# Plan your Instagram grid

The Grid Planner shows an Instagram account's upcoming and recent posts as a 3-column grid. Drop in an image to create and schedule a post, drag scheduled posts to change their order, and reschedule or publish from the grid.

Last checked: Oct 8, 2026 on the live app. Source: https://heropost.ai/docs/calendar/grid-planner/

## How the Grid Planner works

The Grid Planner shows one Instagram account at a time as a 3-column grid, the way Instagram lays out a profile. It puts that account's **scheduled** posts first, then empty cells you can fill, then its **published** posts. Next to it, a phone preview shows the profile with your posts.

Use it to see how your next posts look side by side, fill gaps by dropping in images, and change which post goes out when.

## Open the Grid Planner

- In the left menu, click **Calendar**, then **Grid**.
- From the calendar or the Feed, click the page name at the top and choose **Grid Planner**.
- On a phone, tap **☰**, then **Calendar → Grid**.

The page opens on the first Instagram account in the workspace. To plan another one, click the account button at the top (its picture and @handle) and pick it. The page doesn't remember your choice after a reload.

[Screenshot: The Grid Planner with scheduled cells, empty Drop image cells, Live cells and the phone preview]

## Read the board

The **Grid Layout** board fills in this order:

| Cells | What they show |
|---|---|
| Scheduled posts | The account's scheduled posts in publishing order: the top-left one goes out next. Each shows its date, for example "Oct 9", and a drag handle. |
| Empty cells | **Drop image** cells to add new posts. There's always at least one empty row. |
| Published posts | The account's 9 latest published posts, newest first, marked **Live**. Hover to see the date. **Show older posts** loads 9 more. |

A post belongs to the account's grid when it has an Instagram version for that account. Drafts and posts waiting for approval aren't on the board.

The phone preview on the right shows the profile's picture, @handle, post count and followers, with your published and scheduled posts. Scheduled ones carry a small clock badge. Its buttons are for show only.

## Add a post from an image

1. Drop an image or video from your computer onto a **Drop image** cell, or click the cell to choose a file. To use a picture you already uploaded, press **or browse library** and pick one (the 30 most recent images are shown).
2. Heropost creates a draft for this Instagram account with that media, and opens **Choose when to publish**.
3. Under **Pick a date & time**, choose the day and time, or press **Today**. The earliest time allowed is shown as "Min: …".
4. Press **Schedule**. The post takes its place on the grid.

[Screenshot: The Schedule window after dropping an image, with Pick a date & time, Save as Draft and Schedule]

**The new post has no caption yet.** If you press **Schedule** straight away, it goes out with the image only. To add a caption first, press **Save as Draft**, open the draft from **Content → Drafts**, write the caption, then press **Schedule All**.
- **Not ready yet?** Press **Save as Draft**, or click outside the window. The draft waits under **Content → Drafts**, and doesn't show on the grid until it's scheduled.
- **Already scheduled it?** Click its cell, choose **Edit Post**, and press **Edit** in the editor to change it. It goes back to Draft until you press **Schedule All** again: see [Edit, reschedule or delete a post](/docs/posting/edit-or-delete/).

## Change the order of upcoming posts

Drag a scheduled cell by its handle to another scheduled position. When you let go, Heropost keeps the same set of times and gives them out in the new order: the top-left scheduled post gets the earliest time, the next one the next time, and so on.

- A time that's already passed, or less than 2 minutes away, moves to one hour after the previous post.
- Each changed post is saved, then the grid reloads. There's no confirmation.
- On a touch screen, press and hold a cell for a moment to start dragging.

## Reschedule, publish or remove a post

Click a scheduled or published cell to open its quick menu. It shows the image, the title ("Untitled post" if there's none) and its status.

| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Reschedule** (scheduled posts) | Pick a new day and time, or **Today**, then press **Save**. |
| **Edit Post** | Opens the post in the editor. |
| **Duplicate** | Makes a draft copy. It goes to **Content → Drafts**, not the grid. |
| **Publish Now** (scheduled posts) | Publishes the post immediately. There's no confirmation, so check before you press it. |
| **Unschedule** (scheduled posts) | Turns the post back into a draft. It leaves the grid and waits under **Content → Drafts**. |
| **Delete** | Press it, then **Confirm Delete**. This removes the post from Heropost; a published post stays on Instagram. |

[Screenshot: The quick menu on a scheduled cell, with Reschedule, Save, Edit Post, Duplicate, Publish Now, Unschedule and Delete]

## Limits

- The board looks at the workspace's next 200 scheduled posts, then keeps those for the chosen account.
- Dates on the cells use your device's time zone. The date pickers use the workspace's time zone.
- **New Post** at the top opens the post editor.
- The grid reloads when you come back to the browser tab.

## Who can do what

| | Owner, Admin | Editor | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| See the grid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add posts, drag, reschedule, duplicate, unschedule | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Publish Now**, **Delete** | Yes | No | No |

Everyone sees every button. If your role doesn't allow an action, Heropost shows "Viewers cannot create or modify content in this workspace." or "Only the workspace owner or an admin can perform this action."

## If it doesn't work

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "No Instagram accounts" / "Connect an Instagram account to start planning your grid" | The workspace has no Instagram account. | Press **Add Account**, then connect Instagram. See [Connect Instagram](/docs/networks/instagram/). |
| A post you scheduled isn't on the grid | It isn't for this Instagram account, or it's still a draft. | Pick the right account, or open the post and press **Schedule All**. |
| "Viewers cannot create or modify content in this workspace." | Your role is Viewer. | Ask the workspace owner for the Editor or Admin role. |
| "Only the workspace owner or an admin can perform this action." | **Publish Now** and **Delete** are for owners and Admins. | Ask an owner or Admin. |
| **Save** or **Schedule** stays grayed out, with "Min: …" | The time is too soon. | Pick a time at least 2 minutes from now. |
| "No images in library" | The Media Library has no images yet. | Drop an image on the cell instead, or upload one to the [Media Library](/docs/posting/media-library/). |
| The cell goes back to **Drop image** after an upload | The upload didn't finish. | Try again with a JPG or PNG. Instagram's rules are in [Character limits and media specs](/docs/posting/specs/). |

## Questions

**Does the grid show exactly how my profile will look on Instagram?**

It's a planning view. The board lists your scheduled posts in the order they go out, the next one top-left. On Instagram itself, the newest post sits top-left, so read the board as your queue.


**Can I plan more than one Instagram account?**

Yes, one at a time. Use the account button at the top to switch.


**Does dragging change when posts go out?**

Yes. Dragging swaps which post gets which time slot. The set of times stays the same, unless one is already past.


**Can I post to Facebook too from the grid?**

A post created from the grid is for the chosen Instagram account. To add other networks, open it with **Edit Post** before scheduling, or create the post in the editor. See [The post editor](/docs/posting/post-editor/).