How to Read a Cron Expression (Beginner Guide)

Published April 2025 · 4 min read

The 5 Fields

┌───── minute (0-59)
│ ┌─── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌─ day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌ month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌ weekday (0-6, Sun=0)
* * * * *

Read It Left to Right

Example: 30 9 * * 1-5

  • 30 → at minute 30
  • 9 → of hour 9 (9 AM)
  • * → every day of month
  • * → every month
  • 1-5 → Monday through Friday

= "At 9:30 AM, Monday through Friday"

Special Characters

SymbolMeaningExample
*Every* = every minute
,List1,3,5 = Mon, Wed, Fri
-Range1-5 = Mon to Fri
/Step*/5 = every 5

Practice Examples

  • * * * * * → Every minute
  • 0 * * * * → Every hour at :00
  • 0 0 * * * → Daily at midnight
  • 0 9 * * 1 → Every Monday at 9 AM

Check Your Expression

Use our Cron Parser to see any expression in plain English.

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