What size should a Minecraft server icon be?

It must be a 64 by 64 pixel PNG named `server-icon.png`. Minecraft Java Edition ignores any other size or format, so resize the picture before you upload it.

Where does server-icon.png go?

In the main server folder, the same folder as `server.properties` and `eula.txt`. Not in the world folder and not in a subfolder. Restart the server afterwards.

How do I change the MOTD of my Minecraft server?

Open `server.properties`, change the `motd=` line, save the file and restart the server. Use `\n` to start the second line. Players see the new text the next time they refresh their server list.

How do I make the MOTD colored?

Use the section sign (§) followed by a color code, for example `§6` for gold or `§a` for green. In `server.properties` the section sign has to be written as `\u00a7`, so gold text is `\u00a76Welcome`. Add `\u00a7r` to reset the style.

Why is my server icon not showing?

The usual causes are a wrong file name, a size that is not 64 by 64, a file in the wrong folder, or no restart after adding it. Players may also need to refresh the list, or restart the game, because Minecraft caches icons.

Does a server icon work on Bedrock?

Not in the same way. The `server-icon.png` file is a Java Edition feature. Bedrock Dedicated Server has a server name but no custom icon file. Bedrock players who join through Geyser see the Java server's MOTD.

How long can an MOTD be?

The server list shows two lines, and long lines are cut off at the width of the list. Keep each line to about 45 characters of visible text so nothing is cut off on a small window.

Tree Host

How to Set a Custom Minecraft Server Icon and MOTD

Updated November 11, 2026 · by the Tree Host team

To set a custom icon, save a 64 by 64 pixel PNG as server-icon.png in your server folder and restart. To set the MOTD, edit the motd= line in server.properties, use \n for a second line and \u00a7 for color codes, then restart. Both show up in the Multiplayer list.

This guide is for Minecraft Java Edition 1.21 and newer on Vanilla, Paper, Purpur and Fabric. If you want to know what the other lines of that file do, read server.properties explained.

What the icon and MOTD are

When someone opens the Multiplayer screen, Minecraft asks every saved server for a short status reply. That reply holds the server name, the player count, a small picture and two lines of text. The picture is the icon. The two lines are the MOTD, short for message of the day.

They are the first thing a friend sees. A clear icon and a line that says what the server is make it easy to spot in a long list. They also help on the public server list if you share yours.

1. Make the icon

Pick a picture. Bold shapes and few colors look best at a tiny size. Pixel art stays sharp.
Crop it to a square. A wide picture will be squashed if you do not crop it first.
Resize it to exactly 64 by 64 pixels. Any image editor can do this, and so can most free web tools.
Export it as a PNG and name it exactly server-icon.png, all lowercase.

The size and the name are not flexible. A 128 by 128 picture, or a file called Server-Icon.png, is simply ignored. There is no error in the console. The server just shows the default grey icon.

2. Put the icon on the server

Stop the server, or be ready to restart it.
Upload server-icon.png to the main server folder. That is the folder that holds server.properties, eula.txt and the plugins or mods folder.
Start or restart the server. The server reads the file when it starts.
Open Minecraft, go to Multiplayer and press Refresh. Your icon should appear.

If you move files by SFTP, the SFTP guide shows how to connect. On a home server, just copy the file into the folder with a file manager.

3. Write the MOTD

Open server.properties in a text editor and find the line that starts with motd=. Replace the text after the equals sign. For example:

motd=Welcome to Sam's survival world\nWhitelisted. Be kind. Have fun.

The \n is a line break. Without it you get one line. The server list shows two lines at most, so anything past the second line is not shown. Save the file and restart the server. The MOTD is read at startup.

4. Add colors and styles

Minecraft uses the section sign (§) plus one character to change color or style. In server.properties you cannot type the section sign directly in every editor, so the file expects its escaped form, \u00a7. Gold text then looks like this:

motd=\u00a76Welcome to Sam's world\n\u00a7aSurvival \u00a7r| \u00a7eFriends only

Code	Effect
`\u00a70` to `\u00a79`	Black, dark blue, dark green, dark aqua, dark red, dark purple, gold, gray, dark gray, blue
`\u00a7a` to `\u00a7f`	Green, aqua, red, light purple, yellow, white
`\u00a7l`	Bold
`\u00a7o`	Italic
`\u00a7n`	Underline
`\u00a7m`	Strikethrough
`\u00a7k`	Scrambled letters
`\u00a7r`	Reset color and style

A color code stays on until you reset it or set another. Put \u00a7r between sections if you mix styles. Do not overuse them. Two colors and one bold word read better than a rainbow.

5. Do it in the Tree Host panel

On Tree Host you do not have to edit the file. Open your server, then Settings → MOTD. You can click a color or style, or type & codes such as &6 for gold and &l for bold. Any color works with a hex code like &#ff8800 on Minecraft 1.16 and newer. The preview shows how it will look, and {name} inserts your server's name.

On Paper, Purpur, Folia and Spigot the change shows right away, and you can add animation frames so the text changes each time players refresh. Other server types use the first frame with the classic 16 colors after a restart. The icon works the same way: Settings → Server icon → Upload icon. Tree Host crops it to a square and resizes it to 64 by 64 for you, then you restart the server. All of this is in the servers guide.

Tree Host is not open for creating your own servers until launch, but you can look at the panel on the demo server. See what is included.

Fix it when it does not show

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Default grey icon	Wrong size or format	Make it exactly 64 by 64 pixels, saved as a PNG
Default grey icon	Wrong name or folder	Name it `server-icon.png` and put it next to `server.properties`
Old icon still shows	Minecraft cached it	Refresh the list, or restart the game
Old MOTD still shows	Server not restarted	Restart the server after saving `server.properties`
Strange symbols like Â§	The section sign was pasted with the wrong encoding	Use `\u00a7` instead
MOTD looks cut off	Line too long	Shorten each line to about 45 visible characters
Colors missing	Code written as `&6` in the file	In `server.properties` use `\u00a7`; `&` codes work only in a panel that converts them

If the server uses a proxy such as Velocity, the proxy's own MOTD and icon are what players see when they connect to the proxy address. Set them there, not on the game servers behind it.

Ideas for a good MOTD

Say what the server is: survival, creative, minigames, a modpack.
Name the Minecraft version if it is unusual, so nobody joins with the wrong one.
Tell people how to join, such as "Whitelisted: ask Sam".
Keep it short, so it is readable on a small window.
Change it for events. A new line for a weekend build contest makes the server feel alive.

A custom MOTD is also a good place to announce the version. If you plan to upgrade, see how to change the Minecraft version of your server. If your friends keep asking how to join, how to make a Minecraft server for friends covers it from the start.

Quick checklist

Icon: 64 by 64 PNG, named server-icon.png, in the main folder.
MOTD: motd= line in server.properties, \n for the second line.
Colors: \u00a7 plus a code, \u00a7r to reset.
Restart the server, then refresh the Multiplayer list.

That is all it takes. Five minutes of work makes the server look like yours.

Want a server list entry you can edit with a preview and a button? Look at the plans, or open the demo.

See plans Try the demo server

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