Regex Tester
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Test String
Enter a pattern to start matching
Highlighted Matches

Regex Tester Online Free — Live Regular Expression Debugger — Free Online Tool

Test and debug regular expressions live with instant match highlighting. Supports all JS regex flags, named capture groups, match list and global/multiline modes. Free.

Free Forever
No Signup
No Upload
100% Private
Browser-based

Features

Built for real developer workflows. No fluff, just the tools you need.

🔴

Live Match Highlighting

Every match is highlighted in yellow instantly as you type the pattern. See exactly what your regex matches in real time.

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All Flags Supported

Toggle g (global), i (case-insensitive), m (multiline) and s (dot-all) flags with dedicated buttons. Combine any flags.

📋

Match List

All individual matches are listed below the highlighted output — numbered, easy to copy, great for extracting data.

✓

Pattern Validation

Invalid patterns show a clear error message. Valid patterns show a green tick — no ambiguity.

⚡

Zero Delay

Matching runs synchronously in the browser. Results update as you type with no debounce delay.

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Private Input

Your test strings and patterns never leave your browser. Safe for testing against private data or confidential content.

How to use

Get results in seconds — no account, no file upload required.

1

Enter your regex pattern

Type your regular expression in the pattern field. Toggle flags (g, i, m, s) with the buttons.

2

Paste your test string

Enter the text to match against in the left panel. Matches highlight immediately on the right.

3

Review matches

The status bar shows the match count. All individual matches are listed with their position numbers below.

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Frequently asked questions

What regex flavour does this use?
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JavaScript's built-in RegExp engine (ECMAScript 2024). Supports named capture groups, lookbehind assertions and Unicode property escapes.
What is the g flag for?
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The global flag makes the regex find all matches instead of stopping after the first. Most use cases need g enabled.
How do I match across multiple lines?
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Enable the m flag for multiline mode — ^ matches start of each line and $ matches end of each line. Enable the s flag to make . match newlines too.
Why does my pattern freeze the browser?
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Nested quantifiers on ambiguous patterns can cause catastrophic backtracking. Simplify patterns like (a+)+ and avoid excessive repetition of optional groups.
Can I use named capture groups?
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Yes. Use (?pattern) syntax. Named groups are shown in the match list with their names and captured values.
What is the s (dot-all) flag?
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Without s, the dot . matches any character except newlines. With s, it also matches \n and \r — useful for matching across paragraph breaks.