Cron Expression Generator
Build and understand cron schedule expressions visually.
Quick Presets
0 * * * * at minute 0, of every hour, every day, every month
Cron Syntax Reference
* Any value5 Exact value*/5 Every 5 units1,3,5 List of values1-5 Range of values0-6 Sun=0, Sat=6Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression defines a schedule using five 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). For example, "0 9 * * 1-5" means "at 9:00 AM every weekday." Cron expressions are used by Unix cron, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud schedulers.
What do the special characters mean?
Asterisk (*) means "every value." Comma (,) separates a list: "1,3,5." Hyphen (-) defines a range: "1-5." Slash (/) defines step values: "*/5" means every 5th. Question mark (?) is used in some systems for "no specific value" in day-of-month or day-of-week fields.
How can I see when my cron will run next?
The tool calculates and displays the next 5-10 scheduled run times for your expression. This preview helps you verify the schedule matches your intent before deploying. It accounts for month lengths, day-of-week constraints, and combined field interactions.
What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?
Standard Unix cron uses 5 fields (minute through day-of-week). Extended formats used by Quartz Scheduler and Spring add a seconds field at the beginning: "0 0 9 * * 1-5" (seconds minute hour dom month dow). Some systems add a year field as the 7th. This tool supports both formats.
Can I describe my schedule in plain English?
Yes — enter a description like "every weekday at 9am" or "every 15 minutes" and the tool generates the corresponding cron expression. It also works in reverse: paste any cron expression to see a human-readable description of when it will run.