Cron Expression Generator
Visually build cron schedules with intuitive controls. Define minute, hour, day, month, and weekday patterns. See the next 5 run times instantly.
At every minute of every hour
* (every value)
* (every value)
* (every value)
* (every value)
* (every value)
Next 5 Run Times
- Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 08:22 PM
- Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 08:23 PM
- Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 08:24 PM
- Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 08:25 PM
- Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 08:26 PM
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a time-based job scheduler format used in Unix/Linux systems. It consists of 5 fields representing minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Each field can contain a specific value, a range, a step value, or a wildcard (*) to mean "every." For example, '0 9 * * 1-5' means 9:00 AM on weekdays.
What does * mean in cron?
The asterisk (*) is a wildcard that means "any" or "every." It matches all valid values in that field. '* * * * *' means every minute of every hour of every day of every month on every day of the week — essentially, every single minute of the year.
How do I run a job every 5 minutes?
Use the step syntax with an asterisk and a divisor: */5 in the minute field. For example, '*/5 * * * *' runs every 5 minutes. You can apply the same syntax to any field: */10 for every 10 hours, */2 for every 2 days, or */3 for every 3 months.
What is the difference between day of month and day of week?
Day of month (field 3) specifies a calendar date from 1 to 31, while day of week (field 5) specifies a day by name: 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, ..., 6 = Saturday. If you specify both fields (neither is *), the job runs when EITHER condition matches. To avoid conflicts, set one to * and the other to your desired value.
How do I schedule a job on weekdays only?
Use 1-5 for the day of week field to specify Monday through Friday. For example, '0 9 * * 1-5' runs at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday. Remember that 0 = Sunday and 6 = Saturday, so 1-5 covers all weekdays.