RegEx Explorer
RegEx Explorer
Build, test and reuse named regular expressions on your Mac, with results that update as you type.
Version 1.2 · Requires macOS 27 or later.
What it does
A library of regexes
Keep named patterns such as "Email Address" or "IPv4 Address", each with its own test text. A few common ones are included to start.
Syntax colouring
Groups, classes, quantifiers, escapes and anchors are coloured as you type the pattern.
Match
Every match is highlighted, with capture groups underlined in colour and listed in a table.
Replace
Write a replacement template using $0, $1, ${name} and $$, and see a live, highlighted preview.
Filter
Show only the lines that contain a match, or only the lines that don't.
Options and cheat sheet
Ignore case, multiline anchors, dot matches newlines, ignore whitespace and simple word boundaries. A cheat sheet window lists the syntax.
Code for your language
The Code button writes code that does what the editor shows, in C#, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript / TypeScript, Kotlin, Perl, PHP, Python, R, Ruby, Rust, Swift 5 or Swift 6.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘N | New regex |
| ⌘R | Rename the selected regex |
| Delete | Delete the selected regex |
| ⌘L | Edit the pattern |
| ⌘1 ⌘2 ⌘3 | Match / Replace / Filter |
| ⇧⌘C | Show code |
| ⌥⌘/ | Open the cheat sheet |
Your data stays on your Mac
RegEx Explorer doesn't connect to the internet and collects nothing. Your regexes are saved in a file inside the app's sandbox. Read the privacy policy.