The Cron Equivalent on Windows
Windows does not have cron. The native equivalent is Task Scheduler, which you can drive from the command line with schtasks. If you need real crontab syntax, run it inside WSL.
Native: schtasks
To run a script every 15 minutes: schtasks /create /tn "MyJob" /tr "C:\scripts\job.bat" /sc minute /mo 15. Use /sc daily /st 09:00 for a daily 9 AM job. Manage tasks in the Task Scheduler GUI (taskschd.msc).
Real cron via WSL
Install WSL, then inside your Linux distro: sudo service cron start and crontab -e works normally. Note WSL's cron only runs while the WSL instance is running.
Mapping intervals
crontab */15 * * * * maps to /sc minute /mo 15; 0 * * * * to /sc hourly; 0 0 * * 0 (weekly Sunday) to /sc weekly /d SUN.
FAQ
Is there cron on Windows?
No native cron. Use Task Scheduler (GUI taskschd.msc or the schtasks command). For real crontab syntax, run cron inside WSL.
How do I run a task every 15 minutes on Windows?
schtasks /create /tn "MyJob" /tr "C:\scripts\job.bat" /sc minute /mo 15 creates a task that runs every 15 minutes.
Can I use crontab in WSL?
Yes — inside WSL run sudo service cron start, then crontab -e as on Linux. It only runs while the WSL instance is active.