Automating a Windows Cron Job via the Windows Task Scheduler

Efficient server management is critical to smooth business operations and achieving higher customer service ratings. Part of that success is achieved by maintaining and organizing the system for your online presence. When running a website for your business needs, there are scheduled daily tasks that need to be done.

Your business may need to update programs, collect or backup data on your database weekly, and even send messages to clients. Whatever the case may be, there are ways to get these recurring scheduled jobs off your plate by using the cron utility with the contab (cron table) file to schedule tasks in the system. Learn what cron and cron jobs are and the easiest way to run a cron job via Windows.

What is Cron?

Cron is a process scheduler that operates in the background on your computer. By itself, cron is a utility program allowing users to schedule tasks by typing commands. When using cron, a web developer can decide what jobs they want to automate and when they need to run.

If you go a bit deeper, a cron is a daemon (the crond daemon), or a behind-the-scenes "command run on a process" that happens on a regular basis, but isn't necessarily a crucial task. The cron tool is a time-based job scheduler for your computer system.

With these cron tasks, admins can schedule specific cron jobs for their servers in the cPanel at the same time of day or week or month or other defined intervals — whenever they need the cron jobs executed. System admins typically schedule these jobs, but cron is a valuable tool for web developers, too.

What is a Cron Job?

A cron job can be many things, but it's an excellent tool for handling administrative tasks for your web servers, freeing up your time to handle crucial business needs. Cron jobs are computer tasks that run automatically in your operating system. Your system issues these tasks regularly as single tasks or a set of complex tasks.

Cron jobs are idle in your system and waiting for commands to be issued. All operating systems have a cron system or daemon that web developers use to complete repeated cron jobs. Since every system can do cron jobs, each job requires three components to work correctly:

• Scripts (instructions) that need to be run.
• A command that issues the script on a scheduled basis.
• The action, which is the outcome of the cron job.

While these components are required for a cron job to run successfully, server managers need other components to manage these tasks, such as crontab and the crontab editor.

What is Crontab?

Crontab is a simple table representing the default system for your configuration files. The files contain simple text instructions for the commands to run the scripts and execute the desired actions. The commands stored in crontab are run as they are, even if they are set to the default settings. Server admins can't make changes to the commands while in the table.

What is the Crontab Editor?

Users can change the crontab configuration files if necessary, but they must do so using the crontab editor. Fortunately, the editor isn't limited to one administrator, and multiple users can create crontab files to adjust commands. The editing freedom is possible thanks to crontab's Unix-like operating system.

Cron jobs are typically automated and used for system maintenance, monitoring disk space, scheduling data backups, and more. cron jobs are scheduled using a task scheduler, which means they can be set up to run 24/7, making them ideal for servers. Cron jobs are centralized on one machine; they can't be forwarded to another computer in your network. For now, let's focus on setting up a cron job via Windows.

How to Use Windows Task Scheduler

Before using the Windows Task Scheduler for your Windows cron job setup, other prerequisites must be in place. The following are necessary to access and implement Windows-based cron jobs on a remote server:

• A reliable remote server with a network connection
• Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) access to the remote server
• An FTP program to transfer cron files to he remote server

Aside from that, using Windows Task Scheduler in Windows 10 or Windows 11 will allow you to automate your Windows cron jobs each time the set conditions occur for the specific task. If you're using Windows Task Scheduler for the first time, here’s a brief process to access it on your Windows machine.

Before you start, determine whether you're using Windows 10 or 11 before proceeding. Windows machines need a Task Scheduler, program available, as the operating system isn't Unix- or Linux-based. Your Windows 10 or Windows 11 machine should already have Task Scheduler installed on it.

If you're using Windows 10, follow these steps:

• Start with the Search function that enables you to open applications quickly. You will strike the Windows key on your keyboard, followed by typing "Task Scheduler" in the search bar.
• Click or press Enter within the application.

If you're using Windows 11, follow these steps:

• Starting with the Search function to open applications, click the Windows icon in the lower start menu. Or you could press the Windows key on the keyboard, and type the words Task Scheduler in the search bar.
• Click or press Enter within the application.

You'll need to set up scheduled tasks in the application to enable your system to handle tasks for you.

What are Scheduled Tasks?

Scheduled tasks are crontab instructions that use command line functions. These are the Windows cron jobs your system does based on the configuration settings. Scheduled tasks are completed at specific times and intervals as dictated by you. Follow the setup wizard’s prompts when setting up the task in Windows.

While using Windows Task Scheduler, the process is significantly simplified and should work well if you have SSH access to your server, or your hosting solution has a cron scheduling application in the web hosting control panel. Next, this article will run through a quick tutorial on setting a time for your system's automated tasks.

Setting a Time for the Task for Automation

Setting up the time for scheduled tasks is based on your preference, but generally, a web hosting platform will already have set parameters. While these settings may be limiting, they can still serve as an appropriate guide for creating a schedule that works for your server. Crontab formatting uses six variables separated by spaces to define the instructions for your Windows cron jobs.

