What is a crontab expression?

A crontab expression is a string of five fields separated by spaces that defines when a scheduled task (cron job) should run. The five fields represent minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. For example, '0 9 * * 1' means 'every Monday at 9:00 AM'.

How do I use the crontab generator?

Use the Quick Presets to select common schedules like 'Every 5 minutes' or 'Daily at midnight'. For custom schedules, change each field's mode to 'Specific', 'Every Nth', 'Range', or 'Custom' and select your desired values. The cron expression, human-readable description, and next 5 run times update in real time.

What does */5 mean in a cron expression?

The */5 syntax means 'every 5th unit'. In the minute field, */5 means every 5 minutes (0, 5, 10, 15, ...). In the hour field, */5 means every 5 hours (0, 5, 10, 15, 20). The asterisk represents 'all values' and the /5 means 'step by 5'.

Can I use ranges and lists in cron expressions?

Yes. Ranges are specified with a hyphen, like 1-5 in the weekday field to mean Monday through Friday. Lists use commas, like 1,15 in the day field to run on the 1st and 15th. You can combine them: 1-5,15,30 is also valid. This generator supports all standard cron syntax.

Is this crontab generator free to use?

Yes, NexTool's Crontab Generator is completely free. It runs entirely in your browser with no signup, no server calls, and no data collection. You can generate unlimited cron expressions and copy them instantly.

Free Crontab Generator

Build cron expressions visually with NexTool's free Crontab Generator. Click to select minute, hour, day, month, and weekday. Use presets for common schedules, see a human-readable description, and preview the next 5 run times. Copy the cron expression with one click. No signup required.

* * * * *

Every minute

Quick Presets

Next 5 Run Times

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