Minecraft Color Codes
Every chat colour & formatting code, a live preview, and copy-ready output in §, &, \u00A7, JSON, and MiniMessage — plus a hex gradient generator.
Code Reference
Click any code to copy it. Colour codes use §0–§f; formatting uses §k–§r.
Formatter
Type text and click codes to insert them (or type &/§ codes directly).
Preview
Gold Bold Aqua Underlined
Section (§)
§6§lGold Bold §r§bAqua §nUnderlined
Ampersand (&)
&6&lGold Bold &r&bAqua &nUnderlined
Unicode escape (\\u00A7)
\u00A76\u00A7lGold Bold \u00A7r\u00A7bAqua \u00A7nUnderlined
MiniMessage
<gold><bold>Gold Bold </bold></gold><aqua>Aqua </aqua><aqua><underlined>Underlined</underlined></aqua>
JSON text component
["",{"text":"Gold Bold ","color":"gold","bold":true},{"text":"Aqua ","color":"aqua"},{"text":"Underlined","color":"aqua","underlined":true}]Gradient Generator
Blend colours across your text — great for names, MOTDs, and titles on modern servers.
Stops:
Gradient Text
MiniMessage
<gradient:#FF5555:#5555FF>Gradient Text</gradient>
Legacy hex (§x)
§x§F§F§5§5§5§5G§x§F§1§5§5§6§3r§x§E§3§5§5§7§1a§x§D§5§5§5§8§0d§x§C§6§5§5§8§Ei§x§B§8§5§5§9§Ce§x§A§A§5§5§A§An§x§9§C§5§5§B§8t§x§8§E§5§5§C§6 §x§8§0§5§5§D§5T§x§7§1§5§5§E§3e§x§6§3§5§5§F§1x§x§5§5§5§5§F§Ft
JSON text component
["",{"text":"G","color":"#FF5555"},{"text":"r","color":"#F15563"},{"text":"a","color":"#E35571"},{"text":"d","color":"#D55580"},{"text":"i","color":"#C6558E"},{"text":"e","color":"#B8559C"},{"text":"n","color":"#AA55AA"},{"text":"t","color":"#9C55B8"},{"text":" ","color":"#8E55C6"},{"text":"T","color":"#8055D5"},{"text":"e","color":"#7155E3"},{"text":"x","color":"#6355F1"},{"text":"t","color":"#5555FF"}]How to Use the Minecraft Color Codes
The full set of Minecraft colour and formatting codes with a live preview. Copy your styled text as §, &, \u00A7, JSON, or MiniMessage — and blend hex gradients across it.
Quick Steps
- 1Browse the Code Reference and click any code to copy it
- 2In the Formatter, type text and click colours/formats to insert codes
- 3Copy the output in the format your use needs — § in-game, & for plugin configs, JSON for /tellraw
- 4Use the Gradient Generator to blend hex colours across a name or title
Example Use Cases
- Style signs, books, and /tellraw messages with colour and formatting
- Write a colourful server MOTD or plugin config (using & codes)
- Build a hex gradient name or title for a modern (Paper/MiniMessage) server
Tips
A colour code resets formatting — put the colour first, then §l/§o etc.
Hex colours need Java 1.16+; MiniMessage needs a Paper/Adventure server
Use §r (reset) to return to plain white, unformatted text
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Minecraft colour codes?
Minecraft has 16 chat colours, each triggered by the § (section) symbol followed by a character: §0 black, §1 dark blue, §2 dark green, §3 dark aqua, §4 dark red, §5 dark purple, §6 gold, §7 gray, §8 dark gray, §9 blue, §a green, §b aqua, §c red, §d light purple, §e yellow, and §f white. This tool lists them all with a live preview and one-click copy.
What are the formatting codes?
§l is bold, §o is italic, §n is underline, §m is strikethrough, §k is obfuscated (randomly scrambling characters), and §r resets all formatting back to normal. A colour code also resets any active formatting, so put the colour first and the format second (e.g. §c§l for red bold).
What is the difference between § and & codes?
They mean the same thing. The § (section) symbol is what Minecraft uses internally and in-game (books, signs, /tellraw). The & symbol is the plugin-friendly stand-in used in most server config files (Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Essentials) because § is awkward to type. This tool outputs both, plus the escaped \u00A7 form for JSON and server.properties.
How do I use hex colours in Minecraft?
Since Java 1.16 you can use any hex colour. In the raw text form it is written as §x followed by each hex digit prefixed by § (e.g. §x§F§F§8§8§0§0 for #FF8800). In modern JSON text it is simply {"color":"#FF8800"}, and in MiniMessage it is <#FF8800>. Use the hex picker in the formatter, or the Gradient Generator to blend hex colours across your text.
What is MiniMessage?
MiniMessage is a modern, tag-based text format used by Paper/Adventure servers and many plugins — for example <red><bold>Hello</bold></red> or <gradient:#ff0000:#00ff00>Rainbow</gradient>. It is not vanilla Minecraft, but it is the standard on most modern servers, so this tool outputs it alongside the classic § codes.