What does this tool do?
The Cron Generator helps you build a five-field cron expression (minute, hour, day, month, weekday) from one-click presets or by typing it yourself. It translates the expression into plain English and shows the next 5 scheduled run times, making it ideal for anyone scheduling server jobs, backups, or scripts.
How to use it
- Enter your values into the fields.
- The result is calculated instantly.
- Read or copy the result.
Presets and live preview
One click loads common schedules: every minute, every hour, every day at midnight or noon, every Monday, every weekday (1-5), the first day of the month, and every Sunday at midnight. As you type, the tool interprets the expression for you, so '0 9 * * 1-5' reads as 'at 09:00, Monday to Friday'. The next 5 run times are computed in your browser's local time zone, letting you confirm the schedule behaves as expected at a glance.
Field syntax
Each field accepts four patterns: an asterisk (*) for any value, a single number for an exact value (e.g. 5), a hyphen for a range (1-5), and a slash for a step (*/2 means every 2 units). You can also list values with commas: 1,3,5. The fields, in order, are minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), and weekday (0-6, with Sunday=0). The reference panel summarizes these patterns with examples.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone are the next run times in?
Your browser's local time zone. If your server runs in a different zone (for example UTC), the actual trigger times will shift accordingly, so account for that offset.
Can I add a seconds field?
No. This tool uses the classic 5-field Unix/Vixie cron format. Six-field variants that include seconds are specific to certain schedulers and are not supported here.
What does * * * * * do?
It runs the job every minute, once per minute. That is the most frequent common schedule, so use it carefully unless you truly need it.
Is Cron Generator free?
Yes. Cron Generator and all 300+ tools on MagmaNex are completely free with no signup or account required.
Is my data safe?
Yes. Everything runs locally in your browser. The data you enter is never sent to a server, stored, or shared.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. Cron Generator works on phones, tablets and desktops — no app download needed.
🔒 Privacy: everything runs in your browser, your data is never sent to a server.