Cron Expression Generator

Free cron expression generator. Build a valid cron schedule from simple dropdowns and presets, with a plain-English description of when it runs — copy and paste in seconds.

✓ Free ⚡ Instant 🔒 100% private
Cron expression

🔒 Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.

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Free Cron Expression Generator

This free cron generator builds a valid 5-field cron expression from simple, friendly controls — no need to memorise the syntax. Pick a ready-made schedule like Every 5 minutes or Daily at a time, or fine-tune each field (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) yourself. The tool shows the cron string live, explains in plain English exactly when it will run, and previews the next few run times. It is free, instant and runs entirely in your browser.

How to use the cron generator

  1. Pick a preset such as Hourly, Weekly or Monthly to start fast.
  2. Adjust any field using the dropdowns: a specific value, every N, a range, a comma list, or every (*).
  3. Read the cron expression and the plain-English description below it to confirm the schedule.
  4. Check the Next runs preview to be sure it fires when you expect.
  5. Click Copy cron expression and paste it into your crontab, CI pipeline or scheduler.

What is a cron expression?

A cron expression is a compact string that tells a scheduler when to run a task. The classic format has five fields separated by spaces: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week. For example 30 2 * * * means “at 02:30 every day”, and 0 9 * * 1 means “at 09:00 every Monday”.

Each field accepts a few special symbols. An asterisk * means “every” value for that field. A step like */5 means “every 5” (so */5 in the minute field runs every five minutes). A range like 1-5 covers a span (Monday to Friday in the day-of-week field), and a list like 1,15,30 picks several specific values. Day-of-week uses 0–6 where 0 is Sunday, and months use 1–12. Common examples include * * * * * (every minute), 0 * * * * (top of every hour), 0 0 * * 0 (midnight every Sunday) and 0 0 1 1 * (midnight on the 1st of January).

Frequently asked questions

What does the cron expression 30 2 * * * mean?
It means the task runs at 02:30 every day. The first field 30 is the minute, the second field 2 is the hour, and the three asterisks mean every day-of-month, every month and every day-of-week.
What are the five fields in a cron expression?
In order they are minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12) and day of week (0-6, where 0 is Sunday). The fields are separated by single spaces.
What does the asterisk and the slash mean in cron?
An asterisk means every value for that field. A slash sets a step, so */5 in the minute field means every 5 minutes and */2 in the hour field means every 2 hours.
How do I run a cron job only on weekdays?
Use a range in the day-of-week field. The expression 0 9 * * 1-5 runs at 09:00 from Monday to Friday, because 1 is Monday and 5 is Friday.
Is this cron generator free and private?
Yes. It is completely free with no sign-up, and everything runs in your browser with JavaScript. Your schedule is never uploaded or stored on a server.
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