How to set your Minecraft server MOTD
Design it in the editor
Write both lines and check them in the preview. Keep the most important words at the start of line one; long lines do not fit the list.
Copy the server.properties line
The generator writes every § as
\u00A7and the line break as\n, which every server version reads correctly.Replace the motd= line and restart
Stop the server, open
server.propertiesin the server folder (or your host's file manager), replace themotd=line, save, and start the server again.
MOTD formats for Spigot, Paper, BungeeCord and Velocity
| Server software | Setting | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla, Spigot, Paper, Purpur | server.properties → motd= | § codes written as \u00A7, \n between lines |
| BungeeCord, Waterfall | config.yml → listeners → motd: | & codes, \n between lines |
| Velocity | velocity.toml → motd = | MiniMessage, <newline> between lines |
| MiniMOTD plugin | its main config file | MiniMessage, with gradients |
The server list only shows two lines, in the Java client's pixel font, with gray as the default colour. Every code and what it looks like is in the Minecraft color codes chart.
Hex colors and gradients in a MOTD
The vanilla motd= setting only understands the 16 standard colours. Hex colours and colour fades need a proxy or plugin that reads MiniMessage, such as Velocity or MiniMOTD. Pick a hex colour with the # button above, or build a letter-by-letter fade in the gradient generator and paste its MiniMessage output here.
MOTD ideas that get clicks
- Line one is your name and game mode. Players scan the list for “Survival”, “SMP” or “Skyblock”, so say it plainly.
- Line two is the reason to join now: a new season, an event, the version you run, or what makes you different.
- Two or three colours are enough. One colour for the name, one for details and gray for separators reads better than a rainbow.
- Use obfuscated text sparingly. A few
&kcharacters as decoration draw the eye; a whole line is unreadable.
See how other servers style theirs in our Minecraft server list, where every server shows its live MOTD, or browse survival servers for ideas.
Finish your server list entry
The MOTD shares the row with your server icon. Make a 64×64 server-icon.png with the Minecraft server icon maker, and once the server has restarted, use the server status checker to see how your MOTD shows live to players.
Minecraft MOTD questions
How do I change my Minecraft server MOTD?
Stop the server, open server.properties, replace the motd= line with the one from the generator and start the server again. On a host panel, the MOTD is usually a field in the server settings, or you can edit server.properties in the file manager.
Why does my MOTD show § instead of colors?
The file was saved as UTF-8 but read as Latin-1, which older servers did (before Java Edition 1.20 the server read server.properties as ISO-8859-1). Writing § as \u00A7, as the generator does, works on every version.
How many lines can a Minecraft MOTD have?
Two. The server list shows two lines under the server name; start the second with \n in server.properties. Long lines do not fit the list, so keep each line short and check it in the preview.
Can I use hex colors or gradients in my MOTD?
Not with vanilla server.properties, which only reads the 16 standard colours; the generator swaps any hex colour for the nearest one there. For hex colours and gradients, use a proxy or plugin that reads MiniMessage, such as Velocity or MiniMOTD, and paste the MiniMessage version.
Where does the MOTD go on BungeeCord and Velocity?
BungeeCord: the motd option under listeners in config.yml, written with & codes and \n between lines. Velocity: the motd option in velocity.toml, written in MiniMessage, with <newline> between lines.