Replacing in JavaScript
From the JavaScript Regular Expressions cheat sheet · String Methods · verified Jul 2026
Replacing
Using regex with replace methods
javascript
// replace() - First match only
"hello world".replace(/o/, "0") // "hell0 world"
// replaceAll() - All matches
"hello world".replace(/o/g, "0") // "hell0 w0rld"
"hello world".replaceAll(/o/g, "0") // "hell0 w0rld"
// Replacement patterns
"John Smith".replace(/(\w+) (\w+)/, "$2, $1")
// "Smith, John"
// Named groups in replacement
"2024-03-15".replace(
/(?<year>\d{4})-(?<month>\d{2})-(?<day>\d{2})/,
"$<month>/$<day>/$<year>"
) // "03/15/2024"
// Function replacer
"hello123world456".replace(/\d+/g, (match) => {
return match * 2 // Double numbers
}) // "hello246world912"
// Advanced replacer function
"John Smith, Jane Doe".replace(
/(\w+) (\w+)/g,
(full, first, last, offset, string) => {
return \`\${last.toUpperCase()}, \${first[0]}.\`
}
) // "SMITH, J., DOE, J."
// Special replacement patterns
$& Matched substring
$\` Text before match
$' Text after match
$$ Literal $
$n Capture group n💡 Use function replacer for complex transformations
⚡ $& inserts the entire match in replacement
📌 replaceAll() requires global flag or throws error
🟢 Named groups with $<name> improve readability
replacesubstitution