Fossilized microbial mats, including stromatolites, are useful indicators of microbial life and their inhabiting environment, especially in the study of Precambrian shallow marine habitat. Despite the abundant records of stromatolitic structures and mat-building microfossils, reports of microfossils associated with stromatolites are relatively rare. We report silicified microfossils preserved together with laminated microbial mats from chert bands in lower part of the ~ 1.4 Ga Gaoyuzhuang Formation in North China craton. Three different silicified microbial mat textures are recognized: 1) typical stromatolitic texture, with alternating dark laminae rich in dispersed kerogen and trapped particles that vary in grain sizes and roundness, and light laminae consisting mainly of micrites; 2) laminated microbial mats, with alternating dark laminae consisting of pustular mats formed by 2–5 µm-sized coccoidal microfossils, and light laminae being mainly composed of silicified crystal fans; 3) alternating dark and light micro-quartz laminae, with dark laminae composed of either simple filamentous microfossils (mainly Siphonophycus) or dispersed kerogen, and grains (siliciclastic grains, silicified intraclasts, various microfossils, etc.) occur both within and out of the dark laminae. The three mat textures also differ significantly in microfossil compositions. No microfossil is found in type 1 texture. Type 2 texture contains abundant coccoidal microfossils dominated by Coccostratus and Eoentophysalis, with rare occurrence of non-septate filaments Siphonophycus and coccoidal forms < 2 µm in size scattered between the coccoidal colony laminae. Most coccoidal microfossil cells are delicately preserved, with the topmost cell layers being best preserved and darkest in colour in each mat lamina, and some cells are preserved in division state. These structures indicate that Coccostratus and Eoentophysalis are likely builders of the type 2 mats, and these mats were silicified in a stage earlier than those in type 1. Type 3 texture contains diverse filamentous microfossils, including many large and septate forms, such as Oscillatoriopsis and Palaeolyngbya, but coccoidal forms are rare. The micrometer-thick crystal fan laminae in type 2 texture represents cemented substrates that were sporadically formed in supra-saturated water conditions, and the dominance of coccoidal microfossils is consistent with their preference for colonization on firm substrates, which have also been reported from many late Mesoproterozoic rock units, such as the Angmaat Formation. The occurrence of three microfossil-mat texture associations in one stratigraphic succession may suggest strong reliance of benthic microfossil composition on sedimentary and preservational conditions.