Setting up scheduled tasks (cron jobs) in Plesk

Cron jobs in Plesk

Cron jobs let you run scripts or commands automatically on a schedule — for example, daily backups, cleanup scripts, or WordPress maintenance tasks.

Creating a cron job

1. In Plesk, go to Websites & Domains
2. Click Scheduled Tasks (or Cron Jobs)
3. Click Add Task
4. Set the schedule (use the presets or enter a custom cron expression)
5. Enter the command to run, e.g. /usr/bin/php /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs/wp-cron.php
6. Click OK

Common cron expressions

• 0 * * * * — Every hour
• 0 0 * * * — Every day at midnight
• 0 0 * * 0 — Every Sunday at midnight
• */15 * * * * — Every 15 minutes

WordPress cron

WordPress has its own "pseudo-cron" that runs on page loads. For more reliable scheduling, disable WP-Cron and use a real cron job instead:

In wp-config.php add: define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
Then add a cron job: * * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-cron.php