Formatting codes



Formatting codes, also known as color codes, add color and modifications to text in-game.

Text in Minecraft can be formatted with the section sign. To type it on Windows, press or. On macOS, press. On Linux, press. $$, the section sign can be entered into signs, world names, renaming items and in the chat. However, external programs can be used to insert it in other locations.

In Java Edition, section signs can no longer be used inside book and quills.

Color codes


Messages sent from the server to the client can contain color codes, which allow coloring of text for various purposes.

A section sign (§) followed by a hex digit in the message tells the client to switch colors while displaying text.

Formatting codes
Text can be formatted using the § symbol followed by a character. The § symbol can be used in any text input $$ and may be used in the server.properties and pack.mcmeta files and world/server names $$.

If a color code is used after a formatting code, the formatting code will be disabled beyond the color code point. For example,  displays as X Y , whereas   displays as X Y. Therefore, when using a color code in tandem with a formatting code, ensure the color code is used first and reuse the formatting code when changing colors. can be used to reset all texts format beyond it, e.g.  displays as XXX YYY.

Note: The random characters placed after  will always be the same width as the original characters. For example, any random character cycled through where the letter "m" would be wide characters while any random character in the spot of an "i" would be narrow characters.

Typing
To enter "§" on Windows with most US/UK English keyboards type, , or if  is enabled in windows registry, (You should also have a hexadecimal numpad to be able to press ). On a Mac US keyboard, ( for US Extended). On Linux with the compose key activated, type. The player can also type it by using Unicode shortcuts:.

Alternatively, the player can copy the character from this page, and press or  to paste the character into a book. Note that pasting does not work on anything (e.g. chat, command blocks, world names, etc.).

Sample text
The following text can be pasted into a Book and Quill to produce what is shown in the picture:

§nMinecraft Formatting

§r§00 §11 §22 §33 §44 §55 §66 §77 §88 §99 §aa §bb §cc §dd §ee §ff

§r§0k §kMinecraft §rl §lMinecraft §rm §mMinecraft §rn §nMinecraft §ro §oMinecraft §rr §rMinecraft

Use in server.properties and pack.mcmeta
In order to get an MOTD colored or formatted,  must be used instead of  ; for example,   would be. The full list of them is listed below. Colors can be used in conjunction with formatting. The formatting must be done after the color.

Given that  files accept raw JSON text as descriptions, the usage of   can be replaced by text components with different color and style, though using   still works.

Compatibility with older versions
Formatting codes can be used in the  line in a  file, but the section signs must be escaped as. If a section sign is entered directly, the server will replace it with  ; clients will display the   character as a question mark. Delete the  character in the MOTD if it comes with a bunch of question marks: this will happen if something is not compatible.

Use in custom language packs
Formatting codes can be used to color names and description in language files by using § then any of the numbers/letters displayed above. This is also used in end.txt and credits.txt. An example of this is  to make the name of a diamond appear as Diamond.

Use in world names
With the use of external tools, such as NBTExplorer, world names can have custom colors and formatting codes. To modify the name, choose the LevelName tag in the world's level.dat. In this example, LevelName is set to.



Additionally, the player can rename the world's folder to contain one of the codes. In the world selection menu, the specified color or effect will appear.

The player can also use a resource pack with a § already in the world name when creating a world and all the user has to do is to change the color code after the §.

Use in server names
With the use of a third party tool such as NBTExplorer, server names can have custom colors. To utilize this functionality, select the attribute in the  file inside the  directory using a third party tool. In the following example, the tag is set to :



Trivia

 * The color codes almost exactly match, in order, the 16 colors available using a Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), as released in 1981. Only color 6 differs; the formula exception for color 6 in Minecraft – – differs from that made for CGA –.