Free Cron Builder & Explainer
Build a schedule field by field — or paste a cryptic expression and read it in plain English, with the next 5 run times.
Build it field by field
Supports *, lists (0,30), ranges (9-17), steps (*/15) and names (MON–FRI, JAN–DEC). Day-of-week 7 also means Sunday.
Or paste an expression to explain it
Something not working?
Tell us what went wrong — it helps us fix the tool. Only what you type below is sent.
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| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 5-field cron builder + explainer | Yes | Yes |
| Next 5 run times | Yes | Yes |
| Presets + month / weekday names | Yes | Yes |
| Quartz 6-field expressions | — | Yes |
| Next runs in any timezone | — | Yes |
| Schedule conflict checker | — | Yes |
| Ads | Shown on page | Ad-free |
| Updates | — | Lifetime free updates |
Frequently asked questions
What do the 5 fields mean?
In order: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12), day of week (0–6, where 0 and 7 are Sunday). So 0 9 * * 1-5 runs at 09:00, Monday to Friday.
If I restrict both day-of-month and day-of-week, when does it run?
Classic cron runs when either matches — that is the rule this tool uses. 0 9 15 * 5 runs on the 15th of the month and on every Friday. Some schedulers (and Quartz) use AND instead, so always check your target system's rule.
Do the next-run times use my timezone?
Yes — the preview uses your browser's local time. Your server may be in a different timezone, so convert before pasting the expression into crontab.
What about @daily and other shortcuts?
@hourly, @daily, @weekly, @monthly and @yearly are expanded to their 5-field equivalents before explaining.