The six fields for crontab scripts are:

1. Minute field (MIN) with possible values of 0 to 59
2. Hour field (HOUR) with possible values of 0 to 23
3. Day of the Month field (DOM) with possible values of 1-31
4. Month field (MON) with possible values of 1-12
5. Day of the Week field (DOW) with possible value of 0-6 (0 = Sunday)
6. Command field (CMD) with the command to be executed

Special characters of are allowed in the cron expression syntax to give the author much flexibility.

Crontab uses a simple structure, but in the Windows Task Scheduler, you don't need crontab syntax or commands. You can create a Basic Task by following these simple steps using the wizard:

1. Open Task Scheduler on Windows 10 or 11 as described above.
2. In the Actions column, click on Create Basic Task.
3. Next, name your task, but don't worry about the description.
4. The wizard will ask you to set the Trigger based on the time-constraint fields for crontab (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
5. Next, you'll define when the Basic Task starts each day and how often it reoccurs.
6. Regarding tasks, you can set the action to start a program, send an email, and more.
7. Then, add some defining information about how the Action will be carried out.
8. Finally, click Finish, and your Basic Task automation is set up.

Windows Task Scheduler is a simple solution to automate Windows cron jobs for your system, but it's not the only solution. Another option is the use of PowerShell scripts, as discussed in the next section.

Running and Configuring the Task Using PowerShell Scripts

PowerShell is an open-source scheduling and scripting language platform for operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS. It helps IT professionals to control and automate their operating systems. PowerShell can run scripts to create Windows cron jobs, perform automated system management tasks, and manage Windows services from the command line.

In fact, you could say that Microsoft created PowerShell to replace the Command Prompt feature. PowerShell became the command line interface (CLI) for Windows 10, and it's how most users know about it today. PowerShell is the standard for creating commands for Windows cron jobs instead of manual entry.

PowerShell uses cmdlets, or specific script sets, to accomplish tedious tasks like copying files, and the program logic to perform the specific actions. Using PowerShell requires more scripting and syntax knowledge, but the steps are mostly the same. PowerShell users still need to create the Action, Trigger, input all appropriate settings to create the Scheduled Task, and register the Scheduled Task. Registering the Schedule Task creates the new scheduled job in the Windows Task Scheduler.

Here's how to configure tasks using PowerShell:

1. Find PowerShell by clicking the Windows menu and typing PowerShell into the search bar. You'll see a CLI that looks quite like Command Prompt.

2. Build your Scheduled Action first by using a command similar to the one below:

$Action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'pwsh.exe' -Argument '-NonInteractive -NoLogo -NoProfile -File "C:\MyScript.ps1."'

3. Next, create your Trigger using a cmdlet:

$Trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Once -At 3am

4. Adjust your Trigger’s settings using this command. Be sure to input your values appropriately here:

$Settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet

5. Finally, you can create the Scheduled Task with the following command:

$Task = New-ScheduledTask -Action $Action -Trigger $Trigger -Settings $Settings

6. Register your new PowerShell cron job (Windows cron job) using this command:

Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'My PowerShell Script' -InputObject $Task -User 'username' -Password 'passhere.'

Configuring Windows cron jobs may be simple, but even if you understand the process, there could be issues.

Troubleshooting Potential Issues with Running Cron Jobs on Windows

If you notice that your scheduled Windows cron jobs aren't occurring when they should, there are ways to troubleshoot the issue. Here are six ways to discover the problems with your Windows cron jobs:

1. Check your crontab to verify your job has been scheduled correctly.
2. Confirm that you have the required permission to execute scripts on your machine or in a network environment.
3. Make sure you have correctly set the crontab environment variables.
4. Verify that your application or script is up-to-date and compatible with your operating system.
5. Look at all aspects of the Windows cron job (time, frequency, command, etc.) to make sure they are set correctly.
6. Make sure there is enough system memory and disk space available to run the job successfully.

A business has countless tasks that need to be done, but with automated solutions, you can avoid the repetitive and time-consuming options. While running a cron job via Windows creates a more efficient workflow for your business, running them has other benefits.

The Benefits of Running a Cron Job via Windows

Using cron jobs in Windows has many benefits, including reducing human error, optimizing workflows, and making system administration more efficient. For example, if you have a script that needs to run every day at a certain time, setting up a Windows cron job will make the script run automatically without any intervention. Additionally, using Windows cron jobs can streamline processes by automating the sending of emails or backing up data.

These tasks take away from more important tasks, like developing new features or fixing bugs in existing software applications. Running Windows cron jobs is also ideal for system updates, during closing hours, and deleting old files. Cron-based scheduled tasks are essential for automating workflows on Windows.

Contact Us

Automating repetitive business tasks is a practical solution and keeps admins and web developers from forgetting important tasks. By automating these jobs, website owners can benefit from improved efficiency and smoother workflows.

Liquid Web's fully managed web hosting solutions are the perfect choice for automating cron jobs, as Liquid Web offers an unrivaled hosting experience that takes the workload off of website owners.

With our comprehensive suite of services and reliable 24/7 customer support, Liquid Web is the perfect partner for any business looking to automate their cron jobs. These web hosting solutions will save time for high priority tasks, leading to increased profits in the long run. Contact us today if you need technology advice or are interested in learning more about Liquid Web’s services for your online business.