Regex for macOS: Regular Expression Editor and Tester

Regex Editor for macOS

For macOS 14.2 and later.

Regex for macOS is active again. It is a focused Mac regular expression editor for building, testing, and copying regexes before you paste them into code, Terminal, or another app.

Version 2.4.0 refreshes the editor layout and match highlighting so regular expressions are easier to read while you test them.

Regex for macOS screenshot

Testimonials

Fast, simple and to the point
★★★★★

This app is awesome and easy to use. It not only does its job well, but helps me learn about regular expressions.

Like the new, clean look of the app
★★★★★

I like the new, clean look of the app. It’s a vast improvement over the previous UI. Also fixes many of the issues I had with it.

Generate a regex quickly
★★★★

The app works fine and I can generate a regex quickly.

Features

Edit, test, and build regular expressions on macOS
Refreshed editor layout in version 2.4.0
Easier-to-read match highlighting as you modify the regular expression or sample text
Automatic generation of regular expressions from sample data
Automatic escaping of special characters when copying a regular expression
Automatic unescaping of special characters when pasting a regular expression
Supports capture groups
Supports matching options such as case-insensitive, dot-all, and multiline matches
Supports positive lookahead, negative lookahead
Supports positive lookbehind, negative lookbehind
Supports backreferences
Fast and simple to use

When to use it

Use Regex for macOS when you want to test a regular expression against sample text, inspect capture groups, or check lookahead and lookbehind matches before using the pattern elsewhere.

If you are taking a pattern to Terminal, start in the app, then copy it into grep -E on macOS. The Regex for macOS Tutorial walks through the same workflow with examples.

Regex for macOS features