Minecraft MOTD Generator
Design your Minecraft server MOTD (message of the day) with live preview, color picker, and formatting options. Generates the exact motd= line for server.properties with \u00A7 color codes. Max 45 chars per line, 2 lines total.
Server List Preview
How it appears in the Minecraft multiplayer listJoin us at play.example.com
MOTD Lines
17 / 45 visible characters
27 / 45 visible characters
Color & Format Codes
Click any code to append it to line 1 or line 2.
&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
&k Obfuscated
&l Bold
&m Strikethrough
&n Underline
&o Italic
&r Reset
Output
server.properties motd= line
Paste this line into server.properties. Supports \\n for line break and \\u00A7 for color codes.
motd=\u00A76\u00A7lMy Awesome Server\n\u00A77Join us at \u00A7bplay.example.com
Section sign version (§)
Raw §-encoded MOTD. Some plugin panels accept this directly.
§6§lMy Awesome Server §7Join us at §bplay.example.com
Design Your Minecraft Server MOTD
The MOTD (Message of the Day) is the two-line description that appears next to your server in the Minecraft multiplayer list. It's the first thing players see — a compelling MOTD drives way more joins than the default 'A Minecraft Server' placeholder.
Minecraft MOTDs support all 16 color codes and 6 formatting codes (bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, obfuscated). Click color swatches to insert codes into line 1 or line 2, see the live preview exactly as it'll appear in-game, and grab the ready-to-paste server.properties line with \u00A7 escapes already applied.
Minecraft truncates each MOTD line at 45 visible characters — color codes don't count toward the limit, so you can use them freely. The character counter shows visible characters so you stay under the cap.
Output is in server.properties format (\u00A7 escapes + \n for newline) which works on every Java Edition server. If your hosting panel accepts raw § characters, use the section-sign version instead. Both render identically in the client.
Minecraft MOTD Generator — FAQ
What is the MOTD in Minecraft?
MOTD (Message of the Day) is the two-line description shown next to your server in the Minecraft multiplayer list. It's stored in server.properties as motd=. Default is 'A Minecraft Server' — customize it with color codes and a tagline to attract more players.
How many characters can an MOTD be?
Java Edition: 45 visible characters per line, 2 lines maximum. Color codes don't count toward the limit — you can use §a§l§n (3 codes) and still get 45 characters of text. Bedrock MOTDs have different limits and don't support multiple lines natively.
Why does my MOTD show garbled text?
server.properties must use \u00A7 (unicode escape) instead of the § character. If you paste § directly, Java's file encoding usually mangles it into '§' or similar. Our generator outputs the correct \u00A7 format automatically.
How do I make a multi-line MOTD?
Use \n between lines in server.properties. Example: motd=\u00A7aLine 1\n\u00A7bLine 2. Our generator produces this automatically when you fill both Line 1 and Line 2.
Do color codes work in the MOTD?
Yes, all 16 color codes and all 6 format codes (bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, obfuscated, reset) work. Just use the \u00A7 prefix form in server.properties. Obfuscated (§k) creates that fun cycling-characters effect some servers use.
What are good MOTD examples?
Keep it short, colorful, and descriptive. Line 1 = server name + theme (e.g. §6§lHexCraft §7- §bTowny SMP). Line 2 = tagline, season, or IP (e.g. §aSeason 3 | §fplay.example.com). Avoid cramming — legible beats fancy.
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