Every 12 Hours
Runs the job twice per day at midnight (00:00) and noon (12:00). This schedule is useful for tasks that need to run twice daily at consistent intervals, such as daily digest preparation, database maintenance, and report generation.
0 */12 * * * What is the cron expression for Every 12 Hours?
The cron expression for Every 12 Hours is 0 */12 * * *. This five-field cron schedule uses the format minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Runs the job twice per day at midnight (00:00) and noon (12:00). This schedule is useful for tasks that need to run twice daily at consistent intervals, such as daily digest preparation, database maintenance, and report generation. Common use cases include twice-daily digest emails and am/pm report generation.
Field Breakdown
Example Next Run Times
- 1.
2026-04-05 12:00 - 2.
2026-04-06 00:00 - 3.
2026-04-06 12:00 - 4.
2026-04-07 00:00 - 5.
2026-04-07 12:00
Common Use Cases
- ✓ Twice-daily digest emails
- ✓ AM/PM report generation
- ✓ Database optimization
- ✓ Compliance log export
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as running at midnight and noon?
Yes, */12 runs at hour 0 (midnight) and hour 12 (noon). It is equivalent to 0 0,12 * * *.
How do I run at 6 AM and 6 PM instead?
Use 0 6,18 * * * to run at 06:00 and 18:00 specifically.
In what timezone does this run?
Cron uses the system timezone by default. If your server is in UTC but you need a specific timezone, either adjust the hours accordingly or set the TZ environment variable (if supported by your cron implementation).