Minecraft Color Codes

Minecraft color codes are short codes that change the color and style of text. Each one is a control character (the section sign, or an ampersand in configs) followed by a single character: 0 to f for the 16 colors, and letters like l for bold or o for italic. For example, 6 is gold and l is bold, so gold bold text is written with a gold code followed by a bold code.

They produce the same result but are used in different places. The section sign is the actual character Minecraft reads in-game, in books, and in server.properties. The ampersand is what most plugins and config files (like Essentials) accept, and they convert it to the section sign for you. If one does not work, try the other. Use the buttons above to copy either form.

Color codes work in the chat (with a plugin or command block), on signs, in books, in the server MOTD, in kit and rank names, and across most plugins. The exact character you need depends on the context: the section sign for vanilla features and server.properties, the ampersand for most plugins.

Yes. Since Java 1.16 you can use full hex colors for a much wider palette. In vanilla they use a longer section-sign format, and most plugins accept a shorter form such as an ampersand or a MiniMessage tag with a hex value. The 16 classic codes above are still the most compatible and work everywhere.

Open server.properties and find the motd line. Paste your styled text using the section sign form (the Unicode form works too if your editor strips the special character). Save the file and restart the server. Our MOTD editor builds the whole line for you with a live preview, so you do not have to type the codes by hand.