JavaScript (ES2026) reference · String Methods

JavaScript String search() Method

Return the index of the first regular-expression match, or -1 if there is none.

JavaScript (ES2026) Since ES3

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Syntax

string.search(regexp)

Parameter	Description
`regexp`	A regular expression.

An index, or -1.

Where is the first digit?Try it yourself

console.log("Invoice #4821".search(/\d/), "no digits".search(/\d/));

Output

9 -1

Case-insensitive searchTry it yourself

console.log("Hello World".search(/world/i));

Output

Version	Change
JavaScript ES3	Added

string.indexOf() · Return the index of the first occurrence of some text, or -1 if it isn't found.
string.match() · Match the string against a regular expression and return the matches (all of them with the g flag) or null.
string.includes() · Return true if the string contains the given text anywhere. Case-sensitive.
JavaScript Strings · tutorial
JavaScript String Methods · tutorial