--- title: "Minecraft MOTD generator with colors, hex and gradient" description: "Build your Minecraft server MOTD with classic colors, hex color and gradient, preview it before restarting and copy the code ready for server.properties." url: "https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator" type: "page" language: "en-US" --- Minecraft · 11 min · Beginner Published on Aug 26, 2026 · Updated on Aug 26, 2026 # Minecraft MOTD generator: colors, hex and gradient The MOTD is the server's storefront in the game's server list. This guide explains how colored text works under the hood, what fits in the two lines, how to build a gradient without memorizing codes and which mistakes leave the message broken. By [Equipe StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/autores#equipe-streethosting) · StreetHosting infrastructure and support team [Minecraft server administration](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/minecraft-administration) Summarize with: [](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "ChatGPT") [](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. 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"Perplexity") Share: [](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Minecraft%20MOTD%20generator%3A%20colors%2C%20hex%20and%20gradient%20in%20the%20server%20list&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator "Share on X") [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator "Share on Facebook") [](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator "Share on LinkedIn") [](https://wa.me/?text=Minecraft%20MOTD%20generator%3A%20colors%2C%20hex%20and%20gradient%20in%20the%20server%20list%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fminecraft-motd-generator "Share on WhatsApp") For agents: Copy as Markdown [.md](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator.md) In this guide 9 sections * [What the MOTD is and where it shows up](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#o-que-e-a-motd) * [The real limit of the two lines](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#limite-das-duas-linhas) * [Color and formatting codes](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#codigos-classicos) * [Hex color and version compatibility](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#cor-hex) * [How a gradient is built](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#gradiente) * [The icon that goes with the MOTD](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#icone-do-servidor) * [Differences between Java and Bedrock](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#java-e-bedrock) * [Common mistakes that break the MOTD](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erros-comuns) * [A MOTD that converts clicks](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#motd-que-converte) Quick answer To build a colored MOTD without memorizing codes, use the [MOTD Lab](https://motdlab.streethosting.com.br/?utm%5Fsource=streethosting&utm%5Fmedium=site&utm%5Fcampaign=tools&utm%5Fcontent=guia%3Agerador-motd-minecraft-cores-gradiente): write the two lines, pick a **classic color**, **hex color** or **gradient**, preview it the way players see it in the list and copy the ready-made code to paste into the `motd` line of `server.properties`. ## What the MOTD is and where it shows up[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#o-que-e-a-motd) MOTD stands for message of the day. In Minecraft it is the short text that appears right below the server name in the multiplayer list, next to the icon and the connection bars. The server stores that text in the `motd` line of the `server.properties` file and sends it back every time someone queries its status. That means the MOTD travels a lot further than most owners imagine. It shows up in the game's server list, on listing sites that query the status, in Discord bots that show whether the server is up and in any status-checking tool. If you want to see exactly what your server is announcing right now, the guide on [how to check a server's status](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/check-minecraft-server-status) shows the full response, MOTD included. This guide covers the visual side: color, hex, gradient and readability. If what you need is the step by step of where to edit the file and upload the icon, go to [change the server MOTD and icon](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/change-minecraft-server-motd). The two complement each other. ## The real limit of the two lines[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#limite-das-duas-linhas) The MOTD has two lines. That is fixed. What almost nobody explains is that the limit of each line is not counted in characters but in on-screen width. The server list has a set amount of space, and text that goes past it simply does not show up for the player, with no warning at all. In practice, somewhere around 45 characters per line already touches the edge at common resolutions. That number drops when you use bold, because every character gets wider, and it drops with uppercase letters too. Color codes take up no visible space, but they count toward the field's size limit, which matters when you go overboard with gradients. * **First line:** keep it for identity. The server name, and nothing else. It is the line people read while scrolling the list. * **Second line:** keep it for the reason to click. Game mode, what is new this season, supported version. * **No third line:** any attempt to force an extra line break is ignored or turns into visual garbage. Since the limit is measured in pixels, guessing goes wrong. In the [MOTD Lab](https://motdlab.streethosting.com.br/?utm%5Fsource=streethosting&utm%5Fmedium=site&utm%5Fcampaign=tools&utm%5Fcontent=guia%3Agerador-motd-minecraft-cores-gradiente) the preview uses the same width as the in-game list, so you see right away whether the line fits or is going to get cut off. ## Color and formatting codes[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#codigos-classicos) Minecraft's classic color system uses the section sign followed by one character. Everything after it inherits that color until another code or a reset shows up. There are sixteen colors, inherited from the game's old palette, and they keep working in every version, which makes them the safe choice for a server with a mixed audience. | Code | Color | When to use it | | ---- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | a | Light green | Positive highlight, server open, something new | | b | Aqua | Server name, cool and clean tone | | c | Red | Alert, maintenance, urgent event | | d | Pink | Season, seasonal event, young audience | | e | Yellow | Attention grabber, best contrast on dark | | f | White | Neutral text, reading base | | 7 | Gray | Secondary info, supported version | | 6 | Gold | VIP, store, ranking | Beyond the colors there are the formatting