How to use it
- Type the expression in Cron expression: five fields separated by spaces, or a macro such as @daily.
- Read What it means and check that the schedule is the one you intended.
- Change Run times to list if you want more or fewer dates.
- Before you rely on Next run times, compare the time zone with the one your server uses.
The five fields
A cron job runs when the current time matches all five fields. The minute is 0 to 59, the hour 0 to 23, the day of month 1 to 31, the month 1 to 12 and the day of week 0 to 7, where 0 and 7 are both Sunday. Names can replace numbers: JAN to DEC for months and SUN to SAT for days, in any letter case.
- An asterisk (*) stands for every value.
- A list separates values with commas, for example 1,15.
- A range joins two values with a dash, for example 9-17.
- A step runs every n-th value: */15 is every 15 minutes, and 1-30/5 is 1, 6, 11, 16, 21 and 26.
- A step needs an asterisk or a range before the slash, so 5/15 is not valid.
Day of month and day of week together
When both the day of month and the day of week are restricted, a day runs if either of them matches. For example, 0 0 1 * 1 runs at midnight on the first day of each month and on every Monday. If one of the two day fields starts with an asterisk, both must match instead, so 0 0 * * 1 runs on Mondays only.
Time zones and daylight saving time
Run times are worked out in the time zone of your device. On the day the clocks go forward, a time that does not exist never runs. On the day they go back, a time that happens twice runs twice, once at each occurrence, as crontab(5) describes.
A server often runs in UTC. A job set for 09:00 in your zone runs at a different time on the server, so check the zone before you rely on a time.
Worked example: every 15 minutes from 9 to 17, Monday to Friday
The expression */15 9-17 * * MON-FRI means: Every 15 minutes, between 09:00 and 17:59, Monday through Friday. It runs at 09:00, 09:15, 09:30 and 09:45, and so on up to 17:45: 36 times a day, which is 180 times in a Monday-to-Friday week.
The list of next run times starts with the first of these after the current time.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cron expression?
It is a short text that describes when a scheduled job runs. The cron scheduler on Linux and Unix reads it, and many other services use the same format. The five fields give the minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week.
Why do the run times here differ from what my server does?
This page uses the time zone of your device, while servers often use UTC. Some services also have their own time zone setting, so check that setting as well as the expression.
Does this tool support seconds?
No. Standard cron has five fields, and its smallest step is one minute. Some schedulers add a sixth field for seconds, which this page does not read.
What happens with 31 February?
That day never occurs, so an expression that asks for it has no run times. The page says so and lists none.
Why does @reboot not work here?
@reboot runs once when the machine starts, so it has no next run time to list. The page accepts only the macros that repeat on a time schedule.
Are my expressions sent to a server?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, using the time on your device.
Sources
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.