Cron Expression Generator with Plain-English Meaning

Build a 5-field cron expression, read what it means in a plain sentence and check its next scheduled run times.

Reading and writing a cron expression: the 5 fields and pitfalls

A standard cron expression has five space-separated fields: minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week (0 = Sunday). So 0 9 * * 1-5 runs a job at 9:00 from Monday to Friday; the tool turns the expression into a sentence and computes its next 5 runs.

The five fields

Minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12) and day of week (0-6, 0 = Sunday). * means every value, */n every n units, a-b a range and a,b a list. The default expression, 0 9 * * 1-5, reads “at minute 0, at 9:00, Monday to Friday”.

How the next runs are found

The tool steps forward minute by minute from your browser's clock, for at most 50,000 minutes (about 34.7 days). Worked example on Wednesday 14/10/2026 at 10:00: */15 9-17 * * 1-5 gives 10:15, 10:30, 10:45, 11:00 and 11:15, while 0 0 1 * * gives only one date, 1 November, because the next one falls outside the window.

Cron rules applied

  • When both day of month and day of week are set, the job fires as soon as either matches: from 14/10/2026 at 10:00, 30 4 1,15 * 5 gives 15 October, Fridays 16, 23 and 30 October, then 1 November, at 4:30.
  • */n counts from the start of the field: */2 in day of month keeps days 1, 3, 5…, */3 in month gives January, April, July and October.
  • 7 also means Sunday; three-letter names (MON, JAN), ranges with steps (1-9/2) and lists containing a range (1-3,5) are recognised.

Six-field formats (seconds, Quartz) are not accepted.

Sources and dates: crontab(5) manual page (Vixie cron and cronie): 0 or 7 = Sunday, a job runs when either day of month or day of week matches, steps and three-letter names (checked on 14/10/2026).

Frequently Asked Questions

What does */5 mean in a cron expression?

“Every 5 units” of the field. In the minute field, */5 * * * * runs the job at minutes 0, 5, 10 … 55, which is 12 times an hour. The tool follows cron's rule in every field: counting starts at the beginning of the field, so */2 in day of month keeps days 1, 3, 5…

How do I schedule a job Monday to Friday at 9 am?

Write 0 9 * * 1-5: minute 0, hour 9, every day of the month, every month, days 1 to 5 (Monday to Friday). The minute always comes first; 9 * * * * would run the job at minute 9 of every hour.

Why does the tool show no upcoming run?

It only searches 50,000 minutes ahead, about 34.7 days, so a yearly job such as 0 0 1 1 * only appears from late November. An expression that does not have exactly five fields gives no date either.

Is Sunday 0 or 7 in cron?

Cron accepts both (crontab(5) manual page). The tool accepts both too: 0, 7 and SUN give the same next runs.

Is this tool really free?

Yes, all tools on Kristools are 100% free and accessible without registration.

Is my data protected?

Yes. All processing is performed directly and securely inside your browser. No personal data is sent to our servers.