How to change the MOTD of a Minecraft server
Customize your Minecraft server's Message of the Day—the short message players see in their server list. This guide shows you how to edit and format it with colors.
1 min read
What is the MOTD?
The Message of the Day (MOTD) is a short text snippet shown beneath your server's name in the multiplayer server list. It can span up to two lines, making it a great place to add flair, branding, or a welcome message.
How to edit the MOTD
To change the MOTD, follow these steps:
- Open the
server.propertiesfile. - Find the line that starts with
motd=. - Replace the existing text with your new message.
Example:
motd=Welcome to my epic Minecraft server!
Formatting the MOTD
You can add flair to your MOTD using color codes, text formatting&&, and line breaks**.
Supported formatting:
- Use
§followed by a code to apply color or style (e.g.§6for gold, `§b for aqua). - Use
\nto split the MOTD into two lines.
Example:
motd=My §6awesome §rMinecraft server\nPowered by §bpowerupstack.com
This will appear as:
Color and formatting codes
You can use the following formatting codes in the MOTD:
| Color | Name | Chat code | ANSI escape code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | §0 | \u00A70 | |
| Dark blue | §1 | \u00A71 | |
| Dark green | §2 | \u00A72 | |
| Dark aqua | §3 | \u00A73 | |
| Dark red | §4 | \u00A74 | |
| Dark purple | §5 | \u00A75 | |
| Gold | §6 | \u00A76 | |
| Gray | §7 | \u00A77 | |
| Dark gray | §8 | \u00A78 | |
| Blue | §9 | \u00A79 | |
| Green | §a | \u00A7a | |
| Aqua | §b | \u00A7b | |
| Red | §c | \u00A7c | |
| Light purple | §d | \u00A7d | |
| Yellow | §e | \u00A7e | |
| White | §f | \u00A7f | |
| Obfuscated | §k | \u00A7k | |
| Bold | §i | \u00A7l | |
| §m | \u00A7m | ||
| Underline | §n | \u00A7n | |
| Italic | §o | \u00A7o | |
| Reset | §r | \u00A7r |