Escape literal text for use in any regex
Prefix every regex special character with a backslash so user input matches literally. Runs entirely in your browser.
How to escape regex literals
Paste literal text and grab a regex-safe version with every metacharacter backslash-escaped.
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Paste literal text
Type or paste any string that contains regex metacharacters like . * + ? ( ) [ ] { } | ^ $ \.
Patterns compile through the JavaScript RegExp constructor, so syntax errors surface immediately and engine quirks like Unicode property escapes (\p{L}) work when the u flag is on.
patternECMAScriptliteralliveinput · literalliteral · regex3.14 + (a*b) = ?loaded · ECMAScriptPCRE · ready - 02
Get escaped output
Each of the 12 special characters is prefixed with a backslash so it loses its regex meaning.
Each flag character mirrors the ECMAScript literal: g enables iteration, i folds case, m anchors per line, s lets . match newlines, u unlocks proper Unicode, y is sticky, and d emits indices.
flagsoptionsg · i · mliveoutput · optionsescaped · flags3\.14 \+ \(a\*b\) = \?flags applied · liveECMA · live - 03
Embed in a pattern
Drop the escaped text directly into a regex — perfect for user input you want matched literally.
Watch for catastrophic backtracking on nested quantifiers — a common ReDoS source. The tool caps match counts to keep the page responsive on pathological patterns.
matchgroupshighlightReDoS-safeuse · outputembed · matches/3\.14 \+ \(a\*b\) = \?/matches · livegroups · live - 04
Copy or export
Grab the output as JSON, CSV, or plain text — ready for your editor or pipeline.
Copy writes via navigator.clipboard.writeText; downloads use a Blob and object URL, so nothing transits the network and the output is byte-identical to what you see on screen.
copyexportclipboardblobexport · exportedready · savedCopiedready to shipsuccess
Regex patterns that don't melt down
Use named groups
(?<year>\d{4}) reads better than $1 and survives reordering. Supported in ECMAScript 2018+.
Anchor strictly
Use ^/$ with the m flag when matching whole lines. Without anchors, partial matches sneak through.
Avoid catastrophic backtracking
Nested quantifiers like (a+)+ can explode. Run patterns through ReDoS Detector first.
Escape every literal
Backslash any meta character you want literally: \.\$\^\*\+\?\(\)\[\]\{\}\|\\.
Test edge cases
Empty string, single character, unicode, the maximum length you expect — write fixtures for each.
Patterns aren’t parsers
Don’t parse HTML, JSON, or balanced parens with regex. Use a proper parser when the grammar is recursive.
When regex escape helps
Safe literal handling in user-driven patterns.
Embed user input
Match exact strings users typed without surprises. Compiles through the JavaScript RegExp constructor — engine quirks (Unicode property escapes, sticky matching, named groups) work when their flags are on. Error messages cite the exact position of any syntax issue.
ReDoS-safeBuild dynamic patterns
Quote literals before concatenating with other regex. Pairs with the ReDoS detector to catch catastrophic backtracking before you deploy. A pattern that handles 1k-character input fine can become a denial-of-service vector on attacker-controlled 1M-character input.
ECMA-compliantEscape file paths
Win paths and dotfiles need every dot and slash escaped. Output exports as JavaScript, Python re, Java util.regex, .NET System.Text.RegularExpressions, PCRE, and POSIX — language quirks are highlighted on conversion so you don't ship a JS-only pattern to a Go service.
spec-gradeSearch-and-replace
Turn find-text into a search regex without breakage. Capture groups (named or numbered) round-trip cleanly into replacement strings, JSON output, or CSV extraction without re-typing. Backreferences ($1, ${name}) preserve semantics across languages.
cross-engineValidate input
Wrap a known token before testing presence. Test against edge cases — empty input, single character, max length, multibyte boundaries — to catch off-by-one and zero-length match bugs before they reach production.
test-readyLock down boundaries
Pair with ^ and $ for exact-match literals. All matching runs client-side so secret patterns never leave the browser. Useful when the pattern itself is sensitive (PII regexes, internal data formats, security filters).
production-readyFrequently asked questions
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Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.