Human-readable cron expressions
Paste a cron expression and see what it means.
Minute
every 5 minutes
Hour
every hour
Day of month
every day
Month
every month
Day of week
every day of the week
Upcoming schedules are shown in the selected timezone.
A cron expression is a short string used to define when a scheduled task should run. It is commonly used for automations, scripts, backups, and recurring jobs.
Each field controls one part of the schedule. When all five fields match the current time, the job runs.
Standard cron uses five fields in this order: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| */5 * * * * | Every 5 minutes |
| 0 * * * * | Every hour |
| 0 0 * * * | Every day at midnight |
| 0 9 * * 1-5 | Every weekday at 9:00 |
| 0 0 1 * * | On the first day of every month |
It means every five units for that field. In the minute field, */5 runs every 5 minutes.
This tool supports the standard 5-field format: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.
No. Cron Explainer currently supports standard 5-field cron only.
Cron schedules run in the timezone configured by the system or scheduler. This tool lets you preview runs in a selected timezone.
Use 0 0 * * * to run every day at midnight, or change the hour and minute to your preferred time.
