How do I run a macro a specific number of times without using a recursive macro?

Explanation

Prefix a macro invocation with a count to execute it up to N times in a single command. Vim stops early if any single execution encounters an error (such as a failed motion or end of file), so you can safely use a large count even if you're unsure of the exact number of repetitions needed.

How it works

• {N} is any positive integer prefix
• @q executes the macro stored in register q
• Vim runs the macro N times sequentially, stopping immediately at the first failure
• The early-stop behavior is the key difference from manually pressing @q N times — a failed sub-command aborts the remaining repetitions cleanly

Example

Suppose register q holds a macro that moves to the next line and appends a semicolon (j$a;<Esc>). To apply it to the next 20 lines:

20@q

If the file only has 12 lines remaining, Vim runs 12 times and stops when j fails to move down — no error message, no manual counting.

You can also use a deliberately large number as a "run until end" strategy:

999@q

Tips

• Use @@ to re-run the last macro (with count: 5@@)
• Combine with :normal @q to apply the macro only to lines in a range: :'<,'>normal @q
• Recording the macro with error-prone motions (like j) naturally limits the count, making this pattern very safe