Yes, macros work in WoW Forever. They follow the modern client's rules: up to 255 characters, conditions in square brackets and one spell on the global cooldown per key press. Name spells without a rank and the macro always casts your highest one. Here are 18 starter macros for all 9 classes, each for the English and the German client.
characters per macro
255
macro commands
50
starter macros
18
classes
9
What macros can and cannot do in WoW Forever
A macro holds up to 255 characters and its name up to 16. The counter under the text box shows how many you have used, the same limits as in Classic Era.
Beta data
One key press, one action on the global cooldown. A macro can put things without a global cooldown in front, like a trinket, /startattack or a pet command, but it never casts two spells on the global cooldown, never waits between lines and never decides for you by cooldowns or buffs.
Editorial
Since October 8 a macro can swap several weapons within one global cooldown again, for example from a two-hander to sword and shield with /equipslot.
Confirmed
Since October 16 scrolls trigger the global cooldown, so a macro can no longer read a scroll and cast a spell on the same press.
Confirmed
Forever takes the modern addon approach with the restrictions of Midnight (developer Q&A of September 17). A /run script inside a macro runs like addon code, so what Forever hides from addons in combat stays hidden from your macro too. What the addon rules hide in combat.
Announced
In Retail, Blizzard limited macros on March 1, 2026: target markers on at most 3 units in a very short time, and during a boss encounter no macro chat to guild, community or custom channels. Blizzard has not said whether Forever takes these limits.
Confirmed
Your first macro
1
Type /macro in chat. The German client also takes /makro.
2
Pick a tab: General Macros work for every character on your account, the tab with your character's name only for that character.
3
Click New, give the macro a name of up to 16 characters and take the question mark icon. With #showtooltip the button then shows the icon of the spell it casts.
4
Paste the lines. Shift-click a spell in your spellbook and the client writes its name for you, in your client's language. Drag the macro onto your bar.
Beta data
Prepared Open until launch: whether Forever takes the Retail limits above, whether /click inside a macro still presses another macro (Retail stopped that in patch 11.0, which also ended macro chains past 255 characters), and how many macros fit in each tab (Classic Era: 120 general and 18 per character). We check all three in the launch client on November 4.
Spell ranks: the one trap
A spell on your bar keeps the rank you dragged there. After a visit to the trainer the button still casts the old rank until you drag the new one from the spellbook.
Beta
A macro without a rank always casts your highest rank, also right after you learn a new one. Nothing to update. /cast Frostbolt
Beta
Ranks far below your level get less from your spell damage and healing and trigger class effects less often. Blizzard's example: Rank 1 Frostbolt at level 60 never triggers Frostbite. For a quick slow, Mages now learn Frost Blast at level 24.
Confirmed
Want an old rank on purpose? Write it the way the client's macro help shows: /cast Frostbolt(Rank 1). In the German client: /cast Frostblitz(Rang 1).
Beta data
Starter macros for every class
Copy a macro, open /macro, paste it into a new macro and drag it to your bar. Playing with the German client? Switch the box to DE client: spell names have to match your client's language.
EditorialEvery macro comes from a published Forever macro guide or uses standard commands only. None is tested in the launch client yet: from November 4 we check each one and add the date.
Fires Arcane Shot and sends your pet at the same target. Put /petattack on one opener like this, not on every shot, or your pet jumps to each new target you hit.
Puts the Holy talent Light's Vigil on your focus, your tank for example, while you keep an enemy targeted. Blizzard fixed exactly this kind of focus macro on October 16.
/cast[@focus,help,nodead][] Light's Vigil
42/255
/cast[@focus,help,nodead][] Lichtwacht
39/255
SpellsLight's VigilSourcewritten by us, idea from Blizzard notes
Leaves your form, then casts Mark of the Wild and Thorns on the next press. With Shift it casts Gift of the Wild. The order starts over after 10 sec or on a new target.
/cancelform/cast[mod:shift] Gift of the Wild/castsequence reset=10/target Mark of the Wild, Thorns
101/255
/cancelform/cast[mod:shift] Gabe der Wildnis/castsequence reset=10/target Mal der Wildnis, Dornen
Uses your top trinket with your main spell on one key. Slot 13 is the top trinket, 14 the bottom one. It only works with a trinket that is off the global cooldown.
/use 13/cast <your main spell>
31/255
/use 13/cast <your main spell>
31/255
SourceRankedBoost
Conditions in square brackets
The client reads a /cast line from left to right and casts the first option whose conditions are all true. A comma inside one bracket means and, [help,nodead]. Two brackets in a row mean or, [@mouseover][@player]. The ; sign starts the next option, and empty brackets [] act like the spell's own button on your target. Conditions stay English in every client, only the weapon types of worn: follow its language.
Condition
What it checks
@mouseover
The unit under your mouse, on a unit frame or in the world.
@focus
Your focus, set with /focus. Focus macros work in Forever.Confirmed
@player
Yourself.
