Date and Time Options
This page explains how the date and time pickers work and clarifies the timezone rules.
Date picker
Section titled “Date picker”When you open the scheduling modal, a date picker lets you choose which day the post should publish.
Allowed range:
- The earliest selectable date is today. Dates in the past are disabled.
- The latest selectable date is 90 days from today. Dates beyond that are disabled.
Format shown in the picker: Month Day, Year (for example, “Dec 25, 2024”).
You cannot type a date manually - use the picker to avoid entry errors.
Time picker
Section titled “Time picker”Once you select a date, the time picker lets you choose the hour and minute.
Format: 12-hour clock (1:00 through 12:59, then AM or PM).
Steps: Times are offered in 5-minute increments (9:00, 9:05, 9:10, and so on). You cannot enter an arbitrary minute like 9:07.
AM / PM: Select AM for morning times (midnight through 11:59 AM) and PM for afternoon and evening times (noon through 11:59 PM).
Common time examples
Section titled “Common time examples”| Goal | Select time | Select |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 in the morning | 9:00 | AM |
| Noon | 12:00 | PM |
| 3:30 in the afternoon | 3:30 | PM |
| 9:00 in the evening | 9:00 | PM |
| Midnight | 12:00 | AM |
Timezone
Section titled “Timezone”All times use the site’s timezone, not your device’s local time.
The site timezone is set by the site administrator in WordPress Settings > General. It is displayed there as, for example, “America/New_York” or “UTC+5:30”.
If you and the site are in the same timezone, set the time exactly as you want it to appear.
If you are in a different timezone, you need to convert. For example: if the site is on Eastern Time (ET) and you are on Pacific Time (PT, which is 3 hours behind ET), a post you want live at 9:00 AM your time should be scheduled for 12:00 PM in the picker.
If you are not sure what timezone the site uses, ask your site administrator.
Clearing a scheduled time
Section titled “Clearing a scheduled time”After you click Next in the modal and the confirmation line appears in the posting area, you can click Clear Schedule to remove the scheduled time. This returns the post to normal (immediate) posting mode. You can then either post it right away or re-open the scheduler to choose a different time.