How do I set a cron script for every 5 minutes without using the minutes divisible by 5?

Use 2-59/5 * * * *: it runs at :02, :07, :12 … :57, the same 5-minute cadence as */5 shifted by two minutes. In general m-59/n starts at m and steps by n.

I am trying to add a crontab entry to execute a script every 30 minutes, on the hour and 30 minutes past the hour or something similar. How can I do this?

Use 0,30 * * * * to run on the hour and at half past (48 runs a day), or 30 * * * * for half past only (24 runs). Cron matches clock minutes, not elapsed time.

Is it possible to use cron to accomplish the following particular use case? I desire for the scheduler to trigger every five minutes from a specific start time, such as 1:00 PM to 5:45 PM.

Use two lines: */5 13-16 * * * covers 13:00-16:55 and 0-45/5 17 * * * covers 17:00-17:45. One minute field applies to every hour, so the last hour is split off.

I want to execute a task every 20 minutes, starting at 5… - Cron answer & example

Q: I want to execute a task every 20 minutes, starting at 5 past the hour, is it possible to achieve this with Cron?

Use 5-59/20 * * * *: the minute range starts at 5 and steps by 20, so it runs at :05, :25 and :45 every hour. A bare */20 would run at :00, :20 and :40 instead.

Question

I want to execute a task every 20 minutes, starting at 5 past the hour, is it possible to achieve this with Cron?

Answer

Use 5-59/20 * * * * to run at 5, 25, and 45 minutes past every hour. This gives you a consistent 20-minute cadence: after the :45 run, the next hour's :05 run is also 20 minutes later. A plain */20 * * * * uses the minute field's minimum value as its starting point, so it runs at :00, :20, and :40 instead.

crontab

# every 20 minutes, starting at 5 past each hour
5-59/20 * * * *

Read the five fields as minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. In the minute field, 5-59/20 means start at minute 5, stay within the valid range through minute 59, and advance in steps of 20. Expanding that range gives 5, 25, and 45; the next calculated value, 65, lies outside the minute field and is omitted. The wildcard in the hour field repeats that same minute pattern every hour, and the remaining three wildcards match every day of the month, every month, and every day of the week. Cron evaluates the range anew each hour, which is why the sequence resumes at :05 after each hour boundary.

Run 5-59/20 * * * * on Crontap

Why this matters

Choosing the wrong anchor shifts every run. If you use */20, your task fires at :00, :20, and :40, which may collide with other jobs concentrated at round clock times. Starting at :05 preserves the requested spacing while moving those runs away from the top of the hour. The hour boundary is the part to check: cron re-evaluates the minute field each hour, and this sequence stays 20 minutes apart only because :45 to the next hour's :05 is exactly 20 minutes. For the plain :00/:20/:40 cadence, see cron every 20 minutes.

Read the dedicated guide: Cron every 20 minutes.

Cron schedule used

What it does

5-59/20 * * * *

Every 20 minutes, minutes 5 through 59 past the hour, every hour, every day.

Run in Crontap Cheatsheet

Calendar

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September 2026 · UTC

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See this cron expression on the calendar view example

Cron every 20 minutes, starting at :05

What it does

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Point Crontap at any URL. Pick any cron. Done.

What it does

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Related questions

I want to execute a task every 20 minutes, starting at 5 past the hour, is it possible to achieve this with Cron?

How do I set a cron script for every 5 minutes without using the minutes divisible by 5?

I am trying to add a crontab entry to execute a script every 30 minutes, on the hour and 30 minutes past the hour or something similar. How can I do this?

Is it possible to use cron to accomplish the following particular use case? I desire for the scheduler to trigger every five minutes from a specific start time, such as 1:00 PM to 5:45 PM.

Related cron questions

How do I set a cron script for every 5 minutes without using the minutes divisible by 5?

I am trying to add a crontab entry to execute a script every 30 minutes, on the hour and 30 minutes past the hour or something similar. How can I do this?

Is it possible to use cron to accomplish the following particular use case? I desire for the scheduler to trigger every five minutes from a specific start time, such as 1:00 PM to 5:45 PM.

Can I set up a cron job to run every 15 minutes throughout the day, except for 3:00 AM? I have another task that I want to run at 3:00 AM and don't want these two conflicting.

Point Crontap at any URL. Pick any cron. Done.