Cron Expression Parser

Enter a cron expression to see its human-readable description, field breakdown and next 10 execution times. All processing happens in your browser.

Human-Readable Description

Field Breakdown

FieldValueMeaning

Next 10 Execution Times

    About Cron Expressions

    Cron expressions define schedules for recurring tasks on Unix-like systems. A standard expression has 5 fields:

    FieldRangeSpecial Characters
    Minute0-59* , - /
    Hour0-23* , - /
    Day of Month1-31* , - / ?
    Month1-12, JAN-DEC* , - /
    Day of Week0-7 (0 and 7 = Sun), SUN-SAT* , - / ?

    The next runs are worked out in the time zone you pick rather than yours, because a crontab fires where the server is and that is usually UTC. Three letter names are accepted anywhere a number is, so MON-FRI and JAN work as written. Values outside a field's range, a step of zero and a range that runs backwards are all rejected rather than quietly producing a schedule that never fires. When both day fields are restricted the page says so, because cron treats that pair as either rather than both and it catches people out.

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why does my job run more often than I expected?
    Usually because both day fields are set. When neither the day of month nor the day of week is a star, cron runs the job when either one matches, not when both do. So 0 0 1 * 1 fires on the first of the month and on every Monday. This page warns you when your expression has that shape.
    What time zone are the next runs in?
    Whichever you select, defaulting to UTC rather than yours, because a crontab fires where the server is. If your host runs in a regional zone, pick it, and remember that daylight saving can make a daily job skip or repeat an hour.
    Can I write MON-FRI instead of 1-5?
    Yes. Three letter names work anywhere a number does, for both months and weekdays, so JAN, DEC, MON and SUN all parse. Sunday can be written as 0 or 7 because both are accepted, which is why a range like 6-7 covers the weekend.
    What does the star slash notation mean?
    A step. */15 in the minute field means every fifteenth minute counting from zero, so 0, 15, 30 and 45. Starting somewhere else works too: 5/15 means from minute five onwards in steps of fifteen. A step of zero is not valid, and this page says so rather than hanging.
    Does it handle the extra seconds field?
    It parses it, which is what Quartz and several job runners use, so a six field expression is described correctly. The list of next runs works at minute resolution, since that is what plain cron offers and the seconds field only narrows it further within each matching minute.