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Regex Tester - See Pattern Matches in Real Time

Type a regex pattern and a test string to see matches highlighted in real time. Toggle flags and inspect capture groups.

/ /g
Flags

Matches

Why regex needs live testing

Regular expressions are the most powerful tool for finding strings that follow a specific rule, whether that is an email, a phone number, or a date format. But tweaking one part of a pattern often tangles another, so it is hard to refine without seeing the result against real input. This tool puts the pattern and test string side by side and highlights every match.

The g, i, m, and s flags toggle with a checkbox, and along with the match count it lists the position and content of each match plus the capture groups, so even complex patterns read at a glance. Syntax errors show up the moment they happen, which makes it quick to narrow down the cause. Everything runs locally in your browser.

Who gets the most out of it

  • Backend and frontend developers — refining input-validation patterns
  • Data analysts and engineers — pulling patterns out of logs and text
  • QA engineers — locating specific formats inside test data
  • Anyone learning regex — seeing exactly how a pattern matches

Flags at a glance

  • g — global matching. Does not stop at the first match; finds them all.
  • i — case-insensitive matching.
  • m — ^ and $ match the start and end of each line.
  • s — . matches newline characters as well.

Frequently asked questions

No. Enter only the pattern itself. The slashes and flags you would write as /pattern/flags in JavaScript are handled for you. Toggle the flags with the checkboxes below.

It uses the browser's built-in JavaScript regex engine directly. Character classes, quantifiers, capture groups, and lookaheads all work. A few constructs JavaScript does not support, such as lookbehind in older engines, may not work.

No. Matching happens entirely in your browser. The pattern and test string are never transmitted to or stored on a server, so it is safe to test against logs that contain API keys or personal data.

Yes. When your pattern contains parenthesized capture groups, each match in the list expands to show the group results separately. It makes it easy to see exactly which part was captured where, even in complex patterns.

A syntax error shows up as a red message just under the pattern field. It catches common mistakes such as unclosed parentheses or invalid quantifiers, which helps you find the cause quickly.

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