Home › Cron Decoder
Cron Expression Decoder
Paste any cron expression to decode and translate it into plain English. Understand exactly when a cron job runs, field by field. Works as a cron expression reader, translator and explainer for Linux, Quartz, AWS EventBridge, Kubernetes and Spring Boot.
Format
5 fields: minute hour day month weekday
Try an example
Expression
Translates to
Field by field
Same schedule in other formats
Fix the expression first, or use the Cron Generator to build one visually.
How to Read and Decode a Cron Expression
A cron expression reads left to right. Each field answers one question about when the job runs. Reading them in order: "at minute X, at hour Y, on day Z of the month, in month W, on weekday V."
Example: 0 9 * * 1-5
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | At minute 0 (top of the hour) |
| Hour | 9 | At 9 AM |
| Day | * | Every day of the month |
| Month | * | Every month |
| Weekday | 1-5 | Monday through Friday |
Result: every weekday at 9:00 AM
Special Characters Quick Reference
| Char | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
* | Every value | * * * * * - every minute |
*/n | Every n units | */15 in minute - every 15 min |
a-b | Range | 1-5 in weekday - Mon to Fri |
a,b | List | 6,18 in hour - 6 AM and 6 PM |
? | No specific value | Quartz/AWS: dom OR dow |
L | Last | Quartz: last day of month |