---
title: How to setup a Cron Job in DirectAdmin
description: "# How to Set Up a Cron Job in DirectAdmin A cron job is a scheduled task that runs automatically on the server at times you define — useful for running scripts, sending automated reports, cleaning up files, or triggering…"
url: "https://simplywebservices.net/docs/how-to-setup-a-cron-job-in-directadmin/"
updated: "2026-08-15"
category: DirectAdmin
---

# How to setup a Cron Job in DirectAdmin

# How to Set Up a Cron Job in DirectAdmin

A cron job is a scheduled task that runs automatically on the server at times you define — useful for running scripts, sending automated reports, cleaning up files, or triggering maintenance tasks without manual intervention.

To access the DirectAdmin cron jobs interface:

1. [Log in to your DirectAdmin](https://simplywebservices.net/docs/how-to-log-into-the-directadmin-control-panel/) control panel by accessing https://yourdomain:2222
2. Look for the **Cron Jobs** link and click on it
3. Choose now when the new cron job will run. Select **minute**, **hour**, **day of the month**, **month**, **day of the week**. Notice that the * sign means every minute, hour, etc
4. Choose the **Command**. This is usually a path to a file/script that will be executed
5. You can also configure an email address to receive details when the cron jobs run. Just enter the email in the **Email** field. Leave this field blank if you don’t want to receive such emails.

**Depending on the server configuration, you may need to change the file permission for the script you want to run via a cron job to 755.**

**Example**: to run a script every day at 2:00 AM, set:

**Minute**: 0 Hour: 2 Day: * Month: * Weekday: *

   Depending on your server configuration, you may need to set the file permission on your script to **755** for the cron job to execute it successfully.

## Using Cron Jobs with WordPress

 WordPress's built-in scheduler (WP-Cron) only runs when someone visits your site — which can make scheduled posts, backups, or plugin tasks run late on low-traffic sites. A common fix is to disable WP-Cron's default behavior and instead set up a real server cron job to trigger `wp-cron.php` on a fixed schedule (e.g., every 15 minutes). [Contact us](https://simplywebservices.net/contact-us/) if you'd like help setting this up.