Yes, you can schedule posts in Facebook groups, and you can schedule one post to many groups at once. A Chrome extension such as AutoGP takes your post and a list of the groups you've joined, then at the time you choose posts it to dozens or 100 of them automatically, one group after another, the same run you'd otherwise start in one click, and can repeat it every few hours or days. Facebook's own scheduler only works in groups where you're an admin or moderator, and only one group at a time.
This guide covers both: scheduling to many groups you've joined, which is what most people promoting in groups need, and Facebook's built-in scheduler for groups you run.
Why most schedulers can't post to Facebook groups
If you tried scheduling group posts with Buffer, Hootsuite or a similar tool and it stopped working, that's not you. Meta removed group publishing from its API on April 22, 2024 (Meta's v19.0 changelog), so apps that publish through the API can no longer post to groups at all, whether you're a member or an admin. The details are in why Buffer, Hootsuite and Zapier can't post to Facebook groups.
What still works is posting the way you do yourself: from your own logged-in Facebook session in a browser. That's how AutoGP schedules.
How to schedule one post to many Facebook groups
- Add AutoGP to Chrome and make sure you're logged in to Facebook in the same Chrome profile. AutoGP never asks for your Facebook password.
- Write the post once on the Post tab. Add spintax such as
{Hi|Hey|Hello}so each group gets slightly different wording, add images if you like, and tick the groups to post to. - Open the Schedule tab and pick the date and time the run should start.
- To repeat it, tick Repeat every and set the gap in hours, anything from 1 to 168 (one week). 24 repeats it daily, 72 every three days.
- Press Schedule Post. At that time AutoGP posts to each group in turn, with a random wait between groups and within your daily limit.
What has to be true at the scheduled time
AutoGP posts from your own computer, which is why it never needs your password. It also means that when the post is due:
- the computer is on and awake, not asleep or shut down,
- Chrome is open with AutoGP in it, and
- you're logged in to Facebook in that Chrome profile.
A laptop that sleeps at night can't post while it sleeps. If you schedule posts around the clock, pick one computer that stays on as your posting computer. Keeping scheduled posts running has the settings for Mac and Windows.
If a scheduled post didn't go out
A post that was due while the computer was asleep or off, or while Chrome was closed, couldn't go out at its time. Once Chrome is running again, open the Schedule tab to see what happened to each scheduled post. If the computer was on, Chrome was open and you were logged in, but a post still didn't run, email support with when it was due and what Run Diagnostics shows.
Scheduled runs keep to a safe pace
A scheduled run follows the same rules as one you start by hand. It waits a random time between groups (90 to 150 seconds by default), keeps within a daily limit set from your Facebook account's age, posts only within your posting hours (08:00 to 23:00 by default), and stops if Facebook shows a warning. So scheduling 60 groups at 9:00 doesn't mean 60 posts at 9:00; it means a run that starts at 9:00 and spreads itself out. How AutoGP protects your account explains each part.
What to schedule, and how often
Scheduling makes posting easy, which makes it easy to overdo. A few habits keep scheduled posts welcome in the groups and your account healthy:
- Check each group's rules first. Many groups allow promotion only on certain days or in a pinned thread. A post scheduled for the wrong day gets declined or removed, however well it's written.
- Don't repeat the same post to the same groups every day. A daily repeat of an identical ad reads as spam to members and admins alike. Every few days, with fresh wording, is usually plenty; spintax changes the words in each copy automatically.
- Pick times when members are around. Evenings and weekends tend to be busier in local buy-and-sell and community groups, but your own groups' activity is the best guide.
- Keep the daily total realistic. Facebook doesn't publish a number, and a newer account carries less than an old one. Facebook group posting limits explains how to judge it; AutoGP's daily limit does the counting for you.
How to schedule a post in a Facebook group you run
If you're an admin or moderator, Facebook can schedule the post for you, for free:
- Open the group and start a post as usual.
- Next to Post, choose the schedule option (a calendar or clock icon, depending on your device).
- Pick the date and time, then confirm.
- Find queued posts later under Scheduled posts in the group's admin tools.
Admins can also set up recurring posts through Admin Assist. Facebook's help page walks through both. The limits: it only works in groups you manage, you set it up in each group separately, and it doesn't help in the groups you've joined as a member, which for most sellers and businesses is nearly all of them.
Which way should you use?
- Groups you run: Facebook's own scheduler is free and built in.
- Groups you've joined, especially many of them: a browser extension like AutoGP is the way to schedule one post to all of them at once.
If you're still choosing a tool, the best Facebook group posting tools compares every kind, and our guides on Facebook group marketing and automation cover what to post and how often.
You can try a scheduled run with AutoGP's 25 free posts: post to many groups in one click.
FAQ
Can you schedule posts in a Facebook group if you're not an admin?
Not with Facebook's own tools; its scheduler is only for admins and moderators. A browser extension such as AutoGP can schedule posts to groups you've joined as a member, as long as the group lets members post.
Can I schedule one post to multiple Facebook groups at once?
Yes. With AutoGP you write the post once, choose the groups, and schedule it; at that time it posts to each group automatically, one after another, with a safe gap between them.
Can I make a Facebook group post repeat?
Yes. In AutoGP, tick Repeat every on the Schedule tab and set the gap in hours, from 1 to 168. In groups you run, Facebook's Admin Assist can also set up recurring posts.
Does my computer have to be on for scheduled posts?
With AutoGP, yes. It posts from your own Chrome, so the computer must be on, awake and running Chrome, with you logged in to Facebook, when the post is due.
Can Buffer or Hootsuite schedule posts to Facebook groups?
Not automatically, since Meta removed group publishing from its API on April 22, 2024. Buffer now sends a reminder for you to finish the post in Facebook yourself.