How the MOTD works
The server sends its MOTD whenever someone's multiplayer list refreshes, before anyone joins. The list shows two lines of about 45 characters each. Anything longer gets cut off, and a third line never shows.
Colours and styles come from formatting codes: a section sign § followed by one character. §6 turns the text gold, §l makes it bold. Typing § is awkward on most keyboards, so this tool lets you use & instead and converts it for you.
Putting it in server.properties
- Stop the server, or be ready to restart it. The MOTD is only read at startup.
- Open
server.propertiesin the server's main folder. - Replace the whole
motd=line with the one the tool gives you, then save. - Start the server and refresh your multiplayer list.
server.properties is read as Latin-1 text, so a raw § or an emoji can turn into junk depending on the editor that saved it. The tool writes § as \u00A7 and the line break as \n, which the game always reads correctly.
On Kiphost you can also set the MOTD from the Settings tab of your dashboard. Paste the § version from this tool there, not the & one.
Tips for a MOTD people click
- Put the important part on the first line. Some launchers and server lists only show that one.
- Two or three colours is plenty. A rainbow is hard to read on the list's dark background.
- Dark blue and black are nearly invisible there. Gold, yellow, aqua and white stand out.
- Say what the server is: survival with friends, a creative build, a modpack. Version numbers belong in the second line if anywhere.