codes. Bold thickens the text and is the only one that is usually worth it. Italic and underline reduce readability at a small font size. Strikethrough almost never makes sense. And the obfuscated code, the one that scrambles the characters in a never-ending animation, looks nice for two seconds and gets tiring for the rest of the time. If you use it, use it on two or three letters, never on the whole sentence. Dark colors like dark blue, dark green and dark gray almost completely vanish against the server list background. They exist as a holdover from the old game, not because they work well there. ## Hex color and version compatibility[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#cor-hex) Starting with 1.16, Minecraft began accepting hexadecimal color in text, which opened up the whole spectrum instead of the sixteen fixed colors. The format is peculiar: instead of a single code, the game expects the section sign, the letter x and then each of the six hex digits, each digit preceded by another section sign. One hex color therefore takes up fourteen characters in the field. That detail explains two things. First, why writing hex by hand is an exercise in patience. Second, why a MOTD with a lot of hex color gets close to the field's size limit even though it looks short on screen. ### When not to use hex[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#quando-nao-usar-hex) * **Players on an old version:** a client older than 1.16 does not understand the format. The result ranges from uncolored text to stray characters showing up in the middle of the sentence. * **Server behind an old proxy:** some old proxy versions filter or rewrite the text and eat the color along the way. * **Listing sites:** many server listing sites render only the classic colors and ignore hex, so the artwork you built turns into white text there. A middle ground that works: server name in hex or gradient, because that is where the looks pay off, and the second line in a classic color, because that is where the information needs to show up for everyone. ## How a gradient is built[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#gradiente) Gradient is not a Minecraft feature. The game has no color transition command at all. What exists is a trick: you paint each character of the word with a hex color slightly different from the previous one, going from the start color to the end color. Seen from a distance, the eye reads that as a smooth transition. The math behind it is a linear interpolation between the two RGB values, divided by the number of characters. A ten-letter word with a gradient carries ten hex color declarations, each with its fourteen characters, which adds up to one hundred and forty characters of code for ten visible letters. That is why a gradient across a whole sentence overflows the field and disappears. 1. Pick the word that gets the gradient. It is almost always the server name, on the first line. 2. Define two colors with enough contrast between them, but both light enough to be read against the dark background of the list. 3. Leave the rest of the text in a solid color. Gradient competing with gradient turns into a blur. 4. Generate the code and check the count. If the field overflows, shorten the word instead of changing the color. Building this by hand is unworkable, and it is literally the job the [MOTD Lab](https://motdlab.streethosting.com.br/?utm%5Fsource=streethosting&utm%5Fmedium=site&utm%5Fcampaign=tools&utm%5Fcontent=guia%3Agerador-motd-minecraft-cores-gradiente) does: you pick the two ends of the gradient, it interpolates, paints character by character and returns the finished line with the correct escapes. It sits alongside the other free utilities in [tools](https://streethosting.com.br/en/ferramentas). ## The icon that goes with the MOTD[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#icone-do-servidor) MOTD and icon are read together by the eye of whoever is scrolling the list, so designing one without the other wastes half the effect. The icon has strict rules and no flexibility. * PNG format, with transparency if you want * Exactly 64 by 64 pixels, not 63 and not 128 * File name exactly server-icon.png, all lowercase * In the server's root folder, next to server.properties * Server restart after uploading the file Sixty-four pixels is very little space. A logo with text turns into a smudge. What works there is a simple shape and strong contrast: one letter, one symbol, one recognizable block. And it pays to match the icon's dominant color with the MOTD's highlight color, so the whole thing reads as a single brand instead of two loose elements. ## Differences between Java and Bedrock[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#java-e-bedrock) The two editions handle the MOTD in very different ways, and ignoring that is the most common reason a message looks great on Java and broken on Bedrock. | Aspect | Java | Bedrock | | --------------- | -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Lines displayed | Two full lines in the list | The second line is ignored on many screens | | Hex color | Supported starting with 1.16 | Patchy support, depends on the screen and the version | | Formatting | Bold, italic and obfuscated work | Inconsistent behavior, bold is the most reliable | | Text source | motd line in server.properties | Fields announced by the server, usually equivalent | If your server gets both audiences through crossplay, the practical rule is to put everything that matters on the first line and treat the second as a bonus for Java players. The guide on [crossplay with Geyser](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/geyser-crossplay-minecraft) covers the rest of the setup. ## Common mistakes that break the MOTD[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erros-comuns) ### Wrong escape character[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erro-escape) `server.properties` is a properties file and interprets unicode escape sequences. Typing the section sign directly tends to survive in some panels and turn into garbage in others, depending on how the editor saves the file. The way that works everywhere is to write the unicode escape of the section sign before each color code. If your MOTD showed up with strange symbols where the color should be, that is why. ### Accents breaking the text[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erro-acento) Accents in a MOTD work, as long as the file is in the right encoding. When the panel saves the file in an encoding other than the expected one, accented words turn into scrambled characters. Two ways out: write the accents as unicode escapes, the same way as the section sign, or rewrite the sentence without accents. The second is ugly but never fails. ### MOTD unreadable on a light theme[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erro-legibilidade) The server list has a dark background, but