This ultimate cron job cheat sheet lists many widely used and less common cron jobs. Update your crontabs quickly & easily!

Introduction

We cover a number of common cron jobs and many that are less common. Use these cron jobs effectively for scheduling, managing log files, automating system maintenance tasks, managing backup schedules, and so much more.

Cron jobs are an essential part of Linux system administration. They allow you to schedule tasks at regular intervals and can be used for everything from backing up databases to sending email notifications.

The crontab command is used to create and edit cron jobs, and the syntax can seem daunting at first glance. But with a little practice, it’s easy to get the hang of it.

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference with many useful cron job examples that you might want to run at specific minutes or hours, on certain days, months, or even certain days of the week. Don’t forget to check out our miscellaneous cron jobs section for some alternative crontabs too!

Cron Jobs Every So Many Minutes

The following crontab examples will run every so many minutes:

Every minute: * * * * *
Every 2 minutes: */2 * * * *
Every 3 minutes: */3 * * * *
Every 4 minutes: */4 * * * *
Every 5 minutes: */5 * * * *
Every 6 minutes: */6 * * * *
Every 7 minutes: */7 * * * *
Every 8 minutes: */8 * * * *
Every 9 minutes: */9 * * * *
Every 10 minutes: */10 * * * *
Every 11 minutes: */11 * * * *
Every 12 minutes: */12 * * * *
Every 13 minutes: */13 * * * *
Every 14 minutes: */14 * * * *
Every 15 minutes: */15 * * * *
Every 16 minutes: */16 * * * *
Every 17 minutes: */17 * * * *
Every 18 minutes: */18 * * * *
Every 19 minutes: */19 * * * *
Every 20 minutes: */20 * * * *
Every 21 minutes: */21 * * * *
Every 22 minutes: */22 * * * *
Every 23 minutes: */23 * * * *
Every 24 minutes: */24 * * * *
Every 25 minutes: */25 * * * *
Every 26 minutes: */26 * * * *
Every 27 minutes: */27 * * * *
Every 28 minutes: */28 * * * *
Every 29 minutes: */29 * * * *
Every 30 minutes: */30 * * * *

Visit our Cron Jobs Every x Minutes page to view more examples, including crontabs that run every minute between two different times!

Cron Jobs Every So Many Hours

These cron jobs will run every so many hours:

Every hour: 0 * * * *
Every 2 hours: 0 */2 * * *
Every 3 hours: 0 */3 * * *
Every 4 hours: 0 */4 * * *
Every 5 hours: 0 */5 * * *
Every 6 hours: 0 */6 * * *
Every 7 hours: 0 */7 * * *
Every 8 hours: 0 */8 * * *
Every 9 hours: 0 */9 * * *
Every 10 hours: 0 */10 * * *
Every 11 hours: 0 */11 * * *
Every 12 hours: 0 */12 * * *

Our Cron Jobs Per x Hours page lists many other crontab examples, including jobs that start at a certain number of minutes past the hour, and jobs that run every hour between two times.

Cron Jobs Every So Many Days

The following cron jobs will run every certain number of days:

Every day: 0 0 * * *
Every 2 days: 0 0 */2 * *
Every 3 days: 0 0 */3 * *
Every 4 days: 0 0 */4 * *
Every 5 days: 0 0 */5 * *
Every 6 days: 0 0 */6 * *
Every 7 days: 0 0 */7 * *
Every 8 days: 0 0 */8 * *
Every 9 days: 0 0 */9 * *
Every 10 days: 0 0 */10 * *

For more cron jobs that run every so many days, be sure to check out the special section. It also includes cron jobs for tasks that should start at a specific time of each day.

Cron Jobs Every So Many Months

These cron job examples run every certain number of months:

Every month: 0 0 1 * *
Every 2 months: 0 0 1 */2 *
Every 3 months: 0 0 1 */3 *
Every 4 months: 0 0 1 */4 *
Every 5 months: 0 0 1 */5 *
Every 6 months: 0 0 1 */6 *

For more monthly cron job examples, including jobs that run every few months on a specific day of the month, check out our monthly cron jobs section.

Cron Jobs Every Certain Weekday

These cron jobs will run on specific days of the week:

Once per week on Monday: 0 0 * * 1
Once per week on Tuesday: 0 0 * * 2
Once per week on Wednesday: 0 0 * * 3
Once per week on Thursday: 0 0 * * 4
Once per week on Friday: 0 0 * * 5
Once per week on Saturday: 0 0 * * 6
Once per week on Sunday: 0 0 * * 0

For more examples of crontabs that run on certain days of the week, check out our weekday cron jobs section. It also includes examples of jobs that will run between specific days.

Miscellaneous Cron Jobs

These cron jobs don’t fit into any of the categories above, but you might find them super-useful!

Every uneven minute: 1-59/2 * * * *
Every morning: 0 8 * * *
Every day/night at midnight: 0 0 * * *
Every weekday: 0 0 * * 1-5
Every weekend: 0 0 * * 6,0
Every quarter: 0 0 1 */3 *
Every year: 0 0 1 1 *

View our miscellaneous cron jobs page for a complete list of cron jobs that don’t fit into any of the categories above!

Wrapping Up

We hope you found some of the crontab examples we’ve listed above helpful. Feel free to let us know if there are any additional examples you’d like to see on this page. And don’t forget to check out our minutes, hours, days, months, weekday, and miscellaneous cron jobs sections to view even more helpful cron job examples!