Text/Utilities
Cron Expression Generator
Build and parse cron expressions with a plain-English description and the next scheduled run times. No signup.
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About the Cron Expression Generator
Build and understand cron schedules with a plain-English description and a preview of the next run times.
What this tool does
Enter a five-field cron expression (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) or edit each field separately. The tool validates it, explains what it means, and lists the next five times it will fire in your local time zone. Preset buttons cover the most common schedules.
Cron field reference
A standard cron line has five fields:
- Minute: 0–59
- Hour: 0–23
- Day of month: 1–31
- Month: 1–12 (or JAN–DEC)
- Day of week: 0–7 (0 and 7 are Sunday, or SUN–SAT)
Operators you can use
Combine these to express almost any schedule:
- * — every value
- */n — every n units (e.g. */15 = every 15 minutes)
- a-b — a range (e.g. 1-5 = Monday to Friday)
- a,b,c — a specific list of values
FAQ
What cron format is used?
The standard five-field Unix/Vixie cron format used by crontab, most Linux systems, and many schedulers.
How are day-of-month and day-of-week combined?
Following standard cron rules: if both are restricted, a run happens when either matches; otherwise both must match.
Are the run times accurate to my time zone?
Yes. Next run times are computed in your browser's local time zone. Remember your server may run cron in UTC.
Does it support seconds or the @yearly macros?
This tool focuses on the classic five-field format. Six-field (with seconds) and macros like @daily are not parsed here.
Related tools
Pro tip: pair this tool with Upside Down Text Generator and Text Similarity Checker for a faster SEO workflow.