What a vanilla MOTD can contain
- Two lines of text under the server name in the Java Edition server list.
- The 16 standard colours and the formatting codes for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough and obfuscated text.
- Any Unicode characters, such as ✦ or ♥.
It can’t contain hex colours, gradients, MiniMessage tags or a different message per player. Those need a plugin.
Writing the line by hand
server.properties is a Java properties file, so a few characters have to be written as escapes. This line gives a gold, bold first line and a grey second line:
motd=§6§lMy Survival Server§r\n§7Now running Java Edition 26.3| Written as | Means | Why |
|---|---|---|
§ | The section sign § | Starts a colour or formatting code. The escape keeps the file plain ASCII, so the encoding can’t garble it. |
\n | A line break | A real line break would end the setting. \n starts the second line. |
§r | Reset | Clears colour and formatting, so bold text doesn’t run into line 2. |
\\ | A backslash | A single backslash starts an escape and disappears. |
Put each colour code before any formatting code: §6§l is gold and bold, while §l§6 is only gold. Why colour code order matters explains the rule.
Keeping it readable
- Long lines are cut off in the server list. The limit depends on the width of the characters, not a character count, so check the preview.
- Grey text for the second line keeps the first line prominent.
- Obfuscated text (§k) is hard to read. Use it for a few characters at most.
When you need a plugin instead
- Hex colours or gradients in the MOTD.
- A MOTD that changes, rotates or shows live information.
- A network behind BungeeCord or Velocity: players see the proxy’s MOTD, set in the proxy’s own config file, not the backend server’s server.properties.
Checking the result
After restarting, look the server up in Server Status to see the MOTD exactly as the server sends it. In game, refresh the server list: it keeps showing the old message until it pings the server again. If something still looks wrong, see how to fix a MOTD that looks wrong.