Cron Expression Parser
Explain cron schedules & preview next runs.
100% private — runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Schedule
At 09:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
0 9 * * 1-5
Next 5 runs (your local time)
- 1Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 09:00 AM
- 2Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 09:00 AM
- 3Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 09:00 AM
- 4Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 09:00 AM
- 5Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 09:00 AM
How to use the Cron Expression Parser
- 1Enter a cron expression
Type your 5-field schedule, or click an example to load one.
- 2Read the plain-English summary
See exactly what the schedule means in words.
- 3Check the next runs
Confirm the next five execution times in your local time.
- 4Tweak and repeat
Adjust the fields until the schedule does what you intend.
Free online cron expression parser
This cron expression parser translates a crontab schedule into plain English and shows the next times it will run. Paste an expression from a server, CI job or scheduler and instantly confirm it fires when you expect — no more guessing what */15 0 * * 1-5actually means.
Cron syntax in a nutshell
A standard cron line has five space-separated fields:
- Minute — 0 to 59
- Hour — 0 to 23 (24-hour clock)
- Day of month — 1 to 31
- Month — 1 to 12 (or Jan–Dec)
- Day of week — 0 to 6 (Sunday is 0; Sun–Sat names also work)
Combine * (every), */n (steps), a-b (ranges) and a,b (lists) to build almost any schedule.
Avoid the classic mistakes
Two traps catch everyone. First, the day-of-month / day-of-week OR rule: if you set both, the job runs when either matches, not both. Second, time zones — cron on most servers runs in UTC, while this tool previews runs in your local time, so double-check the offset before trusting a production schedule. Seeing the next five real run times is the fastest way to catch an off-by-one before it ships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a compact schedule used by Unix cron, CI pipelines and schedulers. It has five fields — minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week — that together define when a job should run.
What do the five fields mean?
In order: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12) and day of week (0–6, where 0 is Sunday). A star (*) means 'every' value for that field.
What do the special characters mean?
* means every value, */n means every n steps (e.g. */5 = every 5 minutes), a-b is a range (1-5 = Monday to Friday), and a,b,c is a list. You can combine them, like 0,30 for on the hour and half past.
How do day-of-month and day-of-week interact?
If you restrict both, standard cron treats them as OR: the job runs when either matches. For example '0 0 1 * 1' runs on the 1st of the month AND every Monday. This parser follows that classic behavior.
What are @daily and @hourly?
They are shortcuts. @hourly equals '0 * * * *', @daily and @midnight equal '0 0 * * *', @weekly is '0 0 * * 0', @monthly is '0 0 1 * *', and @yearly is '0 0 1 1 *'. This tool understands all of them.
What time zone are the next runs shown in?
The next-run times are calculated in your browser's local time zone. Remember that most servers run cron in UTC, so account for the offset when scheduling production jobs.