Zod email validation

Quick answer: how do you validate an email in Zod 4?

Use the top-level `z.email()`. In Zod 4 the email validator moved from `z.string().email()` to a dedicated `z.email()` schema, which is the recommended form. The old method still works but is deprecated, so prefer `z.email()` in new code.

Basic email validation

Use `z.email()` directly as a field schema. It rejects values that are not valid email addresses and returns the typed string when they are.

import * as z from "zod";

const SignupSchema = z.object({
  email: z.email(),
  password: z.string().min(8),
});

SignupSchema.parse({ email: "jane@acme.dev", password: "hunter2!" });

Custom error messages

Pass an options object (or a string) to set the message shown when validation fails. This is the value you typically render next to the input.

const EmailField = z.email({ error: "Enter a valid email address" });

const result = EmailField.safeParse("not-an-email");
if (!result.success) {
  result.error.issues[0].message; // "Enter a valid email address"
}

Choose a stricter or unicode pattern

Email validity is famously fuzzy. Zod 4 lets you pass a `pattern` so you can match a specific standard, such as the HTML5 input pattern or a unicode-aware one, instead of the default.

// HTML5 input-style validation
const html5 = z.email({ pattern: z.regexes.html5Email });

// Accept unicode local parts
const unicode = z.email({ pattern: z.regexes.unicodeEmail });

Migrate from z.string().email()

If you are upgrading from Zod 3, the chained method is deprecated but still runs. Replace it with the top-level schema as you touch each field; combine with other string rules by chaining on the email schema.

// Before (deprecated in Zod 4)
const oldEmail = z.string().email().max(254);

// After
const newEmail = z.email().max(254);

Email validation in Zod 4

Use FrameworkKit to generate the starter code, then review the output before shipping it in production.

Zod validation resources

FAQ

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