Writing a MOTD with colours

Getting Started Reviewed September 6, 2026 1 min read

The MOTD is the line of text under your server's name in the multiplayer list. It is the only advertising space you get before someone decides whether to click, and it supports colour.

What to do

  1. Find motd= in server.properties

    Whatever follows the equals sign is what players see. Keep it short: the list only shows about two lines.

  2. Add colour with the section sign

    Colour codes use § followed by a character — §a green, §b aqua, §c red, §e yellow, §6 gold. §l is bold and §r resets back to plain.

  3. Use \n for a second line

    A literal backslash-n in the value breaks the MOTD onto a second line.

  4. Restart the server

    Like everything in server.properties, the MOTD is read at boot.

How to confirm it worked

Refresh the multiplayer list. The new text appears under the server name with the colours applied.

Worth knowing

If you see the raw codes instead of colours, your editor saved a different character. The section sign § is not the same as an ordinary S, and some editors substitute it.