Minecraft How to Use This Tool
- Type your two lines, then click a color swatch or a formatting button to insert a code at the cursor
- Watch the server list preview to see exactly what players get, including obfuscated text and where a long line clips
- Copy the
server.propertiesoutput, paste it over themotd=line in your server, and restart
Already have a MOTD? Open Edit an existing MOTD at the bottom and paste your current motd= line. Section signs, \u00A7 escapes, \n, and plugin & codes are all decoded back into the editor.
The #1 Problem: The Codes Show Up as Text
You set the MOTD, restart, and the multiplayer list shows §aMy Server instead of a green server name. Nothing is wrong with the code itself. The problem is the file.
server.properties is a Java properties file, and the section sign is not an ASCII character. Depending on which editor saved the file and which Minecraft version reads it, that one byte can arrive as garbage or as literal text. The fix is to never put the character in the file:
# Fragile: depends on how the file was saved
motd=§aFrostpeak §7| §fSurvival
# Reliable on every version
motd=\u00A7aFrostpeak \u00A77| \u00A7fSurvival\u00A7 is the Unicode escape for the section sign, and Java’s properties loader decodes it before Minecraft ever sees the value. The server.properties output above always uses it, along with escapes for any emoji or accented characters you type.
Never press Enter inside the motd value
A real line break ends a properties value. If you type the second line on its own row in the file, the server reads only the first line and treats the second as a broken property. Use \n between the two lines instead, exactly as this tool outputs it.
Formatting Code Reference
Every code is a section sign followed by one character. Codes apply from where they appear until something changes them.
| Code | Effect | Code | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
§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 |
§l | Bold | §m | Strikethrough |
§n | Underline | §o | Italic |
§k | Obfuscated | §r | Reset |
The one rule that catches people out: a color code clears every formatting code before it. §lBOLD §cRED gives you bold white text and then plain red text, not bold red. To keep the bold, put the color first: §c§lBOLD RED. The preview shows this happening as you type.
§k replaces each character with a random one that reflickers constantly. It is fine as a two or three character accent next to real text. A whole line of it is unreadable and reads as a broken server.
Where the MOTD Goes
The MOTD lives in one line of server.properties, in your server’s root directory next to the world folder:
motd=\u00A7a\u00A7lFROSTPEAK \u00A77| \u00A7fSurvival\n\u00A77Season 4 \u00A78| \u00A7eNo grief, no resets- Open the File Manager in your panel and edit
server.properties - Replace the whole
motd=line with the output from this tool - Restart the server.
server.propertiesis read at startup only, so saving the file changes nothing on a running server - In your client, click Refresh in the multiplayer list
Every other option in that file is covered in the server.properties reference.
Length: Two Lines, and Less Room Than You Think
Three separate limits apply, and only one of them is about the text you can see:
| Limit | What it is | What happens past it |
|---|---|---|
| 2 lines | The server list entry is two lines tall | Anything after the second line never renders |
| ~45 visible characters per line | The width of the entry in the multiplayer list | The line is cut off where it runs out of room |
| 59 characters total | The documented length of the motd value | Older servers can report a communication error instead of the MOTD |
That last one is the trap, because formatting codes count toward it. §a§lFROSTPEAK is 13 characters, not 9. Two heavily colored lines hit 59 long before they look full. The tool counts both numbers for you: visible characters per line, and the raw value length with the codes included.
Long server names are the usual casualty. If line one is your server name and line two is the pitch, keep the name short and spend the characters on the reason to click.
Plugins, Proxies, and & Codes
server.properties is only the vanilla path. If anything sits in front of your server, that thing owns the MOTD instead:
| Setup | Where the MOTD comes from | Code style |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Fabric | server.properties | \u00A7 escapes |
| A MOTD plugin | The plugin’s own config | Usually & codes |
| BungeeCord | config.yml on the proxy | & codes |
| Velocity | velocity.toml on the proxy | MiniMessage tags, such as <green> |
Bukkit-family configs use & where the game uses the section sign, because & is safe to type in a YAML file. The & codes output tab gives you that version of the same MOTD.
Behind a proxy, the backend MOTD is invisible
Players connect to the proxy, so the proxy’s MOTD is the one they see. Editing server.properties on the backend server changes nothing in the list. Set it on the proxy instead.
Bedrock Is a Different Property
Bedrock dedicated servers have their own server.properties, but the MOTD is not in it under that name:
server-name=\u00A7bFrostpeak \u00A7fBedrockSection-sign colors work. The two-line layout does not, and neither does \n. Bedrock shows one line, so write the whole thing as a single line and skip line two in the editor above.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Codes render as literal text | The section sign was written as a character in a file saved in the wrong encoding | Use the \u00A7 output from this tool |
| Second line missing | A real line break was typed in the file, or the second line is past the two-line limit | Put \n between the lines in one motd= value |
| MOTD did not change after saving | The server was not restarted | server.properties is read at startup only. Restart, then Refresh in the client |
| Multiplayer list shows a communication error | The motd value is over 59 characters on an older version | Shorten the text or remove a couple of codes |
| Bold or italic stops halfway | A color code after it cleared the formatting | Put the color first, then the format: §c§lRED BOLD |
| Line is cut off mid-word | Over about 45 visible characters | Watch the preview, which clips at the same point the client does |
| Nothing changed and you run BungeeCord or Velocity | The proxy serves its own MOTD | Edit the proxy config, not the backend server |
| Emoji renders as question marks | The character did not survive the properties file | Copy the server.properties output, which escapes it |
Related Tools
- Minecraft Server Icon Generator - the 64x64
server-icon.pngthat sits next to the MOTD in the list - Minecraft Resource Pack Merger - combine packs before pointing your server at one
- YAML Validator - check a BungeeCord or plugin config after editing the MOTD in it
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Frequently Asked Questions
The server is treating the section sign as ordinary text, which happens when server.properties was saved in an encoding the server does not read the same way. Write the codes as \u00A7a instead of §a and the colors render on every version. This tool's server.properties output already uses that escape.
Write \n between the two lines in the motd value, for example motd=\u00A7aLine one\nLine two. server.properties is a Java properties file, so a real line break ends the value early and the second line is lost. The server list shows two lines, and anything after the second is dropped.
The motd value is documented as 59 characters, and older servers can return a communication error in the multiplayer list past that. Formatting codes count toward it, so §a§lHELLO is 9 characters, not 5. Separately, each line is clipped at roughly 45 visible characters because that is all the width the server list entry has.
Yes. server.properties is read once at startup, so a running server keeps the old MOTD no matter how many times you save the file. Restart from the panel, then hit Refresh in your Minecraft multiplayer list, because the client caches the last response it got.
Not from server.properties. Vanilla reads the motd value as a legacy string, so you get the 16 section-sign colors and nothing else. Hex and gradient MOTDs come from plugins that build the status response themselves, or from a proxy like Velocity, whose config accepts MiniMessage tags.
Bedrock dedicated servers use the server-name property, not motd, and it is a single line. Section-sign color codes work in it, but the two-line layout and the \n escape are Java Edition only.
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