Cron Generator

Build cron schedules visually, or paste an expression to see a plain-English explanation and the next run times.

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How to Use the Cron Generator

Use the builder on the left to set your schedule visually — configure minute, hour, day, month, and weekday fields using radio buttons, checkboxes, and quick-select presets. The cron expression updates in real time as you make changes. Alternatively, type or paste an existing expression into the expression bar to see it explained in plain English and view the next 10 scheduled run times. Use the Presets dropdown for common schedules like “every 5 minutes” or “weekdays at 9 AM.” Click Share to generate a permalink with your expression encoded in the URL.

About This Tool

A visual cron expression builder and explainer that runs entirely in your browser. Build complex schedules using intuitive controls — checkboxes for specific minutes, pill toggles for weekdays, radio buttons for intervals — and see the resulting cron expression update instantly. Paste any standard 5-field Unix cron expression to get a plain-English explanation powered by cronstrue, a field-by-field breakdown table, and the next 10 scheduled run times in your chosen timezone. Supports special strings like @daily, @weekly, and @reboot. Warns about common pitfalls like the day-of-month / day-of-week OR behavior and impossible date combinations. Zero server communication — your data never leaves your device. Related: test regular expressions live for validating the patterns inside your cron jobs' shell scripts, and work out a future deadline date to verify when your cron will next fire.

Quick Reference Table

Symbol	Meaning	Example
*	Every value	* (minute) — every minute
*/n	Every n values	*/15 — every 15 minutes
n	Specific value	30 — at minute 30
n,m	List	0,30 — at minute 0 and 30
n-m	Range	9-17 — hours 9 through 17
n-m/s	Range with step	0-59/10 — every 10 minutes
SUN–SAT	Day names	MON-FRI — weekdays
JAN–DEC	Month names	JAN,APR,JUL,OCT — quarterly

Frequently Asked Questions

What does '*/15 * * * *' mean?

This runs every 15 minutes — at minute 0, 15, 30, and 45 of every hour, every day. The */ syntax means ‘every nth value’ — */15 divides the 0–59 minute range into steps of 15.

Why does my job run when I didn’t expect it?

The most common surprise is the OR behavior when both day-of-month and day-of-week are non-wildcards. Most cron implementations fire when either condition is true, not both. Use * for one of the fields if you need strict AND behavior.

What timezone does cron use?

By default, cron on Linux systems uses the server’s local timezone, which is often UTC on cloud servers. GitHub Actions always runs in UTC. AWS EventBridge uses UTC. Always confirm your platform’s timezone and account for daylight saving time.

Can I schedule a job for the last day of the month?

Standard cron has no direct way to express ‘last day of month’ since months have different lengths. Some platforms support the L symbol. Alternatively, schedule for day 28 and add a date check in your script.

Does the Cron Generator send my schedule expressions to any server?

No. The Cron Generator parses, validates, and explains your cron expression entirely in your browser using a client-side parser. Your expressions, field values, and the human-readable descriptions are never transmitted, logged, or stored on any server. The next-run preview is also computed locally.

Created by The Toobits Team · Engineering & Editorial

Toobits is built, tested, and maintained by a small independent engineering team. Every tool is written in TypeScript, runs entirely in the browser, and is reviewed against its source formulas before publication.

Editorial policy · Updated April 2026

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