@petpetnopet
Your pet as the target, or whether you have one out.
helpharm
The unit is friendly or hostile.
deadnodead
The unit is dead or alive.
combatnocombat
You are in combat or out of it.
mod:shiftmod:ctrlmod:alt
You hold that key while you press the macro.
stance:1form:3
Your stance or form by its place on your stance bar, counted from the left. For a Warrior 1 is Battle Stance. A Druid's numbers depend on the forms you know: Cat Form is 3 once you have Bear and Aquatic Form.
worn:Bows
You wear that weapon type. The type follows your client's language, in the German client [worn:Bogen].
!
In front of a spell: a second press never switches the form or aura off, /cast !Cat Form.
#showtooltip
As the first line: the button shows the icon and tooltip of the spell the macro casts.
Editorial
Every macro command with its German form
Beta dataFrom the strings of the Forever client, build 1.60.1.70532. The German client knows every command in both languages, so /cast works there as well as /wirken. Every command is in the client, we have not tested each one yet.
Casting and attacking
11
English client
German client
What it does
/cast/spell
/wirken
Casts a spell by name, with conditions in front.
/castsequence
/sequenzwirken
Casts the next spell of a list with each press. reset=10/target starts over after 10 sec or on a new target.
/castrandom
/zufälligwirken
Casts a random spell of a list.
/startattack
/angriffstart
Starts auto attack on your target.
/stopattack
/angriffstop
Stops auto attack.
/stopcasting
/stoppwirken
Stops your current cast, so the next line goes off at once.
/cancelqueuedspell/cqs
/zauberfolgeabbrechen/zfa
Drops the spell you queued behind your current cast.
/cancelaura
/auraabbruch
Removes a buff from you by name.
/cancelform
/gestaltabbrechen
Leaves your current form.
/stopmacro
/stopmakro
Ends the macro at this line, for example /stopmacro [nopet].
/stopspelltarget
/stoppzauberziel
Cancels a spell that is waiting for you to pick a target.
Items and gear
5
English client
German client
What it does
/use
/benutzen
Uses an item by name or by slot. /use 13 is your top trinket.
/userandom
/zufälligbenutzen
Uses a random item of a list.
/equip/eq
/anlegen/an
Puts on an item by name.
/equipslot
/platzanlegen
Puts an item into a slot: 16 is the main hand, 17 the off hand.
/dismount
/absitzen
Gets you off your mount.
Targets and marks
11
English client
German client
What it does
/target/tar
/zielen/Ziel
Targets a unit by name or by condition.
/targetexact
/spezifischanvisieren
Targets only that exact name.
/targetenemy
/feindanvisieren
Targets the nearest enemy, like Tab.
/targetfriend
/freundanvisieren
Targets the nearest friendly unit.
/targetlasttarget
/vorherigesziel
Goes back to your last target.
/targetlastenemy
/vorherigerfeind
Goes back to your last enemy.
/cleartarget
/zielaufheben
Clears your target.
/focus
/fokus
Makes your target (or a unit) your focus.
/clearfocus
/fokusaufheben
Clears your focus.
/assist/a
/unterstützen
Targets what a player or your target is attacking.
/targetmarker/tm
/zielmarkierung/zm
Puts a raid marker (1 to 8) on a unit.
Pet
8
English client
German client
What it does
/petattack
/bangriff
Sends your pet at your target, or at the unit of a condition.
/petfollow
/bfolgen
Calls your pet back to you.
/petstay
/bbleib
Your pet holds its spot.
/petpassive
/bpassiv
Passive mode.
/petdefensive
/bdefensiv
Defensive mode.
/petaggressive
/baggressiv
Aggressive mode, back in Forever since October 1.
/petautocaston/petautocastoff/petautocasttoggle
/bautozauberan/bautozauberaus/bautozauberanaus
Turns autocast of a pet ability on, off or the other way.
/petdismiss
/begleiterfrei
Sends your pet away.
Bars, macros and scripts
6
English client
German client
What it does
/changeactionbar
/aktionsleistewechsel
Switches your main bar to page 1 to 6.
/swapactionbar
/aktionsleisteumschalten
Swaps your main bar between two pages.
/macro/m
/makro
Opens the macro window.
/macrohelp
/makrohilfe
Shows the client's macro help in chat.
/run/script
/skript/rennen
Runs a line of Lua code, under the same rules as an addon.
/click
/klick
Clicks a button of the interface by its name.
New in the Forever client
9
English client
German client
What it does
/cdm/cooldownmanager
/azm/abklingzeitmanager
Opens the Cooldown Manager.
/editmode
/bearbeitungsmodus/bearbeiten
Opens Edit Mode, where you move the parts of your interface.
/clickcasting/cc
/klickzauber/klz
Opens Click Cast Bindings.
/ping
/anpingen
Sends a ping. The client's own example for a macro: /ping [@target] with the ping type, one of Attack, Assist, Warning or On My Way.
