Free cron translator

Cron to English Converter

Type any cron expression and read what it means in plain language — plus the exact next five times it will run. No parsing by ear needed.

Cron expression
Try an example:

Enter a 5 or 6 field cron expression, e.g. 0 9 * * 1-5.

Every 5 minutes
Next 5 run times
  1. 1Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 12:45:00 PM UTC
  2. 2Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 12:50:00 PM UTC
  3. 3Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 12:55:00 PM UTC
  4. 4Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 01:00:00 PM UTC
  5. 5Fri, Aug 14, 2026, 01:05:00 PM UTC
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How to read a cron expression

A standard cron expression has five fields, each controlling one part of the schedule:

  • Minute — 0–59. * means every minute.
  • Hour — 0–23. * means every hour.
  • Day of month — 1–31. * means every day.
  • Month — 1–12. * means every month.
  • Day of week — 0–7 (Sun–Sat), or names. * means every day.

Common cron expressions, translated

Here is how the most frequently used cron expressions read in plain English. Copy any of them into the translator above to verify, or use them directly in your crontab, CI pipeline, or scheduler.

ExpressionMeaningTypical use
* * * * *Every minuteHeartbeat checks, smoke tests
*/5 * * * *Every 5 minutesMetrics collection, queue workers
0 * * * *Every hour, on the hourHourly aggregation, cache refresh
0 */6 * * *Every 6 hoursLog rotation, data sync
0 0 * * *Every day at midnightDaily backups, report generation
30 9 * * *Every day at 9:30 AMDaily email digests
0 9 * * 1-5Every weekday at 9:00 AMBusiness-hours jobs
0 0 * * 1Every Monday at midnightWeekly reports, cleanup
0 0 1 * *The 1st of every month at midnightMonthly billing, retention jobs
@rebootOnce, when the system startsService bring-up, health init

Frequently asked questions

What does a cron expression like 0 9 * * 1-5 mean?
It means run every weekday (Monday to Friday) at 9:00 AM. The five fields are minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. This tool translates any expression into that kind of plain-English description.
Is converting my cron expression to English free?
Yes. The translator runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your expression never leaves your machine and there is no signup.
Can it handle 6-field and named cron syntax?
It supports standard 5-field and 6-field expressions (with seconds), plus named values, ranges, steps and list syntax. If the expression is valid, you get a readable translation and real next-run times.
How do I write a cron expression?
Start with the minute, then hour, day of month, month and day of week. An asterisk means 'every'. For example * * * * * runs every minute and 0 */2 * * * runs every 2 hours on the hour.

Go deeper: related cron guides

Master cron syntax, schedules and debugging with these free guides.

Cron Expression Cheat SheetCron Every N SecondsCron Every Hour & Every 30 MinutesCron Job Not Running? 9 CausesCron Timezone Across PlatformsCron + Python Scheduling