Cron Expression Explainer
Explain cron expressions in plain English and see the next run times in your time zone or UTC. Supports seconds and @daily.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded
About Cron Expression Explainer
Cron schedules like 0 9 * * 1-5 are compact but easy to get wrong. Paste one to read it in plain English, see what each field means, and check the next times it will run, in your time zone or in UTC.
Five-field crontab expressions work, as well as six or seven fields with seconds and years, and nicknames such as @daily and @weekly. Start from an example if you're writing a new schedule.
How to use Cron Expression Explainer
- 1Type a cron expression, or pick an example.
- 2Read the description and the meaning of each field.
- 3Check the next run times, in your time zone or UTC.
Frequently asked questions
What do the five fields mean?
Minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of the month (1–31), month (1–12 or JAN–DEC) and day of the week (0–6 or SUN–SAT, where 0 and 7 are Sunday). * means every value, */n every nth, a-b a range and a,b a list.
What happens when both day fields are set?
Like standard cron, the job runs when either matches: 0 0 1 * MON runs on the 1st of every month and on every Monday.
Which time zone does cron use?
Usually the server's time zone, which is often UTC. Switch the next run times to UTC to see them as most servers would.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. Expressions are explained in your browser.