How to Use Color & Formatting Codes on Your Minecraft Server

Color codes are essential for customizing your Minecraft server. They allow you to add vibrant colors, bold text, and formatting effects to player chat, server announcements, in-game signs, item names, and scoreboards.

Depending on where you are typing—whether in vanilla single-player, a Spigot/Paper plugin, or server config files—Minecraft handles color codes using different symbols. This guide covers how to type the section symbol (§), the complete code reference list, and common use cases.

How to Type the Section Symbol (`§`)

Vanilla Minecraft uses the section symbol (§) to trigger color codes in-game. Here is how to type it on different operating systems:

Windows: Turn on NumLock, hold down the ALT key, type 21 (or 0167) on the numeric keypad, and release ALT.
Mac: Press Option + 6.
Copy & Paste: You can also simply copy it from here: §

Note for Plugins: Most Spigot, Paper, and Bukkit plugins (like EssentialsX or LuckPerms) automatically replace the ampersand symbol (&) with the section symbol, allowing you to type &a instead of §a!

Complete Minecraft Color Code Reference

Combine the section sign § (or & in plugins) with any of the following single-character codes:

Color Codes

Code	Color Name	Hex Equivalent	Visual Sample
`§0`	Black	`#000000`	Darkest black
`§1`	Dark Blue	`#0000AA`	Deep blue
`§2`	Dark Green	`#00AA00`	Forest green
`§3`	Dark Aqua	`#00AAAA`	Teal / Cyan
`§4`	Dark Red	`#AA0000`	Deep red
`§5`	Dark Purple	`#AA00AA`	Magenta / Purple
`§6`	Gold	`#FFAA00`	Orange / Gold
`§7`	Gray	`#AAAAAA`	Light gray
`§8`	Dark Gray	`#555555`	Charcoal
`§9`	Blue	`#5555FF`	Bright blue
`§a`	Green	`#55FF55`	Lime green
`§b`	Aqua	`#55FFFF`	Diamond aqua
`§c`	Red	`#FF5555`	Light red
`§d`	Light Purple	`#FF55FF`	Pink / Light purple
`§e`	Yellow	`#FFFF55`	Bright yellow
`§f`	White	`#FFFFFF`	Pure white

Formatting Codes

Code	Formatting Effect	Description
`§k`	Obfuscated / Magic	Randomly cycling characters (`§kMagic`)
`§l`	Bold	Makes text thick and bold
`§m`	~~Strikethrough~~	Draws a line through text
`§n`	Underline	Underlines text
`§o`	Italic	Slants text in italics
`§r`	Reset	Resets all colors and formatting back to default

Pro-Tip: Always place the color code first, followed by the formatting code. For example, §c§lWarning will produce bold red text, but §l§cWarning will reset the bold effect and only show red text!

Symbol Formats by Use Case

Minecraft uses different code formats depending on where you are configuring text:

In-Game Chat & Commands (Vanilla / Books / Signs): Use the section symbol: §aHello §lWorld
Plugins & Chat Formats (Spigot / Paper / EssentialsX): Use the ampersand symbol: &aHello &lWorld
server.properties Config (Vanilla MOTD): Use Unicode escape characters: \u00A7aHello \u00A7lWorld
Modern 1.16+ Hex RGB (Paper / MiniMessage): Modern Paper plugins support custom 6-digit HEX colors (e.g. &#FF5500 or <#FF5500>) for smooth rainbow gradients!

Common Use Cases & Examples

1. In-Game Signs

You can use § on vanilla signs (or & if using sign color plugins) to organize chest rooms or server rules:

§1[Server Rules]
§c1. No griefing
§c2. Be respectful

2. Custom Item Names in Anvils

When renaming items in an anvil, inserting § before color codes will permanently color the item name:

§6§lExcalibur

3. EssentialsX Chat Prefixes

When setting up LuckPerms or EssentialsX staff ranks:

prefix: "&8[&cAdmin&8] &f"

This produces: Admin Username: message

Conclusion

Mastering color codes is a quick way to make your server look professional and visually organized. Keep the reference tables bookmarked, place color codes before formatting codes, and enjoy customizing your server's chat and signs!