Minecraft Color Codes
Every color and formatting code with one-click copy and exact hex values — for chat, signs, books, team names, MOTD and plugin configs. Switch between the § and & prefixes.
Colors — click to copy
Formatting — click to copy
Color code reference (§ & hex)
All 16 chat colors with their Mojang name and hex value (for /tellraw and books):
§0black#000000§1dark_blue#0000AA§2dark_green#00AA00§3dark_aqua#00AAAA§4dark_red#AA0000§5dark_purple#AA00AA§6gold#FFAA00§7gray#AAAAAA§8dark_gray#555555§9blue#5555FF§agreen#55FF55§baqua#55FFFF§cred#FF5555§dlight_purple#FF55FF§eyellow#FFFF55§fwhite#FFFFFFFormatting codes
§l— Bold: Bold text§o— Italic: Italic text§n— Underline: Underlined text§m— Strikethrough: Struck-through text§k— Obfuscated: Randomly cycling glyphs§r— Reset: Clears all colors & formats
Where & how to use color codes
- Chat & commands — type
§+ the code (e.g.§cHello). Many servers/plugins accept&cin configs and convert it for you. - Server MOTD — in
server.properties, put the code in themotd=line using§(the escaped§), e.g.motd=§aMy Server. - /tellraw & written books — these use JSON text, not
§. Use a"color"field with a name ("color":"red") or, since 1.16, any hex ("color":"#FF8800"). - Team prefixes / scoreboard —
/team modifyaccepts the§color codes for player name colors.
Custom hex colors (1.16+)
Java 1.16 added full hex colors. In JSON text (tellraw, books, signs via data) use "#RRGGBB". In raw chat/section-sign contexts the long form is §x§R§R§G§G§B§B — a §x followed by each hex digit prefixed with § (e.g. orange #FF8800 → §x§F§F§8§8§0§0). Named codes above still work everywhere and are simpler.
FAQ
How do I use color codes in Minecraft?
Type the section sign § followed by the code (e.g. §c for red) before your text. In signs, books and the chat you use §; many servers and plugin configs use & instead (e.g. &c). On Bedrock, hold-and-paste § or copy it from this page.
How do I type the § symbol?
Copy it from this page, or on Windows use Alt+21 (numpad). Most server configs accept & as a stand-in, which is much easier to type.
What's the difference between § and &?
§ (the section sign) is what Minecraft reads in-game, signs and commands. & is a convention used by many plugins (EssentialsX, etc.) and config files, which then convert it to § for you.
Do color codes work in /tellraw and books?
/tellraw and written books use JSON text components with a "color" field (e.g. "color":"red" or a hex "#FF5555"), not § codes. The hex values on this page are the exact chat colors to use there.