What are Minecraft color codes?

Minecraft color codes are special character sequences that change the color or formatting of text displayed in the game. They consist of a prefix character — either the section sign (§) used inside the game and data files, or the ampersand (&) used by many server plugins like Spigot and Paper — followed by a single character that identifies the color or format. For example, §c produces red text and §l makes text bold. These codes work in chat messages, item names, signs, books, scoreboard titles, and server MOTD strings.

Minecraft defines 16 named colors (codes 0–9 and a–f) and 6 formatting options. When a color code is applied, it resets all active formatting; when the reset code §r is used, both color and formatting return to their defaults. Codes are case-insensitive, so §C and §c produce the same result.

Tool description

This tool lets you compose text with Minecraft color and formatting codes and instantly preview how it will look against a dark background, matching the in-game appearance. Click any color or formatting button to insert the corresponding code at the end of your text, then copy the result and paste it wherever you need it — a server config file, a plugin message, a command, or a sign.

Examples

Input string Preview result
§cHello §fWorld "Hello" in red, "World" in white
§6§lGold Bold Gold-colored bold text
§aGreen §r§cRed "Green" in green, "Red" in red (reset between them)
§9§oBlue italic §nnow underlined Blue italic text, then blue italic underlined text
&eYellow &lbold Yellow text followed by bold yellow text (ampersand prefix)

Features

  • Live preview: See your formatted text rendered against a dark background as you type, matching the Minecraft chat appearance
  • One-click code insertion: 16 color buttons and 6 formatting buttons insert the correct code at the cursor position
  • Prefix switching: Toggle between the § (section sign) used natively in Minecraft and the & (ampersand) used by Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins; the tool automatically converts all existing codes in your text when you switch
  • Full color palette: All 16 standard Minecraft colors from Black (§0) to White (§f), each shown with its actual swatch
  • All formatting codes: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Obfuscated, and Reset

Color code reference

Code Color Hex
§0 Black #000000
§1 Dark Blue #0000AA
§2 Dark Green #00AA00
§3 Dark Aqua #00AAAA
§4 Dark Red #AA0000
§5 Dark Purple #AA00AA
§6 Gold #FFAA00
§7 Gray #AAAAAA
§8 Dark Gray #555555
§9 Blue #5555FF
§a Green #55FF55
§b Aqua #55FFFF
§c Red #FF5555
§d Light Purple #FF55FF
§e Yellow #FFFF55
§f White #FFFFFF

Formatting code reference

Code Effect
§l Bold
§o Italic
§n Underline
§m Strikethrough
§k Obfuscated (randomly cycling characters)
§r Reset all color and formatting

Use cases

  • Server administration: Craft colored MOTD strings, join/leave messages, and broadcast announcements for Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, or Velocity servers
  • Plugin and datapack configuration: Write formatted item names, lore lines, and NPC dialogue in YAML config files or JSON text components without trial and error in-game
  • Map making: Prepare sign text, book content, and scoreboard titles with precise color styling before placing them in the world