/pingspell
/pingzauber
Pings a spell to your group, which then reads whether it is ready or when.
/pingitem
/pinggegenstand
The same for an item.
/mappin
English only
Sets a map pin that you can track and share.
/specname/specindex
/spezname/spezindex
Switches your specialization by name or number. In the client, not tested yet.
/loadoutname/loadoutindex
/konfigname/konfigindex
Switches a saved talent loadout by name or number. In the client, not tested yet.
Built-in tools that replace macros
Some jobs you used to build a macro or an addon for, the Forever client does on its own.
The gamepad interface has a radial menu with your macros.
WhereOptions, Gamepad (Alpha). Set up its action bar in Edit Mode
Beta data
Auto Attack/Auto Shot setting
New on October 16: Hunters switch between auto attack and Auto Shot by themselves, the job of the old start-attack macros.
Confirmed
Also in the options: Press and Hold Casting keeps casting a spell from your action bar while you hold its key. Keyboard only, a mouse click still casts once. Beta data
Write the spell in German: /cast Arkaner Schuss, not /cast Arcane Shot. Shift-click the spell in your spellbook and the client writes the right name. Commands work in English and German.
Beta data
Chat says "Unknown macro option"
A condition in the brackets is misspelled. Conditions are English in every client.
Beta data
Chat says a macro script has been blocked
Your /run line tried something only Blizzard's own interface may do. Use /cast, /use or /target for it.
Beta data
The New button is greyed out
You are in combat. Macros cannot be made or changed in combat.
Editorial
Macros or settings are gone after a restart
In the first beta days the client did not read saved interface and addon settings back. Players report it fixed since build 70009 at the end of September. If it happens again, leave through Logout or Exit, not Alt+F4, and check that your WTF folder is not read-only.
Beta
A macro sits in the wrong tab or will not move
Two beta bugs Blizzard fixed: macros on a gamepad action bar could not be moved (fixed October 1), and the character tab showed general macros (fixed October 8).
Every command and its German forms, the 255 and 16 character limits, the labels and help of the macro window, the error lines, the spell names in English and German and the weapon types of worn:, read in the client tables on wago.tools and compared with Classic Era 1.15.9.
Weapon swaps and scrolls on the global cooldown, low spell ranks and Frost Blast, the Auto Attack/Auto Shot setting, the Cooldown Manager and the macro fixes of October 1, 8 and 16.
Blizzard: developer Q&A of September 17Announced
Forever takes the modern addon approach with the restrictions of Midnight.
Log out normally and keep the WTF folder writable.
Questions about macros
Do macros work in WoW Forever?
Yes. Forever uses the macros of the modern client: up to 255 characters, conditions in square brackets, /castsequence and focus macros. One key press fires one action on the global cooldown, and a /run script sees in combat only what an addon may see. Every rule.
Why are my macros not saving in WoW Forever?
In the first beta days the client did not read saved settings back, players report it fixed since build 70009. Leave the game through Logout instead of Alt+F4 and check that your WTF folder is not read-only. General macros belong to your account, the ones in the tab with your name only to that character. When a macro does not work.
What is the best pet attack macro in WoW Forever?
/petattack in front of your opener, for example Arcane Shot, so your shot and your pet hit the same target. Keep it out of your other shots, or your pet follows every target swap. The Hunter macros.
Which macro commands are there in WoW Forever?
The commands of Classic Era, such as /cast, /castsequence, /startattack, /use, /focus and the pet commands, plus new ones like /cdm for the Cooldown Manager, /cc for Click Cast Bindings and /ping. The German client also knows each command by a German name, /cast is /wirken there. Every command with its German form.
How do mouseover macros work in WoW Forever?
With [@mouseover] the macro casts on the unit under your mouse. /cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help,nodead][@player] Flash Heal heals the player under the mouse, else your friendly target, else you. The built-in Click Cast Bindings do the same with a click on party frames. Every condition.
Do I have to update my macros when I learn a new spell rank?
No. A macro without a rank like /cast Frostbolt always casts your highest rank. Your action bar is different: it keeps the old rank until you drag the new one from the spellbook. Spell ranks.
How do I write macros in the German client?
Spell names in German, as the spellbook shows them: /cast Arkaner Schuss, not /cast Arcane Shot. Commands work in English and German, conditions stay English, only weapon types after worn: are German, for example [worn:Bogen]. Every starter macro here comes for both clients.
How long can a macro be in WoW Forever?
255 characters, the name 16. Line breaks count. Whether /click still chains several macros, we check at launch, Retail ended that with patch 11.0.
Short on time for leveling?
Every guide here shows how to do it yourself. If your evenings are short, our boosters take the grind off your hands. Options and current prices are on each service page.
New guide: macros for all 9 classes, 18 starter macros for the English and the German client, 50 macro commands with their German forms and the macro rules of Forever.
