Cron Expression Explainer
Translate any cron expression into plain English and preview the next 5 run times — instantly in your browser.
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How it works
- Type or paste a 5-part cron expression (minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week).
- Get an instant plain-English description as you type — no submit button needed.
- See the individual field breakdown and the next 5 scheduled run times.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a cron expression?
- A cron expression is a 5-field string that defines a recurring schedule for automated tasks. The fields from left to right are: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12), and day of week (0–6, where 0 is Sunday). An asterisk (*) means "every value".
- What do the special characters mean?
- * means every value, */n means every nth value, a-b means a range, and a,b,c means a list of specific values. For example, "0 9 * * 1-5" runs at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday.
- Are next run times calculated in my local timezone?
- Yes. The next 5 run times are computed in your browser using your local system clock and displayed in your local timezone.
- Does this tool send my data anywhere?
- No. Everything runs entirely in your browser — no data is uploaded or stored.