How to Change a Minecraft Server MOTD
Overview
When joining a Minecraft server, one of the first things players notice is the server's MOTD (Message of the Day). The MOTD provides a brief description of the server, such as its game mode, server type, events, or maintenance schedules. A well-crafted MOTD with colored and styled text adds character and personality to your server. As a server provider, it is essential to guide your customers on how to change their server's MOTD. This article will walk you through the steps to change the MOTD on a Minecraft server.
How to Change Your Minecraft Server MOTD
Step 1: Generating the MOTD
- Visit a website like mctools.org or any similar tool.
- In the provided text field, type and format the MOTD according to your preferences.
- Once you have created the desired MOTD, copy the generated text.
Step 2: Editing the server.properties File
- Access the root directory of your Minecraft server.
- Locate the "server.properties" file and open it using a text editor.
- Look for the line that starts with "motd=". If it already exists, proceed to the next step. If not, add a new line with "motd=" at the beginning.
- Replace the default MOTD text (e.g., "A Minecraft Server") with the copied MOTD text from Step 1.
- Save the changes to the "server.properties" file and close the text editor.
Common Issues
MOTD Still Showing "New Minecraft Server" If the MOTD is still displaying the default value after making the changes, consider the following:
- Ensure that the Minecraft server has been restarted after modifying the MOTD.
- Verify that the changes made to the "server.properties" file were saved correctly.
- If you are running a network like Bungeecord, you may need to set the MOTD from the "config.yml" file instead of the server settings.
Colors Not Working If the colors in your MOTD are not appearing as expected, consider the following:
- Avoid using the "&" symbol for color coding unless you are using Bungeecord.
- We highly recommend using tools like mctools.org to ensure proper color code formatting.
