Minecraft Color Codes: Copy § and & Codes

Q: Why does &a show up as plain text instead of a color?

Minecraft only understands the section sign, so §a is a code and &a is just two characters. The & form works only where a plugin swaps it for § before the text is shown, for example in a plugin config file or in chat on a server with a chat plugin. In server.properties, on a vanilla server and in Bedrock Edition you need the § form. Paste your text into the converter on this page to switch it over.

Q: How do I add colors to my server MOTD?

Put § codes in the motd line of server.properties, for example motd=§aWelcome, then save the file and restart the server. Keep the MOTD to 59 characters or fewer. The MOTD generator builds that line for you.

Color codes

Color	§ code	& code
Black #000000 black
Dark blue #0000AA dark_blue
Dark green #00AA00 dark_green
Dark aqua #00AAAA dark_aqua
Dark red #AA0000 dark_red
Dark purple #AA00AA dark_purple
Gold #FFAA00 gold
Gray #AAAAAA gray
Dark gray #555555 dark_gray
Blue #5555FF blue
Green #55FF55 green
Aqua #55FFFF aqua
Red #FF5555 red
Light purple #FF55FF light_purple
Yellow #FFFF55 yellow
White #FFFFFF white
Minecoin gold #EFCE16 minecoin_gold
Quartz #D9CCB8 material_quartz
Iron #A9B4B7 material_iron
Netherite #8F727D material_netherite
Redstone #EE222C material_redstone
Copper #C87363 material_copper
Material gold #FFBF1E material_gold
Emerald #13A045 material_emerald
Diamond #5FECFF material_diamond
Lapis #577BFF material_lapis
Amethyst #B66CDD material_amethyst
Resin #FF6A00 material_resin
Party blue #8BB3FF party_blue

Formatting codes

Style	§ code	& code
Obfuscated Characters keep changing
Bold Thicker letters
Strikethrough A line through the text
Underline A line under the text
Italic Slanted letters
Reset Clears color and formatting

Convert & codes to § codes

Text with & codes

An ampersand is only converted when a code for the edition you picked comes right after it. Codes that already use § are kept.

With § codes

§6§lSurvival §r§7| §aOpen to everyone

5 & codes converted.

Preview

Survival | Open to everyone

Text with no color code uses this box's default color. In the game the default depends on where the text is shown. To put the result in a server list message, use the MOTD generator.

How Minecraft color codes work

A Minecraft color code is the section sign (§) followed by one character. Everything after the code takes that color or style until another code changes it. §aHello shows the word in green, and §c§lWarning shows it in bold red.

Java Edition has 16 color codes (0 to 9 and a to f) and six formatting codes. Bedrock Edition has the same 16 colors, draws several of them with slightly different hex values, and adds 13 more: minecoin gold, eleven material colors that the game uses in armor trim tooltips, and party blue. Switch the table to Bedrock Edition to see them. The Bedrock values are as of October 2026: Bedrock Edition 26.50, released in September 2026, changed blue and the material colors.

Put the color first, then the formatting

In Java Edition a color code switches off any formatting that came before it, so §l§cText is red but not bold. Write the color first: §c§lText. Bedrock Edition keeps the formatting when the color changes. In both editions §r clears the color and the formatting together.

Where you can use the codes

Java Edition

Java Edition does not accept § in the chat box or in commands such as /say, and you can no longer type or paste it into a book. The codes work in text the game reads from files:

the motd line in server.properties
resource pack files: pack.mcmeta, splashes.txt and language files
world titles
/tellraw and /title commands inside a data pack

In commands you type yourself, set the color with a text component instead. Its color field takes the technical name shown under each color in the table, such as gold, or a hex value such as #FF8800. For chat, signs and nicknames on a Java server, you need a plugin that accepts & codes.

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition accepts § in almost any text box. You can paste codes into chat, signs, a book and quill, and the anvil when you rename an item. Realm names and player names do not accept them, and some menu screens do not draw the colors, so a colored world name can show up plain.

How to type the section sign

Copying a code from the table is the quickest way on any device. To type § yourself:

Device	Keys
Windows	Hold Alt and type 21 on the number pad. Alt + 0167 often works too.
Mac	Option + 6 on a US keyboard, Option + 5 on US Extended.
Linux	Compose, then s, then o, if you have a compose key set up.
iPhone and iPad	Press and hold the & key on an iPhone, or the % key on an iPad.
Android	Gboard: on the extra symbols page. Samsung Keyboard: press and hold the s key.

