Choose the day and time](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTAyMCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--218df638bb44ae2ce2dacb49fd9531c30fcbd317/block_choose-the-day-and-time.png)

### Step 3: Click Schedule

The button in the top right now says **Schedule** instead of **Publish** — that's WordPress telling you the post will go out later rather than now. Click it.

![Click Schedule](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTAyMywicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a166fb98721d23ba238c5ba03bbe6a81b0c24254/block_click-schedule.png)

### Step 4: Confirm the date and time

A panel opens so you can double-check everything before it's locked in. When the date and time look right, click **Schedule**. That's it — your post will publish itself.

![Confirm the date and time](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTAzMywicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--729cf25aefee5aa520eeea3d957295cb77392f5c/block_confirm-the-schedule.png)

## Tips

- Changed your mind? Click the **Publish** row again and pick a new date, or open the post and click **Switch to draft** to cancel the schedule.
- A scheduled post shows **Scheduled** in the **Date** column of the **Posts** list, so you can see what's coming up.
- Your site's timezone is what counts. If the publish time looks off, check **Settings** → **General**.

## Summary

Scheduling lets you write when you have the time and publish when your readers do. Set the date, click **Schedule**, and the post takes care of itself.