Run a Cron Job Every Weekday
The day-of-week field runs 0–6 with Sunday as 0, so 1-5 is Monday through Friday. Combined with minute 0 and hour 9, this fires at 09:00 on workdays and stays silent on weekends — the standard schedule for standup reminders, business reports, and market-hours jobs.
0 9 * * 1-5In plain English: At 09:00, on Monday through Friday.
Field by field
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | 0 |
| Hour | 9 | 9 |
| Day of month | * | every day |
| Month | * | every month |
| Day of week | 1-5 | Monday through Friday |
Variations
0 9 * * MON-FRIsame schedule using day names*/30 9-17 * * 1-5every 30 minutes during weekday business hours0 9 * * 6,0the inverse — weekends onlyTweak any of these in the crontab explainer to see the schedule in plain English and its next run times.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sunday 0 or 7 in cron?
Both — standard cron accepts either. 0-6 runs Sunday to Saturday and 1-7 runs Monday to Sunday. The names SUN–SAT also work in most implementations and avoid the ambiguity entirely.
Does 1-5 skip public holidays?
No — cron only knows the calendar, not holidays. Holiday awareness has to live in the job itself (check a holiday API or table, then exit early).
New to cron syntax? Read Cron Expressions Explained, Field by Field.