Why does my MOTD show strange characters?

A § written as-is in server.properties may get mis-encoded. Use the \u00A7 form generated by the tool, which is pure ASCII.

How many lines can I show?

The multiplayer list shows two lines; separate them with \n. Text that is too long is cut off by the client.

Minecraft 100% localFreeOpen access

Minecraft MOTD generator

Create a colored two-line MOTD with live preview: § codes, hex colors, server.properties line and MiniMessage.

Last updated: 10/9/2026

100% local processing — saved in your browser.

Documentation

MOTD text

Codes: &0-&f colors, &l bold, &o italic, &n underline, &m strikethrough, &k obfuscated, &r reset, &#RRGGBB hex.

Line 1

Line 2

Inserting into: Line 1

Hex color

Preview

My Minecraft Server

Welcome! Survival • 1.21

Approximate preview: the game font differs, and obfuscated text (&k) is shown normally.

server.properties

motd=\u00A76\u00A7lMy Minecraft Server\n\u00A77Welcome! \u00A7x\u00A75\u00A75\u00A7f\u00A7f\u00A75\u00A75Survival \u00A77\u2022 1.21

§6§lMy Minecraft Server
§7Welcome! §x§5§5§f§f§5§5Survival §7• 1.21

MiniMessage

<gold><bold>My Minecraft Server
<gray>Welcome! <reset><green>Survival <reset><gray>• 1.21

Server installation guideNo server yet? Install it locally or on a VPS / dedicated server, ports and firewall included.

How to use Minecraft MOTD generator?

The MOTD is the two-line text shown under the server name in the multiplayer list. Write it with “&” codes (&a green, &l bold, &#RRGGBB hex): the tool shows the preview and outputs the motd= line ready to paste into server.properties.

Type line 1 and line 2 with “&” codes (or paste text that already contains §).
Click colors and formats to insert them at the cursor; use the picker for a hex color.
Check the preview (the in-game font is slightly different).
Copy the motd= line into server.properties (with the server stopped), then restart the server.

Read the full documentation →