PARSE A FIVE-FIELD CRON EXPRESSION
Read a cron schedule at a glance.
Explain a numeric five-field cron expression, see its selected minute, hour and calendar values, and preview upcoming matches in your browser's local timezone.
Supports numbers, *, comma lists, inclusive ranges, and positive steps. Enter exactly five fields.
Parsing the example schedule.
Field breakdown
| Field | Expression | Selected values |
|---|
Next matching times
Shown in your browser's local timezone: browser timezone. Each time includes a short timezone label, which can change across daylight-saving transitions. A cron host may use another timezone.
How to read a five-field schedule
A cron time expression has five fields in this order: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. This visualizer accepts numeric values, *, comma-separated lists, inclusive ranges, and steps after an asterisk or range. Example: */15 9-17 * * 1-5 selects minutes 0, 15, 30, and 45 of each hour from 09:00 through 17:00 on weekdays.
For day matching, this preview follows the common crontab rule: if both day-of-month and weekday are restricted, either matching field is sufficient. If either is a wildcard, both day checks must match. Preview times use the browser's local timezone; actual jobs use the cron host's configured timezone, and daylight-saving behavior can vary by implementation.
Names, nicknames such as @daily, seconds, system-crontab username fields, and command text are outside this parser's scope. It explains and previews text only; it does not install or run jobs.
Page content updated November 3, 2026.
Runs in your browser. No uploads. No account.
Good to know
Why does a restricted day of month and weekday use OR?
The referenced crontab manual says a job runs when at least one of the two day fields matches if both are restricted. The preview applies that rule to the five-field syntax it supports.
Does every cron implementation accept this syntax?
No. Cron implementations add or vary features. This tool deliberately handles a small numeric subset; check the manual for the cron service that will run your job.
Are the upcoming times guaranteed run times?
No. They are calendar matches in the browser's local timezone. The host timezone, daylight-saving transitions, and cron implementation affect actual execution.
Does this save or execute my expression?
No. The parser works in this browser tab, and does not send the expression to a server or create a scheduled task.
Is it free?
Yes, during beta. Optional usage-credit plans are coming soon. Payments are not available and no credits are required.
Sources
Syntax and day-field behavior checked November 3, 2026. The Linux crontab manual documents the five date/time fields, value lists, ranges, steps, and day-of-month/weekday matching. Crontab.guru is an interactive expression preview reference.
How it works
1. Enter five fields in minute, hour, day of month, month, and weekday order. 2. Choose Explain schedule. 3. Review each field and the next matching local times.
Good to know
Which cron syntax is supported?
Five numeric fields with asterisks, comma lists, inclusive ranges, and positive step values are supported. Month and weekday names, macros, seconds, and command text are not supported.
How are day of month and weekday combined?
When both fields are restricted, this preview treats a matching day of month or a matching weekday as a match. When either field is a wildcard, both field checks must match.
Which timezone do upcoming times use?
Upcoming times use the local timezone configured in your browser. A cron host uses its own configured timezone, so compare that setting before relying on the preview.
Does this tool run or install a cron job?
No. It only parses the expression and previews matching times in this browser; it does not contact a server or schedule a command.
Is it free?
Yes, during beta. Optional usage-credit plans are coming soon. Payments are not available and no credits are required.