Managing Cron Jobs in cPanel

Cron jobs are scheduled tasks that your server runs automatically at the times you set. They're commonly used for site maintenance, scheduled backups, sending email digests, or any script you want to run on a recurring schedule. This article shows you how to add, edit, and delete cron jobs in cPanel.

About cron jobs

A cron job runs a command or script at a defined time or interval. Most cron jobs run a small script that performs a single task — for example, fetching a feed every hour or clearing a cache once a day. The cPanel Cron Jobs interface gives you a visual way to schedule jobs without having to edit the system crontab manually.

Before you begin

• An active Exact Hosting cPanel hosting plan. Cron jobs are available on most shared and dedicated plans.
• The full command or script path you want to run. Cron needs the absolute path from the server root, not a relative path.
• A notification email address. Cron sends the output of each run to this address so you know if a job succeeded or failed.
• Comfort with scheduling syntax. If you're not familiar with cron's five time fields (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week), use the common-settings drop-down in cPanel to fill them in.

Step 1: Open the Cron Jobs interface

1. Sign in to cPanel. See Managing cPanel Access.
2. In the Advanced section, click Cron Jobs.

Step 2: Add a new cron job

You can build a schedule from scratch or use cPanel's common-settings shortcut to fill in the time fields automatically.

1. In the Cron Email field, enter the address where you want cron job output sent. Click Update Email.
2. In the Add New Cron Jobsection, set the schedule:
   • (Recommended) Choose a preset from the Common Settings drop-down to fill in the time fields automatically.
   • Or, manually set the Minute, Hour, Day, Month, and Weekday fields.
3. In the Command field, enter the command or full path to the script you want to run.
4. Click Add New Cron Job.

The job appears in the Current Cron Jobs table at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: View, edit, and delete cron jobs

The Current Cron Jobs table lists every active cron job on your account.

To edit a cron job:

1. Find the cron job in the list and click Edit.
2. Change the schedule or command as needed.
3. Click Edit Line to save.

To delete a cron job:

1. Click Delete next to the cron job.
2. Click Delete again in the confirmation prompt.

Next steps

• Schedule a recurring backup. Pair a cron job with a backup script. See Creating a Full Backup Using Backup Wizard.
• Monitor cron job output. Keep an eye on the email address you set so you catch failed runs.
• Read the cPanel reference. See the official cPanel Cron Jobs documentation.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.