How to Change Your Minecraft Server MOTD
Customize the Message of the Day shown in the Minecraft multiplayer server list with colors, formatting, and a second line.
The MOTD (Message of the Day) is the text that appears below your server name in the Minecraft multiplayer server list. You can customize it with colors, formatting, and up to two lines of text.
Change the MOTD
Open Startup
In the XGamingServer Panel, click Startup in the sidebar.
Set the MOTD field
Find the MOTD variable and enter your desired text. Use \n to create a second line.
Restart
Restart from Console for the change to appear in the server list.
Open server.properties
Click Files and open server.properties.
Set the motd line
Find the motd= line and enter your text. Use \n for line breaks:
motd=Welcome to My Server!\nPvP | Survival | MinigamesAdd Color and Formatting
Use the § symbol followed by a code to add color or formatting. Color codes can be combined with formatting codes.
motd=§a§lMy Server §7- §ePvP Enabled\n§bJoin us today!This produces: Green bold "My Server" — gray "-" — yellow "PvP Enabled" — newline — aqua "Join us today!"
Color Codes
| Code | Color | Code | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
§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 |
Formatting Codes
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
§l | Bold |
§o | Italic |
§n | Underline |
§m | |
§k | Obfuscated (random scrambled characters) |
§r | Reset all formatting |
Tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Use an MOTD generator | mctools.org/motd-creator gives you a live preview before copying |
| Two-line limit | The MOTD is limited to 2 lines. Anything after a second \n is truncated |
| Test in your own browser | Add your server to your favorites and check how it looks |
| Width matters | The MOTD has limited horizontal space — don't write paragraphs |
| § symbol | If you can't type §, copy-paste it from this page or use a generator |
Escape \n | Use literal \n in server.properties (Java reads the escape sequence). Some panel UIs may handle this differently |
Common MOTD Examples
Simple
motd=A friendly Minecraft server\nVanilla survivalWith colors
motd=§l§eAwesome Server\n§7Survival §8| §aSMP §8| §bWhitelistHighlighting events
motd=§l§cMy Server §7- §6Halloween Event!\n§eDouble XP this weekend!Rainbow
motd=§cR§6a§ei§an§bb§9o§5w §dServer\n§fJoin the chaosRelated Guides
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