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Explain cron expression

Translate cron expressions into plain English, see the next 5 run times, and build schedules with a visual generator.

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    Gerador visual

    Processed on your device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

    How to use: Explain cron expression

    1. Enter a cron expression (e.g., */15 9-18 * * 1-5) or choose an example.
    2. See a plain-English explanation, what each field means, and the next 5 run times.
    3. To create a new one, use the visual generator and click Use this expression.

    About this tool

    A standard cron expression has 5 fields, in this order: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of the month (1–31), month (1–12 or JAN–DEC), and day of the week (0–6, where 0 and 7 = Sunday, or SUN–SAT). Use * for "any value," , for lists (1,15), - for ranges (9-18), and / for steps (*/10 = every 10).

    A classic gotcha: when both the day of the month and day of the week fields are set, cron runs if either one matches. 0 0 13 * 5 runs on the 13th of every month and every Friday—not just Friday the 13th. This tool flags when that happens.

    Shortcuts like @daily, @hourly, and @weekly are also supported. Upcoming run times are calculated using your browser's time zone. Keep in mind that servers and GitHub Actions often run in UTC.

    Frequently asked questions

    How is this different from Quartz or Spring cron?

    They use 6 or 7 fields, with seconds at the beginning (and the year at the end), along with characters like L, W, and #. This tool follows standard Linux cron (crontab), also used by Kubernetes CronJobs, GitHub Actions, and most cloud services.

    How do I schedule a task to run every 5 minutes?

    Use */5 * * * *. To run every 5 minutes during weekday business hours: */5 9-17 * * 1-5.

    How do I run a task on the last day of the month?

    Standard cron doesn't have a symbol for this. A common workaround is to schedule it for days 28–31, then check in the command whether tomorrow is the first of the month.

    Is it really free? Is there a daily limit?

    It's free with no daily limits. Processing happens on your device, so there's no per-use cost and no need to limit you.

    Does it work on phones?

    Yes. The site works in any modern browser on Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and Linux—no installation needed.

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