the MOTD does not live only there. It shows up on listing sites, on Discord bot cards, in screenshots players share. In those places the background can be light, and then dark blue, dark gray and black disappear. Text that needs to be read in any context calls for mid-brightness colors: yellow, aqua, light green, medium red. ### Changed it and nothing updated[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erro-cache) After editing, restart the server. Reloading the configuration usually does not re-read the MOTD. And the client keeps the last status response, so sometimes you need to refresh the list or remove and re-add the server to see the change. An external status query settles the question of who is out of date, the server or your game. ## A MOTD that converts clicks[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#motd-que-converte) Someone scrolling the server list decides in under a second. The MOTD does not need to tell the server's story, it needs to answer one question: why this one and not the one above it. A few rules that work. * **One highlight color, not five.** Rainbow signals amateur hour. One strong color on what matters and the rest neutral signals the opposite. * **Say the game mode.** Survival, skyblock, bedwars, roleplay. Someone looking for a specific type only clicks if they know. * **News has an expiration date.** Announcing a new season works in the first few weeks. Leaving the same sentence up for six months only teaches returning players to ignore your MOTD. * **Supported version helps.** A discreet gray line with the version avoids half of the failed connection attempts. * **Do not promise what you do not deliver.** Announcing zero lag and delivering a stuttering server leads to uninstalls faster than announcing nothing at all. Keep in mind that the prettiest MOTD in the world holds nobody if the server goes down or freezes. The foundation is stable hosting, and that is what the [Minecraft hosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft) plans deliver. If you are setting up your first server right now, [Minecraft Fácil](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft-facil) comes online in about a minute and already includes the control panel where you edit `server.properties`. And at the turn of the season, when the MOTD changes along with everything else, the complete playbook is in [preparing the server for a new season](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/prepare-minecraft-server-new-season). In this guide * [What the MOTD is and where it shows up](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#o-que-e-a-motd) * [The real limit of the two lines](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#limite-das-duas-linhas) * [Color and formatting codes](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#codigos-classicos) * [Hex color and version compatibility](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#cor-hex) * [How a gradient is built](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#gradiente) * [The icon that goes with the MOTD](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#icone-do-servidor) * [Differences between Java and Bedrock](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#java-e-bedrock) * [Common mistakes that break the MOTD](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#erros-comuns) * [A MOTD that converts clicks](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-motd-generator#motd-que-converte) ## Frequently asked questions Is there a free Minecraft MOTD generator? Yes. StreetHosting's MOTD Lab is a free visual editor for the two MOTD lines. You write the text, apply a classic color, hex color or gradient, preview it the way players see it in the list and copy the code ready for server.properties. How do I add a gradient to the MOTD? Gradient is not a game feature. It is made by painting character by character with intermediate hex colors between the start color and the end color. Since doing that by hand is unworkable, the practical route is a generator that interpolates the colors and returns the assembled code. Why does hex color not work on my server? Hex color exists starting with version 1.16. On older servers or clients the text shows up uncolored or with stray characters left over. If a good share of your players are on an old version, prefer the classic single-digit colors. How do I write the section sign in server.properties? server.properties interprets unicode escapes, so typing the symbol directly tends to cause encoding problems. The safe way is to use the unicode escape sequence for the section sign before each color code. A generator already delivers the line in that format. How many characters fit on each MOTD line? In practice, somewhere around 45 characters per line before the text touches the edge of the server list. There is no magic number because the field is measured in pixels, and bold takes more space. That is why it pays to check the preview before applying. I changed the MOTD and the game still shows the old one Either the server was not restarted, or the client cached the previous response. Restart the server, refresh the list in the game and, if it persists, remove and re-add the server. An external status query confirms which MOTD the server is actually announcing. Next step Minecraft plans Compare Minecraft hosting options in Brazil. [Minecraft plans](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft) [Create a Minecraft server Simple plans for beginners, with activation within 60 seconds, Anti-DDoS and support in Portuguese.](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft-facil) [See Minecraft Pro Managed hosting on Ryzen with modpacks, optimized Paper and technical support.](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft-pro) ## Related guides [Minecraft Beginner How to change the MOTD and icon of your Minecraft server The MOTD and the icon are your server's first impression in the game list. Here is how to edit the text, add colors and upload a 64 by 64 pixel image. 3 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/change-minecraft-server-motd) [Minecraft Beginner Minecraft server status: how to check if a server is online Is the server down, or is it just you? This guide shows how to check the status of any Minecraft server from your browser, what each field means and what to do when it shows offline. 5 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/check-minecraft-server-status) [Minecraft Intermediate How to prepare a Minecraft server for a new season A new season is more than resetting the world: it involves community expectations, properly sized hardware, updated plugins and a marketing window that converts returning players and referrals. 4 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/prepare-minecraft-server-new-season) [← Back to the Guide Center](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides)