Cron Expression Explainer & Next Run Calculator
Paste a standard 5-field cron expression to see what it does and exactly when it will run next.
How it works
A cron expression has five space-separated fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12) and day of week (0-7, where 0 and 7 are Sunday). Each field accepts * (every value), lists (1,15), ranges (9-17) and steps (*/15 or 0-30/10).
If both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, standard cron runs the job when either matches. This tool follows that rule.
Frequently asked questions
What does */5 * * * * mean?
It runs every 5 minutes, all day, every day.
How do I run a cron job every weekday at 9am?
Use 0 9 * * 1-5.
Why did my job run on an unexpected day?
When both day-of-month and day-of-week are set, cron runs when either matches, not both.
Which timezone does cron use?
The server's local timezone unless the cron daemon is configured otherwise. This tool shows your browser's timezone.
Ready-made schedules
Browse cron expression examples for every 5 minutes, daily, weekdays, monthly and more.