<p>Trust is a critical yet fragile component of interpersonal interactions, often leading to significant consequences when compromised. This has propelled trust repair to the forefront of academic research. Despite extensive investigations, effective strategies and optimal timing for trust repair have remained poorly understood. This study aimed to identify the most effective timing for trust repair and to evaluate how different apology attribution modes impact its effectiveness at various timings. In Study 1, our research explored the dynamics between trust repair timing and apologies through scenario simulation. We found that later apologies were more effective. However, a further decline in trust occurred if victims did not receive an apology after they had expressed their emotions and thoughts. In Study 2, we divided apologies into distinct attribution modes and observed a significant interaction with trust repair timing. In early trust repair, the apology attribution modes demonstrated comparable effectiveness, but during the later trust repair, internally attributed apologies significantly outperformed externally attributed ones. Study 3 reinforced these findings by altering the types of interpersonal relationship and the consequence of trust breach in a trust game, thereby solidifying our conclusions. This research provides empirical support for how to make more targeted apologies in real-life situations.</p>