What is a cron expression generator?
A cron expression uses five fields — minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week — to describe when something should run. It is compact but easy to get wrong. This tool explains any cron in plain language, breaks down each field, and computes the next actual run times, with one-click presets for common schedules. Everything runs locally in your browser, with no upload.
How to use
- Type a cron (five fields) or click one of the presets below.
- Read the plain-English summary and the per-field breakdown to confirm the schedule.
- Check the "next runs" preview, then copy the expression.
Common use cases
- Set up a Linux crontab, CI schedule, backup or report job.
- Understand exactly when someone else’s cron will fire.
- Working with Unix timestamps too? Pair it with the timestamp converter.
Why doesn't my cron fire when I expect? — time zones
The "next runs" here are shown in your browser's local time zone for easy reading — but the actual schedule runs in whatever time zone the server is set to, and many cloud hosts and containers default to UTC. So a job you read as "09:00 daily" fires at a different clock time if the server is on UTC. Always confirm the server's zone before you rely on a schedule. The other classic trap: when both the day-of-month and day-of-week fields are restricted, cron fires when either matches, not both — 0 0 13 * 5 runs on the 13th and every Friday. Working with Unix timestamps too? Pair it with the timestamp converter.