> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.hostinger.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.hostinger.com/websites/cron-jobs.md).

# Cron Jobs

Schedule commands or scripts to run automatically — emails, reports, cleanup, app tasks.

## Create a cron job

1. Open your website dashboard.
2. Go to **Cron Jobs**.
3. Click **Create Cron Job**.
4. Set the schedule and command.
5. Click **Save**.

## Cron syntax

Standard cron — five fields:

```
* * * * *  command to run
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └── Day of week (0–7, Sunday = 0 or 7)
│ │ │ └──── Month (1–12)
│ │ └────── Day of month (1–31)
│ └──────── Hour (0–23)
└────────── Minute (0–59)
```

### Common schedules

| Schedule                 | Cron expression |
| ------------------------ | --------------- |
| Every minute             | `* * * * *`     |
| Every 5 minutes          | `*/5 * * * *`   |
| Every hour               | `0 * * * *`     |
| Daily at midnight        | `0 0 * * *`     |
| Daily at 8:00 AM         | `0 8 * * *`     |
| Every Monday at 9:00 AM  | `0 9 * * 1`     |
| First day of every month | `0 0 1 * *`     |

hPanel also has a visual schedule builder.

## Commands

Typically a PHP script, shell script, or system command.

### Run a PHP script

```bash
php /home/username/public_html/script.php
```

### WordPress cron

WordPress's built-in `wp-cron` runs on page visits. For reliability, disable it and use a real cron job:

1. Add to `wp-config.php`:

   ```
   define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
   ```
2. Create a cron job:

   ```bash
   php /home/username/public_html/wp-cron.php
   ```

## Manage cron jobs

All jobs are listed in the **Cron Jobs** panel. Click to edit, or **Delete** to remove.

## Capturing output

Output is discarded by default. Redirect it to a log file for debugging:

```bash
php /home/username/public_html/script.php >> /home/username/cron.log 2>&1
```

***

*Last updated: July 21, 2026*