How to schedule Instagram lives

Yes, you can schedule Instagram lives!
 By 
Elena Cavender
 on 
Drawing of three women on Instagram.
Get your lives organized! Credit: Mashable / Vicky Leta

Streamline the process of going live on Instagram by scheduling it in advance.

Since Oct. 2021 you've had the ability to schedule lives on Instagram. This helpful tool makes the time of your scheduled live visible in your bio, and also gives you the option to post that you're going to go live so your followers will know about it ahead of time. Beware that Instagram won't send you a push notification reminding you when your live starts, so you have to remember.

Don't worry, you can also reschedule or cancel an upcoming scheduled live. We'll walk you through how to schedule a live and how to cancel a live.


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How to schedule an Instagram live:

1. Open Instagram

2. Swipe to the left

3. Find "Story" and the bottom of your screen

Screenshot with a red arrow pointing to "Story."
Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

4. Swipe to "Live"

Screenshot with a red arrow pointing to "Story."
Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

5. Select the calendar icon on the left hand side of your screen

Arrow pointing to white calendar icon.
Select the calendar icon. Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

6. Type the title of your Live Video where it says "Video Title"

Arrow pointing to "Video Title."
Title your live here. Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

7. Tap "Start time" and choose when you want your live to begin

Arrow pointing to "Start time."
Tap "Start time" to choose the time of your live. Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

8. Select "Schedule live video"

Arrow pointing to "Schedule live video" button.
Tap "Schedule live video." Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

9. Tap "Share as a Post" to post about your Instagram live, or tap "Share Later"

When your Live is scheduled it will be shown on your profile.

Arrow pointing to the live scheduled on Instagram profile.
The Live showing up on your profile indicates you have successfully scheduled it. Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

How to cancel a scheduled Instagram live

1. Open Instagram

2. Navigate to your profile

3. Tap "Live video"

Arrow pointing to "Live video"
Tap "Live video." Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

4. Select "Edit"

Arrow pointing to "Edit."
Tap "Edit." Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

5. Select "Cancel live video"

Arrow pointing to "Cancel live video."
Tap "Cancel live video." Credit: Screenshot: Instagram

More Instagram Tutorials

Topics Instagram

Mashable Image
Elena Cavender

Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at [email protected] or follow her @ecaviar_.

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