WoW Forever Macros for Beginners: Mouseover, Focus, Startattack and the Limits

A macro is a small text button that runs one or more slash commands when you press it. In WoW Forever they save keys, let you heal party frames under the cursor and keep crowd control on a second target without losing your own. This WoW Forever macros guide shows how to open the macro window, the hard limits, eight starter macros you can paste and adapt, and what the modern Forever client blocks compared with Classic Era. Checked on 8 November 2026 for WoW Forever 1.60.1. Some limits come from beta data and are marked as such; spell names below are examples, so swap in the exact names from your own spellbook.

Short answer

• Type /macro to open the window; the General tab is shared by all characters, the character tab is for one.
• A macro holds 255 characters, and one press fires at most one spell on the global cooldown.
• Conditions in square brackets, such as [@mouseover,help,nodead], choose the target without changing your current one.
• /castsequence only steps forward when a cast succeeds, so a failed cast holds the whole sequence.
• Forever uses the modern addon rules: /run scripts are limited in combat and some old functions are gone.

Creating your first macro

1. Type /macro, or open the game menu with Esc and choose Macros.
2. Pick the General tab for macros every character can use, or the character tab for class macros.
3. Press New, type a name and choose an icon. The question-mark icon lets #showtooltip pick the icon for you.
4. Write the commands in the large box, one per line. The counter shows how many of the 255 characters are left.
5. Drag the macro icon onto an action bar and test it on a training mob before a dungeon.

The General tab has 120 slots on the modern client and the character tab 18, according to the Warcraft Wiki; one French guide gives 30 for the character tab, so trust the counter in your own window. You cannot create or edit macros in combat; the New button greys out.

Eight starter macros

Replace every spell or item name with one your character actually knows; Forever reworked several classes, so a name from an old Classic list may not exist.

1. Mouseover heal (healers). Heals the party frame under your cursor, else your friendly target, else yourself.

#showtooltip
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help,nodead][@player] Flash of Light

2. Start attacking with an ability (melee). Makes sure auto attack runs even if the ability fails.

#showtooltip
/startattack
/cast Sunder Armor

3. Pet attack and shot (Hunters). The pet command has no global cooldown, so both fire on one press.

#showtooltip
/petattack
/cast Arcane Shot

4. Crowd control on focus. Set focus once, then sheep, sap or banish it while you keep fighting your target.

/focus [@mouseover,exists][]

#showtooltip
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Polymorph

5. Interrupt now. Cancels your own cast and interrupts your focus, or your target if you have no focus.

#showtooltip
/stopcasting
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Counterspell

6. Two spells on one key with a modifier. Shift gives the second spell; Alt is often your self-cast key, so leave it free.

#showtooltip
/cast [mod:shift] Frost Nova; Frostbolt

7. A short sequence. Casts the first spell, then the second on the next press, and starts over on a new target.

#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=target Corruption, Immolate

8. A once-per-login camera fix. Useful if your camera setting reverts; see console commands and camera distance.

/console cameraDistanceMaxZoomFactor 2.6

Rules every macro follows

Rule	What it means for you
255 characters	Line breaks count; split long ideas across two macros
One GCD spell per press	Later /cast lines for GCD spells do nothing on that press
Off-GCD first	Trinkets (/use 13), /startattack, pet commands and some interrupts can run before the main spell
No waiting	A macro cannot pause between lines or decide by cooldowns or buffs
Sequences stall	A failed or interrupted /castsequence step is retried, not skipped
Spell ranks	A spell named without a rank casts your highest known rank (reported from the beta)

/castsequence reset options go right after the command: reset=target for a new target, reset=combat for entering or leaving combat, reset=8 for eight seconds without a press, or reset=shift. Several can be joined with /, as in reset=target/8.

What Forever blocks or changes

Forever runs on the modern client with the addon rules Blizzard introduced for Midnight, and macros share them.

• /run is treated like addon code. Anything hidden from addons in combat, such as some health or aura values, is hidden from your script too.
• Removed functions. Warcraft Wiki's 1.60.1 API change list shows UIReload and ToggleSit removed, so old /run UIReload() lines fail; type /reload instead.
• Scrolls trigger the global cooldown. Since the 16 October beta build a macro cannot read a scroll and cast a spell on the same press.
• Weapon swaps. The 8 October beta build is reported to have restored swapping several weapons within one global cooldown; test your /equipslot lines on a training mob before relying on them.
• Unresolved at the time of writing: whether /click chains into other macros, and whether the retail limits on raid markers and chat during boss fights apply.

If you came from aura or rotation addons, WeakAuras alternatives and addon limits explains why those tricks no longer work, and interface and keybind setup helps you place macros on good keys.

Common problems

Problem	What helps
Macro shows a red question mark	A spell name is misspelt or not learned yet; copy it from the spellbook
Only the first spell fires	Both lines are on the global cooldown; that is the one-spell-per-press rule
/castsequence stuck on one spell	The step failed (range, cooldown); add reset=target or a seconds reset
New button greyed out	You are in combat, or that tab is full; use the other tab
Mouseover heal hits the wrong person	Add nodead and a fallback [@player], and check your self-cast key setting
Old Classic macro does nothing	It probably uses a removed function or an old spell name; rewrite it

Tips

• Start every spell macro with #showtooltip so the icon and cooldown show on your bar.
• Keep class macros on the character tab so the shared General tab stays tidy.
• Test each new macro on a weak mob before trusting it in a dungeon.
• Re-drag spells onto bars after you train a new rank, since bar slots keep the old one.
• Name macros clearly, because the name field is short.
• Copy macros only from sources that explain each line, so you can fix them yourself.

ForeverBot and this setup

ForeverBot has its own macro options in the Settings section and expects free keys for Target, Interact and Combat, so put your hand-made macros on other buttons and keep a macro from overwriting those binds. See ForeverBot first-run setup for the key setup. Remember that automation breaks Blizzard's rules and Blizzard bans accounts for it.

FAQ

How do I open the macro window in WoW Forever?

Type /macro in chat, or press Esc and choose Macros from the game menu. The General tab holds macros shared by all characters on the account, and the second tab holds macros for the character you are playing. You cannot open the editor to change a macro while in combat.

How many characters can a WoW Forever macro have?

255 characters, line breaks included, and the macro window shows a live counter. If a macro does not fit, split it into two macros on two keys, or shorten it by dropping fallbacks you never use.

Do mouseover macros work in WoW Forever?

Yes. Conditions such as [@mouseover,help,nodead] work on the Forever client, including on party and raid frames under your cursor. Always add a fallback like [] or [@player] so the macro still does something when nothing is under the mouse.

Can a macro cast my whole rotation with one key?

No. One press casts at most one spell on the global cooldown, a macro cannot wait or check cooldowns, and /castsequence stalls when a step fails. You can combine off-cooldown actions with one spell, but the rotation decisions stay with you.