Design your server's message of the day with colors and live preview — then paste it straight into server.properties.
Minecraft MOTD Generator
Click a color or style to insert its code at the cursor
(codes use & here and are converted automatically):
Live preview
🌍
My Minecraft Server ⬤ 47/100
Your server.properties line
Raw § string (BungeeCord / Velocity configs, plugins)
Color codes
| Code | Color |
|---|
Format codes
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| &l | Bold |
| &o | Italic |
| &n | Underline |
| &m | Strikethrough |
| &k | "Magic" obfuscated text (animated scramble) |
| &r | Reset — clears all colors and formats |
Why your MOTD matters
The MOTD is the only thing players see in their multiplayer list besides your player count — it's your server's shop window. A clear, colorful MOTD with your gamemode and version measurably improves join rates compared to a default "A Minecraft Server".
Running a server? List it here for free and reach players browsing for a new home. You can also check any server's status or generate a full server.properties file.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my MOTD show weird characters instead of colors?
server.properties is read as ISO-8859-1, so the § symbol must be written as the escape
sequence §. Use the "Copy for server.properties" output above — it does this
escaping for you. Pasting raw § symbols directly into the file is what causes the garbled text.
How do I put my MOTD on two lines?
Insert \n between the lines in server.properties. This generator handles it
automatically — fill in both line fields and the newline is added to the output for you. Keep each
line under roughly 45–50 visible characters or clients will cut it off.
Can I use custom hex colors in the MOTD?
Vanilla server.properties only supports the 16 classic color codes shown above. Full RGB hex
colors in the MOTD need a proxy or plugin — BungeeCord/Velocity configs and plugins like
MiniMOTD or ServerListPlus accept hex formats such as 7FF99.
Do I need to restart the server after changing the MOTD?
Yes — server.properties is only read at startup, so restart the server (or use
/reload confirm, though a clean restart is safer). The new MOTD appears the next time
a player refreshes their server list.