diff --git a/src/background.js b/src/background.js
index f26a37f..47cf501 100644
--- a/src/background.js
+++ b/src/background.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ function passFilters_(url, type, filters) {
       switch (filter.type) {
         case 'urls':
           hasUrlFilters = true;
-          if (url.search(filter.urlPattern) == 0) {
+          if (url.search(filter.urlRegex) == 0) {
             allowUrls = true;
           }
           break;
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ function loadSelectedProfile_() {
           }
           joiner.push(c);
         }
-        filter.urlPattern = joiner.join('');
+        filter.urlRegex = joiner.join('');
       }
       filters.push(filter);
     }
diff --git a/src/popup.html b/src/popup.html
index 5f474cf..a25dde4 100644
--- a/src/popup.html
+++ b/src/popup.html
@@ -322,17 +322,17 @@
           <md-option value="types">Resource Type</md-option>
         </md-select>
         <md-autocomplete
-          md-search-text="filter.urlPattern"
+          md-search-text="filter.urlRegex"
           md-items="[]"
           ng-if="filter.type == 'urls'"
-          md-floating-label="*://*.google.com/*"
-          placeholder="*://*.google.com/*"
+          md-floating-label=".*://.*.google.com/.*"
+          placeholder=".*://.*.google.com/.*"
           class="comment-autocomplete"
           flex>
         </md-autocomplete>
         <md-button class="md-icon-button" aria-label="Help" md-no-ink
           ng-if="filter.type == 'urls'"
-          ng-click="openLink('https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/match_patterns')">
+          ng-click="openLink('https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Regular_Expressions')">
           <md-icon md-svg-src="images/ic_help_24px.svg"></md-icon>
         </md-button>
         <md-select ng-model="filter.resourceType" placeholder="Resource Type" flex
diff --git a/src/scripts/main.js b/src/scripts/main.js
index 235cbb5..5736a14 100644
--- a/src/scripts/main.js
+++ b/src/scripts/main.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+const SPECIAL_CHARS = '^$&+?.()|{}[]/'.split('');
 const browser = chrome;
 const modHeader = angular.module('modheader-popup', ['ngMaterial']);
 modHeader.config(['$compileProvider', function ($compileProvider) {
@@ -16,16 +17,16 @@ modHeader.factory('dataSource', function($mdToast) {
   };
 
   dataSource.addFilter = function(filters) {
-    let urlPattern = '';
+    let urlRegex = '';
     if (localStorage.currentTabUrl) {
       const parser = document.createElement('a');
       parser.href = localStorage.currentTabUrl;
-      urlPattern = parser.origin + '/*';
+      urlRegex = parser.origin + '/.*';
     }
     filters.push({
       enabled: true,
       type: 'urls',
-      urlPattern: urlPattern
+      urlRegex: urlRegex
     });
   };
 
@@ -108,11 +109,11 @@ modHeader.factory('dataSource', function($mdToast) {
   };
 
   dataSource.createProfile = function() {
-    var index = 1;
+    const index = 1;
     while (isExistingProfileTitle_('Profile ' + index)) {
       ++index;
     }
-    var profile = {
+    const profile = {
         title: 'Profile ' + index,
         hideComment: true,
         headers: [],
@@ -128,6 +129,29 @@ modHeader.factory('dataSource', function($mdToast) {
 
   if (localStorage.profiles) {
     dataSource.profiles = angular.fromJson(localStorage.profiles);
+    for (let profile of dataSource.profiles) {
+      if (profile.filters) {
+        for (let filter of profile.filters) {
+          if (filter.urlPattern) {
+            const urlPattern = filter.urlPattern;
+            const joiner = [];
+            for (let i = 0; i < urlPattern.length; ++i) {
+              let c = urlPattern.charAt(i);
+              if (SPECIAL_CHARS.indexOf(c) >= 0) {
+                c = '\\' + c;
+              } else if (c == '\\') {
+                c = '\\\\';
+              } else if (c == '*') {
+                c = '.*';
+              }
+              joiner.push(c);
+            }
+            delete filter.urlPattern;
+            filter.urlRegex = joiner.join('');
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
   } else {
     dataSource.profiles = [];
   }