How to Change the MOTD on Your Minecraft Server
The MOTD (Message of the Day) is the line of text players see next to your server in the multiplayer list, right under the server name. It is the first thing anyone sees before connecting, so getting it right helps your server stand out in a long list. This guide covers Java Edition and Bedrock, color codes, formatting, line breaks, and the gotchas that trip people up.
Java Edition: Edit server.properties
Open your server in the Pterodactyl panel and click the File Manager tab. Find server.properties in the root folder and click to edit it. Look for the line:
motd=A Minecraft Server
Replace the right side with whatever you want, save the file, then restart the server. The new MOTD shows up the next time someone refreshes their server list.
A plain change looks like:
motd=Welcome to my survival realm
That is all you need for a basic text MOTD. The rest of this guide is about making it look good.
Color and Formatting Codes
Minecraft uses the § (section sign) followed by a single character to color or style text. You type § literally in server.properties, or use \u00A7 if your editor refuses to insert non-ASCII characters.
| Code | Color |
|---|---|
§0 |
Black |
§1 |
Dark Blue |
§2 |
Dark Green |
§3 |
Dark Aqua |
§4 |
Dark Red |
§5 |
Dark Purple |
§6 |
Gold |
§7 |
Gray |
§8 |
Dark Gray |
§9 |
Blue |
§a |
Green |
§b |
Aqua |
§c |
Red |
§d |
Light Purple |
§e |
Yellow |
§f |
White |
| Code | Format |
|---|---|
§l |
Bold |
§o |
Italic |
§n |
Underline |
§m |
Strikethrough |
§k |
Obfuscated (random scrambling characters) |
§r |
Reset (clears all formatting) |
Each code applies from where it appears until you reset it or set a new color. Example:
motd=§6§lEpic SMP§r §7- §aSurvival §7- §b1.20.4
That gives you a gold bold "Epic SMP", a gray dash, green "Survival", another gray dash, and an aqua version tag.
Adding a Second Line
The MOTD slot in the server list is two lines tall. Insert a literal \n to break the line:
motd=§6§lEpic SMP\n§7Survival, Whitelist, 1.20.4
The first line is usually the headline, the second is a tagline, game mode, or version. Keep each line under about 45 characters so the player's client does not truncate it.
Hex Colors (Paper, Spigot, Purpur 1.16+)
Vanilla server.properties does not support hex colors directly. On Paper, Spigot, or Purpur 1.16 and newer, you can chain section codes to express a six-digit hex value:
motd=§x§F§F§A§5§0§0Epic SMP§r
Start with §x, then prefix each of the six hex digits with §. It is verbose but works. For cleaner hex MOTDs, install a plugin like ServerListPlus or Advanced Server List, which lets you write <#FFA500>Epic SMP</color> and handles the encoding for you.
Bedrock Edition
Bedrock servers do not have a separate MOTD field. The line shown in the LAN and featured server list is set by:
server-name=My Bedrock Server
Bedrock also has a level-name field, but that is the world folder name, not what players see. Color codes mostly do not render on the Bedrock server list. If you run Java with GeyserMC as a Bedrock proxy, Bedrock players see your Java MOTD with full color support.
Common Issues
- MOTD shows literal
§6instead of color: your editor saved the file with the wrong encoding. Openserver.propertiesand save it as UTF-8 without BOM. Most panel file editors handle this automatically. If you downloaded the file to edit on your computer, re-upload as plain text. \nshows as the text\ninstead of a line break: this escape only works inserver.propertiesbecause Java reads it as a real newline at startup. If you are editing a plugin config orbukkit.yml, you usually need a real newline inside quotes instead.- Changes do not apply:
server.propertiesis read once at startup. Restart the server fully, do not just reload. - MOTD looks blank in the server list: the
§character got stripped. Many web editors and copy-paste from chat apps replace it with a question mark or remove it entirely. Type it directly in the panel editor or use\u00A7instead. - Two lines run into each other: you used
\\n(double-escaped) instead of\n. The file must contain exactly two characters: backslash and the letter n. - Emojis or non-Latin characters look wrong: emojis work, but only if the file is saved as UTF-8. Some older clients on Windows display them as boxes, and there is nothing to fix server-side.
Test Without Restarting Repeatedly
If you are dialing in colors, build the line in our Minecraft MOTD editor first. It renders exactly what the Minecraft client will show, supports color codes, formatting, and a second line, and gives you the finished motd= line ready to paste into server.properties. Saves three or four restart cycles while you tune the look.