Using Regex Filters in Google Search Console

Google Search Console lets you filter the Performance report by regular expression on the Query and Page dimensions. Choose + Add filter, then Query or Page, then Custom (regex). It uses Google's RE2 syntax, matches anywhere in the text by default and ignores case. One pattern can group branded queries, questions or whole URL folders.

TL;DR

• Regex filters work on Queries and Pages only. Countries, devices and search appearance use other filters.
• Pick Matches regex to include, or Doesn't match regex to exclude.
• Matching is partial and case-insensitive by default. Use ^ and $ to anchor, and (?-i) for case-sensitive matches.
• RE2 does not support lookaheads, lookbehinds or backreferences.
• Any query filter removes anonymized queries from the totals, so filtered numbers will not add up to the unfiltered chart.

How regex filtering works in Search Console

Google's advanced filtering and comparison page (as of 30 September 2026) sets out the rules:

• Syntax: "The RE2 syntax is used." RE2 is Google's regex engine. Its syntax reference marks lookaheads such as (?=re), lookbehinds and backreferences such as \1 as not supported.
• Partial match: a pattern "can match anywhere in the target string unless you use ^ (start of string) or $ (end of string)".
• Case: matching is not case-sensitive by default. Put (?-i) at the start for a case-sensitive match.
• Several values: separate them with a vertical bar and wrap the whole pattern in parentheses, for example (pricing|cost|quote).

On the Pages dimension the pattern is tested against the full URL, including https:// and the hostname. Google's own example is (?-i)AAA matching https://example.com/AAA but not https://example.com/aaa.

How to add a regex filter, step by step

1. Open Performance > Search results and set your date range.
2. Click + Add filter in the filter bar and choose Query or Page.
3. In the dropdown, choose Custom (regex).
4. Leave Matches regex selected to include matches, or switch to Doesn't match regex to exclude them.
5. Paste your pattern and click Apply.
6. Open the Queries or Pages tab to check the rows it caught. If you see rows you did not expect, tighten the pattern with ^, $ or word boundaries (\b).

You can stack filters. For example, a query regex plus Country = United Kingdom plus Device = Mobile.

Practical regex patterns

Replace acme and example.com with your own brand and domain.

Goal	Filter	Pattern	Mode
Branded queries, with common misspellings	Query	acme|akme|acmee|acme\.com	Matches regex
Non-branded queries	Query	acme|akme|acmee|acme\.com	Doesn't match regex
Question queries	Query	^(who|what|when|where|why|how|which|can|does|do|is|are|should|will)\b	Matches regex
Long queries (5 words or more)	Query	^(\S+\s+){4,}\S+$	Matches regex
Comparison queries	Query	\bvs\b|versus|alternative|compare	Matches regex
Buying-intent queries	Query	price|pricing|cost|quote|hire|agency|buy	Matches regex
Blog posts only	Page	/blog/	Matches regex
A group of service pages	Page	/services/(technical-seo|seo-audits|analytics-reporting)	Matches regex
Home page only	Page	^https://www\.example\.com/$	Matches regex
URLs with parameters	Page	\?	Matches regex
PDF files	Page	\.pdf$	Matches regex
URLs containing capital letters	Page	(?-i)[A-Z]	Matches regex

Two notes on the table. Escape dots with a backslash (\.), because a bare . matches any character. And keep branded patterns specific: a short brand such as "ace" will also match "place" and "space" unless you add \b on each side.

Branded vs non-branded: regex or the built-in filter?

Search Console now has its own branded queries filter. Google's announcement (20 November 2025, updated 11 March 2026 to say it is available to all eligible sites) explains that the classification "is NOT based on a regular expression" but on "an internal, AI-assisted system". It covers your brand name in all languages, typos, and queries about products unique to your site.

	Built-in branded filter	Regex filter
Who defines "brand"	Google's AI-assisted system	You
Catches product names without the brand	Yes, for products unique to your site	Only if you list them
Availability	Top-level properties with enough queries and impressions	All properties
Can be wrong	Google says some queries may be misidentified	Only as wrong as your pattern

We use both. The built-in filter gives a quick split. A regex lets you check its edges and apply the same definition in exports and dashboards.

Limits to keep in mind

• Anonymized queries drop out. Google's dimensions page says anonymized queries are in chart totals "unless a query filter is applied". A "matches" view plus a "doesn't match" view will not add up to the unfiltered total.
• Row limits. The table shows at most 1,000 rows (troubleshooting data discrepancies). For larger sites, use the Search Analytics API or bulk data export.
• One comparison at a time. Adding a new comparison replaces the old one.
• No query data for multimodal searches. The Queries dimension is not available for the "Web: multimodal" search type, so query regex does not apply there.

Where regex filters pay off

Regex turns the Performance report into topic-level reporting. Group queries by topic, then read average position and impressions vs clicks for each group. Question-query segments show where you might earn AI Overview citations, which we cover in finding AI Overview and AI Mode signals in Search Console. To size each group's potential, run its queries through the keyword traffic forecast calculator. If you want these segments built into regular reports, see our analytics and reporting service.

Frequently asked questions

Which dimensions support regex in Search Console?

Only Queries and Pages. Choose Custom (regex) after picking either one in + Add filter. Other dimensions, such as country and device, use their own filters or the Compare option.

Is Search Console regex case-sensitive?

No, not by default. Add (?-i) at the start of the pattern to make it case-sensitive. This is useful for finding URLs with capital letters.

Why doesn't my lookahead pattern work?

Search Console uses RE2, which does not support lookaheads, lookbehinds or backreferences. Use the Doesn't match regex option to exclude terms instead of a negative lookahead.

Why do my filtered totals not match the chart total?

Query filters remove anonymized queries from the totals, and the table is limited to 1,000 rows. So the sum of a "matches" and a "doesn't match" view is usually lower than the unfiltered total.

Do I need ^ and $ in my patterns?

Only when position in the text matters. Matching is partial by default, so /blog/ catches any URL containing that path. Use ^ or $ when you need a match at the start or end.

Sources

• Performance report: advanced filtering and comparison (Search Console Help, as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: dimensions and data groupings (as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: troubleshooting data discrepancies (as of 30 September 2026)
• Introducing the branded queries filter in Search Console (Google Search Central Blog, 20 November 2025, updated 11 March 2026)
• RE2 syntax reference (Google, as of 30 September 2026)

This post is part of our Google Search Console guide.

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