How the pattern works
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
[0-9a-fA-F]{8} | Eight hex digits |
[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3} | The third group starts with the version, 1–8 |
[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3} | The fourth group starts with the RFC 9562 variant: 8, 9, a or b |
[0-9a-fA-F]{12} | Twelve hex digits at the end |
- | Dashes in the 8-4-4-4-12 positions |
Code examples
JavaScript
const re = /^[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}$/;
re.test(value); // true or falsePython
import re
bool(re.fullmatch(r'[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}', value))PHP
preg_match('/^[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}$/', $value) === 1;Notes and limitations
To accept only version 4 (random) UUIDs, change [1-8] to 4. Generate test values with the UUID Generator.
Regex TesterType a pattern and watch matches highlight live in your test text.
Open the tool Frequently asked questions
What is the regex for UUID?
/^[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}$/ — it matches the whole string. See the table above for what each part does.
Which examples match?
Of the examples tested, these match: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000, 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000, 01890a5d-ac96-774b-bcce-b302099a8057. The others don’t.
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.