Translate a standard 5-field cron expression into a plain-English schedule and a field-by-field table. Useful when you inherit a crontab and need to know when a job actually runs.
Cron expression parser
Paste a 5-field cron expression and get a plain-English schedule. Handy when you inherit a crontab and cannot remember whether 0 2 * * 0 is Sunday or Monday.
Examples: (9:00 on weekdays) · (Every 15 minutes) · (Midnight on the 1st) · (02:30 every Sunday)
Runs at minute 0, during hour 9, every day of the month, every month, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | at minute 0 |
| Hour | 9 | during hour 9 |
| Day of month | * | every day of the month |
| Month | * | every month |
| Day of week | 1-5 | on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday |
This parser covers standard 5-field cron (minute, hour, day, month, weekday). It does not interpret Quartz 6/7-field expressions, macros like @daily, or timezone names.
How to use Cron parser
- Paste a 5-field expression: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week.
- Read the summary and the table of field meanings.
- Try the example buttons if you want a known-good starting point.
Example: 0 9 * * 1-5 means “at minute 0, during hour 9, every day of the month, every month, on Monday through Friday.”
Frequently asked questions
- Is Sunday 0 or 7?
- Both. In classic cron, 0 and 7 are Sunday. This parser treats them as the same weekday.
- Does this support @daily or Quartz 6-field cron?
- No. It covers the common 5-field Unix form with *, lists, ranges, and steps such as */15. Macros and Quartz seconds/year fields are out of scope.
- Which timezone does the expression use?
- Cron itself has no timezone. The host’s timezone (or a systemd/timezone setting) decides when “hour 9” actually happens.