Change Your Minecraft MOTD, Colors and Server Icon
Set the message under your server name in the multiplayer list, add colors and a second line with color codes, and upload a 64x64 server icon.
4 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team
The MOTD (message of the day) is the text players see under your server's name in their multiplayer list, and the server icon is the little picture beside it. Both are quick to change: the MOTD is one line in server.properties, and the icon is a single image file. This guide covers both, including colors and a second line.
Change the MOTD
The MOTD is the motd setting in server.properties. Out of the box it reads A Minecraft Server.
- Stop the server from the Console tab.
- Open the Files tab and click
server.properties. - Find the line starting with
motd=and replace the text after the=. - Press Save Content, then start the server.
- In Minecraft, refresh your server list to see the change.
For example:
motd=Guava SMP: survival with friends
Editing server.properties covers the rest of this file.
Add colors and bold text
Minecraft uses color codes: the section sign § followed by one character. Everything after a code takes on that color or style until the next code.
| 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 | Strikethrough |
§k | Scrambled, constantly changing text |
§r | Reset back to plain text |
Put the color first and the formatting after it. A color code switches off any formatting before it, so §l§6 gives plain gold, while §6§l gives bold gold.
Write § safely as \u00A7
In server.properties it is safest to write the section sign as \u00A7 rather than typing §. Depending on your server version and how the file is saved, a typed § can come out as garbled text like §. The \u00A7 form means the same thing and works on every version.
So instead of §6, write \u00A76:
motd=\u00A76\u00A7lGuava SMP \u00A77| \u00A7aSurvival
That shows "Guava SMP" in bold gold, a gray divider, then "Survival" in green.
The server may rewrite server.properties when it starts, so do not worry if the codes look different in the file afterwards. What matters is how it looks in the multiplayer list.
Add a second line
The MOTD has room for two lines. Put \n where you want the break:
motd=\u00A76\u00A7lGuava SMP\n\u00A7eNew players welcome!
Keep each line short, roughly 45 characters of visible text, or the end gets cut off. Color codes do not count toward that, since they are not displayed.
Gradients, hex colors and animated MOTDs
server.properties only understands the 16 colors above. Gradients, custom hex colors and rotating messages need a plugin or mod. On Paper or Purpur, a MOTD plugin such as MiniMOTD handles this. Once one is installed, it usually takes over the MOTD entirely, so edit its config instead of server.properties. See Installing plugins.
Set a server icon
The icon has strict requirements. Get these right and it just works:
- Exactly 64 by 64 pixels. Not 128, not 63. Any other size is ignored.
- A real PNG file. Renaming a
.jpgor.webpto.pngdoes not convert it. Export it as PNG from an image editor. - Named
server-icon.png, all lowercase. - In the server root, the same folder as
server.properties, not insideworldorplugins.
Transparent backgrounds are fine.
- Resize your image to 64 by 64 pixels and save it as
server-icon.png. - Open the Files tab, stay in the top folder, and upload the file. Replace the old one if there is one.
- Restart the server from the Console tab. The icon is only read at startup.
- Refresh your server list in Minecraft.
If the old icon still shows, remove the server from your list and add it again.
Other things that show in the server list
- Player count: the maximum comes from
max-playersinserver.properties. - Player names on hover: on recent versions,
hide-online-players=truehides who is online. - Your address: a custom domain looks much better than an IP. See Connect Minecraft with a custom domain and SRV record.
Troubleshooting
The MOTD shows § or strange symbols. Replace every § with \u00A7 and restart.
Codes show up as plain text, like &6. The & style codes only work through plugins. In server.properties, use \u00A7.
The icon does not appear. Check the size is exactly 64 by 64, the name is exactly server-icon.png, it is a real PNG, and it sits next to server.properties. Then restart, since the icon is only loaded when the server starts.
Running Bedrock? Bedrock servers have no MOTD or icon in this sense; the name comes from server-name. See Bedrock server.properties explained.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.
- motd
- server icon
- colors
- color codes
- server.properties
- minecraft
- java
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