The MOTD is the two lines of text under your server name in the multiplayer list. You can colour it, make parts bold, and split it over two lines. You do not have to remember the codes: the free MOTD generator previews the result and gives you the line to paste. This page explains what the codes do, so you can fix it when something looks wrong.
What the MOTD is
MOTD means “message of the day”. On a Java server it is the motd= line in server.properties. Players see it before they join, next to the icon, player count and ping bars. It is the only text a stranger reads before deciding to click. Say what the server is (survival, SMP, minigames) on line one. Use line two for a detail, like the version or a Discord name.
The server status checker also shows the MOTD your server returns. That is a quick way to check the live text after a restart.
Color & format codes table
Every code is the section sign § followed by one character. A code changes everything after it, until the next colour code or §r.
| Code | Name | Code | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
§0 | Black | §8 | Dark gray |
§1 | Dark blue | §9 | Blue |
§2 | Dark green | §a | Green |
§3 | Dark aqua | §b | Aqua |
§4 | Dark red | §c | Red |
§5 | Dark purple | §d | Light purple |
§6 | Gold | §e | Yellow |
§7 | Gray | §f | White |
| Code | Format |
|---|---|
§k | Obfuscated (random scrambling characters) |
§l | Bold |
§m | Strikethrough |
§n | Underline |
§o | Italic |
§r | Reset (back to plain text) |
Order matters. On Java, a colour code clears bold, italic and the other formats. Write the colour first, then the format: §6§lGOLD BOLD works, §l§6GOLD is just gold. For the same codes in chat, signs and books, see the colour codes tool.
Editing server.properties
Open server.properties in the panel file manager or over SFTP. Find the line that starts with motd= and replace everything after the equals sign. Save, then restart the server. The MOTD is read at startup, so a running server keeps the old text.
Do not paste a raw § into the file if you can avoid it. Depending on the editor and file encoding it can turn into garbled characters. Write it as the escape § instead. Minecraft reads that as §. A line with a green first line and a gray second line looks like this:
motd=§aSurvival SMP §f| §eNew map\n§7Join our Discord
This is the same format the generator outputs: every § becomes §, and the two lines are joined with \n. The generator gives you only the text, so you add motd= in front yourself.
Two-line MOTD & centering
The server list shows two lines. \n is the line break. Do not plan on a third line: the list has room for two. Each line has room for roughly 45 characters before it runs out of visible space, a bit more or less depending on the letters and on bold text. Keep line one shorter than that and check the preview.
There is no centre code. Servers that look centred add spaces at the start of the line. The Minecraft font is not fixed-width, so it takes some trial and error. Type the spaces into the generator and watch the preview until it looks right. Start line two with its own colour code too. Then it looks the same even if you edit line one later.
Hex colors (Paper/MiniMessage)
The motd= line and the generator use the 16 legacy colours above. Hex colours and gradients, like <#55ffff> or <gradient:gold:red>, are written in MiniMessage. They need a Paper server (or a fork) with a MOTD plugin that sets the server-list text for you. That is a server and plugin feature, not something you can type into server.properties or our tool. If you want plugins, see Paper vs vanilla first.
Bedrock is different. Bedrock Dedicated Server has no motd= line: the server list shows the server-name from its own server.properties. Formatting there does not follow the Java rules above, so keep the name short and test it in your own client.
Use the generator
- Open the MOTD generator. It is free and needs no sign-up.
- Type line one and line two in the two fields.
- Click into a field and press a colour or format button. It inserts the code at the cursor: 16 colours, plus bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, obfuscated and reset.
- Check the live server-list preview. Obfuscated text is shown as blocks there. In the game it scrambles.
- Copy the generated code and paste it after
motd=inserver.properties. Restart the server. - Check the result with the status checker or in your own server list.
No server yet? A free server runs Paper, has SFTP, and needs no credit card. Setting up the rest of a first server is covered in First Minecraft server.