Cron Expression Generator
Build cron expressions visually with presets, description, and next-run preview. Supports 5 and 6-field cron. 100% client-side.
Common
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
With seconds
Cron expression
* * * * *
Every minute.
Minute
*
Hour
*
Day
*
Month
*
Weekday
*
*
*
*
*
*
⏰ Next 10 run times
#1Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:07
#2Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:08
#3Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:09
#4Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:10
#5Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:11
#6Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:12
#7Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:13
#8Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:14
#9Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:15
#10Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 12:16
Preview uses your local time zone. Actual schedule depends on the server's time zone setting.
🔒 100% private: All generation happens in your browser. Your cron expression is never sent to any server.
About Cron Expression Generator
Cron expressions are the standard way to specify recurring schedules in Unix-like systems. A cron expression is a set of 5 (or 6) fields — minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week (plus seconds for 6-field) — that together define when a job should run. Writing cron expressions by hand is error-prone: it is easy to confuse the field order, forget the day-of-week OR behavior, or miscount steps. This generator lets you build expressions visually: pick presets, use dropdowns to select specific hours or days, and see the description and next-run times update in real time. It supports ranges (1-5), lists (1,3,5), steps (*/15), and all standard special values. Everything runs in your browser.
How It Works
- Pick a common preset (e.g., "Every day at midnight") or build from scratch.
- Use the dropdowns to configure minute, hour, day, month, and weekday fields.
- Choose whether to include the seconds field (6-field cron).
- See the cron expression, description, and next 10 run times update live.
- Copy the expression and paste it into your crontab or scheduler.
✨ Key Features
- ✓20+ common presets (every minute, hourly, daily, weekdays, monthly, quarterly)
- ✓Visual dropdowns for each field
- ✓Supports 5-field (standard) and 6-field (with seconds) cron
- ✓Ranges, lists, steps, and all special syntax
- ✓Plain-English description of the schedule
- ✓Preview of the next 10 run times
- ✓Live updates as you change the fields
- ✓Validates the expression
- ✓@-shortcut examples (@daily, @weekly, @monthly)
- ✓Copy the expression with one click
- ✓100% client-side — no data sent to any server
🎯 Common Use Cases
- →Setting up scheduled jobs on a Linux server
- →Configuring GitHub Actions schedules (on: schedule: cron:)
- →Creating Kubernetes CronJobs
- →Setting up Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare scheduled functions
- →Verifying a cron expression you found online
- →Teaching cron syntax to team members
- →Preparing documentation with correct schedules
- →Debugging crontab entries that run at unexpected times
💡 Advanced Tips & Pro Insights
- ▸Cron uses OR logic for day-of-month and day-of-week: "0 0 1 * 1" runs on the 1st of the month OR every Monday, not both.
- ▸The step operator "/" divides a range: "*/15" in the minute field means every 15 minutes.
- ▸Use @daily, @weekly, @monthly, @hourly, @yearly (or @annually) for common schedules — they are cleaner than the equivalent 5-field syntax.
- ▸Sunday is both 0 and 7 in the day-of-week field. Both mean Sunday.
- ▸The hour field uses 24-hour time. "0 14 * * *" runs at 2 PM, not 2 AM.
- ▸For "every 5 minutes during business hours", use "*/5 9-17 * * 1-5" — this tool supports all of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this cron generator free?▾
Yes, this cron expression generator is completely free with no signup, email, or usage limits.
Is my data safe?▾
Yes, 100% safe. All generation and preview happen in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
What is a cron expression?▾
A cron expression is a string of 5 (or 6) space-separated fields that specify when a task should run: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week (plus optional seconds). Example: "0 9 * * 1-5" means 9 AM on weekdays.
What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?▾
Standard 5-field cron is "minute hour day month weekday". Some systems (like Quartz, Spring) use 6 fields with seconds first: "second minute hour day month weekday". This generator supports both.
How do I run a job every 15 minutes?▾
Use "*/15 * * * *". The "/" means "step" — every 15th minute. Other common examples: "*/5 * * * *" (every 5 min), "*/30 * * * *" (every 30 min).
How do I run a job at 3:30 AM every day?▾
Use "30 3 * * *". The first field (minute) is 30, the second (hour) is 3. This tool builds this from the dropdowns automatically.
What does the day-of-week number mean?▾
In cron, day-of-week uses 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, ..., 6 = Saturday. Some implementations accept 7 for Sunday as well. This generator uses 0–6 but accepts both.
What are the @-shortcuts?▾
@yearly (or @annually) = "0 0 1 1 *", @monthly = "0 0 1 * *", @weekly = "0 0 * * 0", @daily (or @midnight) = "0 0 * * *", @hourly = "0 * * * *". These are supported by most cron implementations.