UUID Format

UUID Without Hyphens

Removing the four hyphens gives a 32-character string that many APIs and mobile clients prefer, since it is shorter and needs no escaping.

32 charactersHyphens removedSame 128 bits

Version

How many

Uppercase Hyphens Braces { }

Result

Generated locally with the Web Crypto API — nothing leaves your browser.

What Is UUID Without Hyphens?

A canonical UUID is 8-4-4-4-12: 32 hex digits plus four hyphens. Hyphens are purely decorative — they delimit the fields but carry no information.
Dropping them yields a compact 32-character string that is easier to pass as a path segment, a query value, or a filename.

How to generate

Turn the Hyphens toggle off.
Generate in the version you need.
Copy the 32-character result.

Use Cases

Compact storage in a fixed-width column such as CHAR(32).
URLs and filenames where hyphens can be awkward or ambiguous.
Mobile payloads where every byte counts.

How UUID Without Hyphens Compares

With hyphens	36 chars — 8-4-4-4-12
Without hyphens	32 chars — raw hex
Short form	22 chars — base64url of the same 16 bytes

Code Examples

JavaScript

const id = crypto.randomUUID().replace(/-/g, '');

Python

import uuid
print(uuid.uuid4().hex)  # 32 chars, no hyphens

SQL

SELECT replace(gen_random_uuid()::text, '-', '');

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a hyphen-free UUID still a valid UUID?

It carries the same 128 bits, but strict validators reject it because the 8-4-4-4-12 shape is part of the definition. Re-add hyphens before validating.

Can I convert back?

Yes — insert hyphens after positions 8, 12, 16, 20. The formatter tool does this for you.

Which is better for a database key?

Store the native 128-bit type where possible; otherwise a 32-char column saves four bytes per row against CHAR(36).