What is a cron expression?

A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a schedule. Used by cron jobs on Unix/Linux servers.

Is this cron builder free?

Yes, 100% free. No signup needed.

What does * mean in cron?

The asterisk (*) means 'every'. So * in the minute field means 'every minute'. * * * * * means 'every minute of every hour of every day'.

✓ Visual builder✓ Next runs✓ Free forever

Free Cron Expression Builder Online

Build cron expressions visually. See plain English explanations and next 10 scheduled runs.

0 * * * *

Runs at minute 0, every hour.

Minute

0-59

Hour

0-23

Day of Month

1-31

Month

1-12

Day of Week

0-6

Quick Presets

Next 10 Scheduled Runs

1.5/28/2026, 6:00:00 AM

2.5/28/2026, 7:00:00 AM

3.5/28/2026, 8:00:00 AM

4.5/28/2026, 9:00:00 AM

5.5/28/2026, 10:00:00 AM

6.5/28/2026, 11:00:00 AM

7.5/28/2026, 12:00:00 PM

8.5/28/2026, 1:00:00 PM

9.5/28/2026, 2:00:00 PM

10.5/28/2026, 3:00:00 PM

How to use Cron Expression Builder

Three steps. Instant results.

Step 1

Edit the cron fields directly or pick a preset schedule.

Step 2

Read the plain English explanation of your expression.

Step 3

See the next 10 scheduled run times and copy the expression.

How Cron Expression Builder works

A cron expression has 5 fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, Sunday=0). Special characters include * (every), */n (every nth), comma (list), and hyphen (range). This tool parses your expression, generates a human-readable explanation, and calculates the next 10 run times by simulating minute-by-minute from now. Everything runs in your browser.