How the pattern works
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
\B | The @ must not follow a letter or digit, so email addresses are skipped |
@ | The at sign |
[A-Za-z0-9_]{1,15} | A handle of 1–15 letters, digits or underscores (the X/Twitter limit) |
Code examples
JavaScript
const matches = text.match(/\B@[A-Za-z0-9_]{1,15}/g) ?? [];Python
import re
matches = re.findall(r'\B@[A-Za-z0-9_]{1,15}', text)PHP
preg_match_all('/\B@[A-Za-z0-9_]{1,15}/', $text, $m);
$matches = $m[0];Notes and limitations
Change {1,15} to the handle rules of your platform; Instagram also allows dots.
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Open the tool Frequently asked questions
What is the regex to find @mentions?
/\B@[A-Za-z0-9_]{1,15}/g — it finds every match in a text. See the table above for what each part does.
Does it work in Python and PHP?
Yes — the code examples above use the same pattern with re in Python and preg functions in PHP.
How do I test this regex?
Click “Open in Regex Tester” — the pattern, flags and sample text load automatically, and matches highlight as you edit.