MOTD Editor
Create stunning Minecraft server MOTDs
MOTD Editor
Use Minecraft codes like &a &b &l &o &n
Multiplayer
My Minecraft Server
20/100Welcome to the best SMP!
Introduction
A Minecraft server's message of the day — the two-line text shown in the multiplayer server list — supports color codes, formatting codes, and hex-color gradients, but composing those codes inline is like reading rainbow-striped gibberish. MOTD Editor provides a visual text editor where you apply colors and formatting with clicks and see the exact server-list rendering in real time.
What Is MOTD Editor?
MOTD Editor is a visual composer for Minecraft server list messages. The server.properties file stores the MOTD as a plain string with §-prefixed formatting codes, but writing something like §6§lMy Server§r §b- §aJoin Now! by hand requires memorizing code letters and mentally parsing the result. The editor lets you type your text, highlight any segment, and apply colors or formatting with a single click, then outputs the correctly encoded string for your server.properties file.
The tool handles the notoriously awkward hex-color encoding that Minecraft uses for RGB colors introduced in 1.16. A hex color like #FF5733 must be encoded as §x§F§F§5§7§3§3 — each hex digit gets its own § prefix and the whole sequence is prefixed with §x. Getting this right manually is nearly impossible for more than one color, and a single digit error shifts the entire gradient. MOTD Editor generates this encoding automatically when you pick a hex color from the picker or enter one directly.
The preview panel renders the MOTD using the same font and color engine Minecraft's server list uses, including the line-wrapping behavior at different GUI scales. This matters because a MOTD that fits on one line at scale 3 might wrap awkwardly at scale 1, and players use different scales. The editor shows the preview at two common widths so you can verify the layout before committing.
MOTD Editor Examples
| Input | Output |
|---|---|
| Line 1: 'CraftHaven' in gold bold, Line 2: 'Survival • Economy • Custom Biomes' in green | §6§lCraftHaven§r §aSurvival • Economy • Custom Biomes |
| Line 1: 'PixelForge' in gradient from #FF0000 to #FFFF00, Line 2: '§7Version 1.21.4' | §x§F§F§0§0§0§0P§x§F§F§8§0§0§0i§x§F§F§F§F§0§0x§x§F§F§F§F§8§0e§x§F§F§F§F§F§Fl§x§F§8§F§F§0§0F§x§F§0§F§F§0§0o§x§F§F§F§F§0§0r§x§F§8§F§F§0§0g§x§F§0§F§F§0§0e §7Version 1.21.4 |
| Line 1: '⚔ WARZONE ⚔' in dark red bold, Line 2: 'Season 4 LIVE' in yellow italic | §4§l⚔ WARZONE ⚔§r §e§oSeason 4 LIVE |
Key Features of MOTD Editor
- Two-line editor matching the Minecraft server list's MOTD layout with per-line character counts (max 50 visible characters per line recommended)
- Color palette with all 16 vanilla §-code colors plus a hex color picker for 1.16+ RGB colors
- Automatic hex-code generation that produces the §x§r§g§b§r§g§b encoding Minecraft requires for custom colors
- Gradient generator that interpolates between two hex colors across a text span and inserts the per-character hex codes
- Formatting buttons for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, obfuscated, and reset with visual state indicators
- Preview panel rendering the MOTD at two different GUI-scale widths to catch line-wrap issues
- One-click copy outputting the raw §-encoded string ready to paste into server.properties
How It Works
Type Your Message and Apply Formatting Codes
Enter your server message of the day text in the editor and apply Minecraft formatting codes including colors, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, and obfuscated. Click the formatting buttons to insert the correct section-sign codes at your cursor position without needing to memorize the code values.
Preview How It Looks In-Game
The live preview renders your formatted text using Minecraft default font and colors, showing exactly how the MOTD will appear in the multiplayer server list. This eliminates the common problem of misaligned colors or broken formatting that only becomes visible after restarting the server.
Copy the Formatted MOTD for server.properties
Copy the final formatted string with all color and formatting codes embedded. Paste it directly into the motd field of your server.properties file. The output uses the correct escape sequences that Minecraft expects, so the formatting works immediately without additional editing.
Who Uses This
Server Owners
designing eye-catching server list entries with custom colors and formatting that make their server stand out in the multiplayer browser, increasing click-through rates from players browsing for new servers to join
Server Network Administrators
maintaining consistent branding across multiple servers in a network by using the same color scheme and formatting patterns in every server MOTD, updated through the editor when seasonal events change the messaging
Server Listing Optimizers
iterating on MOTD designs and previewing them before committing changes, testing different color combinations and text layouts to find the most visually appealing presentation within the server list character limits
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