How to schedule Instagram ads in Ads Manager

Quick Answer

To schedule Instagram ads in Meta Ads Manager, build your campaign as usual, then at the ad set level switch the Budget from Daily to Lifetime. A scheduling option appears that lets you pick start and end dates and run the ads on specific hours of specific days.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create or open a campaign

In adsmanager.facebook.com create a new campaign or open an existing one and click into the ad set you want to schedule.

2. Switch to a lifetime budget

Scroll to the Budget and schedule section. Change Daily budget to Lifetime budget and enter the total amount you are willing to spend over the entire campaign window.

3. Set start and end dates

Pick the start date (and start time) and the end date (and end time). Make sure the time zone matches your ad account, e.g. (GMT+00:00) Europe/London.

4. Enable ad scheduling

Once the lifetime budget is set, scroll down and tick Run ads on a schedule. A grid appears showing days of the week and hours of the day.

5. Pick the hours you want ads to run

Click and drag across the grid to highlight the hours when ads should be live. For example, only show ads Monday to Friday between 7am and 10pm. Greyed-out cells mean the ad will not deliver.

6. Choose viewer's time zone

Toggle Use viewer's time zone so that the schedule applies relative to where each user lives, rather than your account time zone. This is essential for international campaigns.

7. Save and publish

Hit Publish. The ad will only deliver during your selected hours. You can edit the schedule any time without restarting the learning phase, as long as you do not change the budget.

FAQs

Can I schedule daily-budget ad sets? No, scheduling only works with lifetime budgets.

Why are my ads still running outside the schedule? Check the time zone setting and confirm you saved the changes.

Does scheduling reset the learning phase? No — only budget changes over 20% reset learning.

Can I schedule different ads to run at different times? Yes, create separate ad sets with different schedules and creatives.

What is the minimum lifetime budget? GBP 1 per day multiplied by the number of days, with a minimum total of GBP 5.

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