Text ยท Free online tool

Regex Tester with Live Highlighting

Build and debug JavaScript regular expressions with flags, groups, replacement previews, and live highlighting.

Quick answer: Enter a pattern and test text, select flags, and matches highlight live. Capture groups and replacement output update as you type.
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How this regex tester helps

This online regex tester provides a fast feedback loop for writing JavaScript-compatible regular expressions. Type a pattern, choose flags such as global, case-insensitive, multiline, or dotAll, and see every match highlighted in the sample text. A detailed match list shows index, matched text, and numbered capture groups, while the replace panel previews substitutions before you use them in code. The tool is intentionally transparent: it evaluates expressions with the browser RegExp engine and shows invalid-pattern errors immediately. That makes it ideal for validating log extraction rules, form patterns, search filters, slug cleanup, date matching, and parser prototypes. Because text is never sent to a server, you can test proprietary logs and application data safely. The page also includes a cheat-sheet article, common examples, an embeddable mini tester, local history, and copy controls. It is designed for learning and production debugging alike, with instant results on desktop and mobile.

Last updated: . All processing happens locally; no tool input is sent to a server.

Real-world examples

Extract email addresses

Use a global pattern and inspect each match in a block of text.

Normalize slugs

Test a replacement pattern that removes unsupported characters.

Debug capture groups

Inspect numbered groups for a date, URL, or key-value expression.

Embed this tool

Add a compact version to documentation or an internal wiki. The attribution link helps other developers find the full tool.

Frequently asked questions

Which regex flavor does this tester use?

It uses the JavaScript RegExp engine built into your browser, so behavior matches modern web application code.

Why is my pattern invalid?

Unescaped brackets, unsupported lookbehind in older browsers, unbalanced groups, or an invalid flag can make a pattern fail to compile.

How do capture groups work?

Parentheses capture part of a match. Numbered groups appear in the results and can be referenced as $1, $2, and so on in replacements.

Can I test multiline text?

Yes. Enable the multiline flag when ^ and $ should match line boundaries instead of only the start and end of the full string.