Cron Expression Parser — Explain Cron Jobs
Free online cron expression parser. Paste a cron expression and get a plain-English explanation with next run times.
Minute
Hour
Day
Month
Weekday
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🧩 How to Read & Change a Cron Schedule
Every cron expression has 5 fields (or 6 for Quartz). Each field controls one part of the schedule:
| Field | Position | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 1st | 0 – 59 |
| Hour | 2nd | 0 – 23 (0 = midnight) |
| Day of Month | 3rd | 1 – 31 |
| Month | 4th | 1 – 12 (1 = Jan) |
| Weekday | 5th | 0 – 6 (0 = Sunday) |
What do the symbols mean?
*
Every — means "don't restrict this field"
e.g.
* * * * * = every minute of every day
*/n
Every N units — repeats at an interval
e.g.
*/15 in minute = every 15 minutes
n-m
Between n and m — a continuous range
e.g.
9-17 in hour = 9 AM to 5 PM
n,m
At n and also m — specific values
e.g.
1,3,5 in weekday = Mon, Wed, Fri
?
Don't care (Quartz only) — same as *
Used in Quartz schedulers when the field doesn't matter
⚡ Quick recipes — click any to try it:
*/15 * * * *
Every 15 minutes
*/30 * * * *
Every 30 minutes
0 * * * *
Every hour (on the hour)
0 */2 * * *
Every 2 hours
0 */6 * * *
Every 6 hours
0 8 * * *
Every day at 8 AM
0 12 * * *
Every day at noon
0 18 * * *
Every day at 6 PM
0 0 * * *
Every day at midnight
0 23 * * *
Every day at 11 PM
0 9-17 * * 1-5
Hourly, Mon–Fri 9–5
0 9 * * 1-5
Weekdays at 9 AM
0 12 * * 1
Every Monday at noon
30 6 * * 1,3,5
Mon, Wed, Fri at 6:30 AM
0 0 * * 0
Every Sunday midnight
0 0 1 * *
1st of every month
0 0 15 * *
15th of every month
0 0 1 1 *
1st Jan every year
0 0 1 */3 *
Every quarter (1st)
*/5 9-18 * * 1-5
Every 5 min, office hours
*/2 * * * *
Every 2 minutes
*/10 * * * *
Every 10 minutes
*/45 * * * *
Every 45 minutes
0 */3 * * *
Every 3 hours
0 */4 * * *
Every 4 hours
0 0,12 * * *
Twice a day (midnight & noon)
0 6,12,18 * * *
3× daily (6 AM, noon, 6 PM)
0 7 * * 0,6
Weekends at 7 AM
0 10 * * 0,6
Weekends at 10 AM
0 9 * * 2,4
Tue & Thu at 9 AM
0 0 */2 * *
Every 2 days
0 0 1,15 * *
Twice a month (1st & 15th)
0 0 1 */6 *
Every 6 months
0 0 31 12 *
New Year's Eve midnight
0 17 * * 5
Every Friday at 5 PM
💡 What
Cron Parser
- Parses Standard (5-field) and Quartz (6-field) cron expressions in plain English.
- Auto-detects format and shows both Quartz & Standard equivalents.
📖 How
Steps
- Enter a 5-field Standard or 6-field Quartz cron expression
- Explanation updates in real-time
- Both formats shown with plain-English breakdown
🎯 When
Use cases
- Verifying crontab schedules
- Setting up CI/CD pipelines
- Debugging scheduled tasks
FAQ
5 or 6 field cron?▾
This tool supports both Standard 5-field cron (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) and Quartz 6-field cron (second, minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week). For Quartz expressions, both formats are shown with their Standard equivalent.