How to set up a cron job Print

A cron job runs a command automatically on a schedule, for example a script that sends reminders every hour or cleans up old data every night.

Add a cron job

1. In cPanel, open Advanced → Cron Jobs.
2. Optional: under Cron Email, enter an email address to receive the output of your cron jobs.
3. Under Add New Cron Job, choose a schedule from Common Settings, for example Once Per Hour, or fill in minute, hour, day, month and weekday yourself.
4. Enter the Command to run (see examples below).
5. Click Add New Cron Job.

Command examples

Run a PHP script (replace username with your cPanel username):

/usr/local/bin/php /home/username/public_html/cron.php

Call a web address:

/usr/bin/curl -s https://yourdomain.com/cron-task >/dev/null 2>&1

Adding >/dev/null 2>&1 at the end stops cPanel from emailing you every time the job runs.

WordPress tip

WordPress runs its scheduled tasks when someone visits your site. On busy or very quiet sites, a real cron job is more reliable:

1. Add define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); to wp-config.php, or use the WordPress Cron switch in WordPress Manager.
2. Add a cron job every 15 minutes with:

   /usr/local/bin/php /home/username/public_html/wp-cron.php >/dev/null 2>&1