Why & codes only work with a plugin

Minecraft itself only understands the section sign. The ampersand form is a convention from server plugins: you write &a, and the plugin swaps it for §a before the text is shown. The Bukkit API that Spigot and Paper plugins are built on has a function for exactly this. It replaces an ampersand only when the next character is 0 to 9, a to f, k to o or r.

So & codes work in a plugin's config file, and in chat when a chat plugin translates them and you have permission. With EssentialsX and its Chat add-on, for example, players need essentials.chat.color to use colors in chat. In server.properties, in vanilla chat or on a server with no plugins, nothing translates the ampersand, and players see &a as plain text. Wherever a place needs §, paste your text into the converter above.

Use color codes in your server MOTD

The MOTD is the message under your server's name in the multiplayer list. Open server.properties in your control panel's file manager, find the line that starts with motd= and put § codes in it:

motd=§6§lSurvival §r§7| §aOpen to everyone

Save the file and restart the server. Since Java Edition 1.20 the server reads this file as UTF-8, so save it in that encoding. If the colors come out as stray symbols, write \u00A7 in place of each §, which works whatever the encoding. Keep the MOTD to 59 characters or fewer, or the server list may show a communication error. The MOTD generator builds this line for you, and the server.properties generator writes the rest of the file.

Common mistakes

An ampersand that gets eaten. A plugin that translates & codes reads R&D as the letter R followed by the code for light purple. Put a space after an ampersand you want to keep.
Bedrock codes on a Java server. §g to §j, §p, §q and §s to §w are not codes in Java Edition, and §m and §n mean strikethrough and underline there, not redstone and copper.
No reset at the end. A code keeps working until another one replaces it. End a colored name or prefix with §r so the text after it goes back to normal.
Expecting hex colors. The § codes are a fixed palette. For any other color use a text component, or a plugin with its own syntax: EssentialsX accepts &#RRGGBB from version 2.18.0.

Sources

The data and rules in this tool were last checked on 12 October 2026 against:

Frequently asked questions

How do I type the section sign (§) for Minecraft color codes?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 21 on the number pad. On a Mac with a US keyboard, press Option + 6. On an iPhone, press and hold the & key, and on Android with Gboard look in the extra symbols page. The quickest way on any device is to copy a code from the table on this page, which puts the § on your clipboard with it.

Why does &a show up as plain text instead of a color?

Minecraft only understands the section sign, so §a is a code and &a is just two characters. The & form works only where a plugin swaps it for § before the text is shown, for example in a plugin config file or in chat on a server with a chat plugin. In server.properties, on a vanilla server and in Bedrock Edition you need the § form. Paste your text into the converter on this page to switch it over.

Can I use color codes in chat in Java Edition?

Not in vanilla. Java Edition does not accept the section sign in the chat box or in commands such as /say. On a Spigot or Paper server, a chat plugin can translate & codes for players who have permission: EssentialsX Chat uses essentials.chat.color. Bedrock Edition is different: you can paste § codes straight into chat.

What are the extra Bedrock Edition color codes?

Bedrock Edition adds 13 colors to the 16 that both editions share: §g minecoin gold, §h quartz, §i iron, §j netherite, §m redstone, §n copper, §p material gold, §q emerald, §s diamond, §t lapis, §u amethyst, §v resin and §w party blue. That is the list as of October 2026. None of them are color codes in Java Edition, where §m is strikethrough and §n is underline.

Why is my text not bold after I change the color?

In Java Edition a color code switches off any formatting that came before it. §l§cHello is red but not bold, while §c§lHello is both. Put the color first and the formatting code second. Bedrock Edition keeps the formatting when the color changes, so there you use §r to turn it off.

How do I add colors to my server MOTD?

Put § codes in the motd line of server.properties, for example motd=§aWelcome, then save the file and restart the server. Keep the MOTD to 59 characters or fewer. The MOTD generator builds that line for you.

Can I use hex colors with § codes?

No. The § codes are a fixed palette: 16 colors in Java Edition and 29 in Bedrock Edition. For any other color in Java Edition, use a text component in a command such as /tellraw, where the color field accepts a hex value like #FF8800. Some plugins have their own hex syntax as well: EssentialsX accepts &#RRGGBB from version 2.18.0.

Minecraft color codes and formatting codes