How to Change Your Server MOTD

The MOTD is the line of text under your server name in the Minecraft multiplayer list. By default it says "A Minecraft Server", which tells nobody anything. The panel has an editor with colour codes and a live preview of exactly how it will look, so you can see the result before you save.

1Open the MOTD Editor

• Log in to your game panel and click your Minecraft server.
• Click MOTD in the left menu under GAME SERVER.
• The Server list preview at the top shows your server exactly as players will see it in their list.

2Write Your Two Lines

• Line 1 is the main line, and Line 2 is optional. Each holds up to 59 characters, and the counter under the box tells you where you are.
• Keep it short and specific. "Survival, 1.21, no griefing" earns more clicks than "The best server ever".
• The preview updates as you type.

3Add Colour

• Click any swatch in Colors and formatting to insert a colour code at your cursor. Everything after it takes that colour until the next code.
• B, I, U, S and OBF add bold, italic, underline, strikethrough and the scrambled obfuscated effect.
• Reset inserts §r, which returns to plain white text. Use it when you want only part of a line coloured.
• If you prefer typing them, the codes are listed above the box: §0 to §f for colours, §l §o §n §m §k for formatting and §r to reset.

4Save and Restart

• Press Save MOTD. The panel writes it to motd= in server.properties, which you can see under Raw value stored in server.properties.
• Go to Console and press Restart. The MOTD is read when the server starts.
• Your players may need to refresh the multiplayer list, or restart Minecraft, before the new text appears.

Good to Know

• Two short lines beat one long one. Minecraft cuts the MOTD off at the width of the list entry, so a single long line is often clipped.
• Do not over-colour it. A line using six colours reads as noise. One accent colour on the part that matters works better.
• Some plugins take over the MOTD. If you install something like MiniMOTD, that plugin controls the message and your server.properties value stops being used.

Finished

Your server has a message worth reading in the server list. While you are making it yours, add a server icon so it has a picture next to the name too.