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Cron Expression Explainer

Paste any five field cron expression and get a plain English description plus the next five run times.

Explain a cron expression

In words: -
Status: Ready
Five fields are required, and names such as JAN or MON are accepted. Nothing is uploaded.

How to use the Cron Expression Explainer

  1. Paste a five field cron expression into the box.
  2. Read the plain English description of when it runs.
  3. Check the next five run times, or click a macro button to try one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the free online cron expression explainer.

Paste the expression into the box and the tool describes it in words and lists the next five times it will run.
Five field expressions with star, numbers, ranges, comma lists, step values and three letter month or weekday names.
Yes. Names such as JAN, DEC, MON and FRI are accepted in the month and day of week fields.
When both fields are restricted a run happens if either matches, which is the usual behaviour of Vixie cron.
A step such as star slash 10 keeps every tenth value, so in the minute field it means every ten minutes.
The most common causes are too few fields, a value outside the allowed range, or a name that is misspelled.
Yes. The next five run times are computed from your device clock, so they use your local timezone.
Yes. The explainer is fully responsive and works on phones, tablets and desktop computers.
Yes. It is completely free and unlimited, with no account and no sign-up required.

Last updated: October 10, 2026