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Cron expression builder

Build a 5-field cron expression with a form (minute, hour, day, month, weekday), see a plain-language explanation and the next 5 run times.

Runs in your browser · nothing is sentSchedulingNew

Builder

Common schedules:

Expression

0 9 * * 1-5
At 09:00, Monday through Friday

Next 5 runs (UTC)

  • 2026-11-09 09:00:00 UTC
  • 2026-11-10 09:00:00 UTC
  • 2026-11-11 09:00:00 UTC
  • 2026-11-12 09:00:00 UTC
  • 2026-11-13 09:00:00 UTC

How to use

  1. Fill in the 5 fields, or start from a preset schedule.
  2. Read the generated expression and its plain-language explanation.
  3. Check the next 5 run times, then copy the expression into your crontab.

Common scenarios

Scheduling a nightly backup

Set hour to a late-night value and leave the other fields as *, or use the Daily preset as a starting point.

Running a job only on weekdays

Set day of week to 1-5 and leave day of month as *, so it runs Monday through Friday.

About this tool

Fill in each field (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) using *, specific numbers, ranges or step values, and the tool builds the matching cron expression. It explains the schedule in plain language and calculates the next 5 times it would run, in UTC, so you can check the result before adding it to a crontab.

🔒 Your input stays in your browser and is never sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I set both day of month and day of week?

Standard cron treats this as “OR”: the job runs when either field matches, not only when both match. Leave one of them as * if you only want one condition.

Are the next run times in my local time zone?

No, they are shown in UTC. Most crontabs run in the system’s local time zone, so convert accordingly, or check your system’s configured time zone.

What is the difference between this and the cron expression explainer?

The explainer takes an existing expression and explains it. This tool builds a new expression from a form and also shows the next run times.

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