What is the field order for a standard 5-field cron expression?

From left to right: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12 or names), day of week (0–7, where 0 and 7 often mean Sunday). Spaces separate fields; some engines allow multiple spaces, which this tool normalizes.

When should I use 6 fields instead of 5?

Six-field expressions add a leading seconds field (0–59). Use them when your scheduler or library expects Quartz-style or second-level precision. Classic Unix crontab and many platforms use five fields only—check your runtime before adding seconds.

Why might human-readable text differ slightly from my server’s behavior?

Cron has dialects: Sunday numbering, DST handling, and support for `?`, `L`, `W`, or `#` vary by implementation. This tool uses common parsing libraries in the browser; always validate critical jobs in the same environment that will execute them (e.g. your orchestrator or OS cron).

How do I debug a schedule that never seems to run?

Confirm field count, ranges, and step values (`*/n`). Check that day-of-month and day-of-week are not unintentionally exclusive on your platform. Compare the next run list here with a log or dry-run in your scheduler; for time zones, align server TZ with what you expect.

Is my cron expression sent to a server?

No. Parsing runs entirely in your browser. Expressions are not uploaded for this tool; use the same caution as any local page when pasting secrets into unrelated fields elsewhere.

Cron Expression Parser

v1.0.0

Parse cron in the browser: plain-English meaning, field breakdown, and next run times. Supports standard 5-field crontab and optional 6-field (seconds) schedules.

Cron Expression

Quick examples

Human-readable schedule

At 12:00 AM

Normalized: 0 0 * * * · 5-field (standard crontab)

Field Breakdown

Cron expression fields, values, and meanings
Field	Value	Meaning
Minute	0	At minute 0
Hour	0	At hour 0 (0–23)
Day of Month	*	Any day of month
Month	*	Every month
Day of Week	*	Any day of week

Next 5 Execution Times(from now, local time)

1Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 12:00:00 AM
2Saturday, Apr 25, 2026 at 12:00:00 AM
3Sunday, Apr 26, 2026 at 12:00:00 AM
4Monday, Apr 27, 2026 at 12:00:00 AM
5Tuesday, Apr 28, 2026 at 12:00:00 AM

Cron Syntax Reference

* * * * *
│ │ │ │ └── Day of Week  (0–7, 0 and 7 = Sunday)
│ │ │ └──── Month        (1–12)
│ │ └────── Day of Month (1–31)
│ └──────── Hour         (0–23)
└────────── Minute       (0–59)

Add a leading second field (0–59) for six-field expressions. Next run times are calculated in your browser's local timezone.

Turn cron expressions into clear language, field meanings, and upcoming run times—right in the browser, without sending schedules to a server.

Read the full guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the field order for a standard 5-field cron expression?: From left to right: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12 or names), day of week (0–7, where 0 and 7 often mean Sunday). Spaces separate fields; some engines allow multiple spaces, which this tool normalizes.
When should I use 6 fields instead of 5?: Six-field expressions add a leading seconds field (0–59). Use them when your scheduler or library expects Quartz-style or second-level precision. Classic Unix crontab and many platforms use five fields only—check your runtime before adding seconds.
Why might human-readable text differ slightly from my server’s behavior?: Cron has dialects: Sunday numbering, DST handling, and support for `?`, `L`, `W`, or `#` vary by implementation. This tool uses common parsing libraries in the browser; always validate critical jobs in the same environment that will execute them (e.g. your orchestrator or OS cron).
How do I debug a schedule that never seems to run?: Confirm field count, ranges, and step values (`*/n`). Check that day-of-month and day-of-week are not unintentionally exclusive on your platform. Compare the next run list here with a log or dry-run in your scheduler; for time zones, align server TZ with what you expect.
Is my cron expression sent to a server?: No. Parsing runs entirely in your browser. Expressions are not uploaded for this tool; use the same caution as any local page when pasting secrets into unrelated fields elsewhere.