This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition and Java Edition. |
A book showing the possible formatting options with the character that performs them.
Formatting codes, also known as color codes, add color and modifications to text in-game.
Hi hypixel community, today I just wanted to show you a simply whay to make your threads /posts nicer and Kooler. The Unicode text symbols are text that can be easilly copied and paste it into the forum and into even minecraft itself. Sep 23, 2016 - Just copy by highlighting which symbol(s) you want to use and click Ctrl & C, then, paste it when you have chat open and paste with Ctrl & V!
Text in Minecraft can be formatted with the section sign (
§
). To type it on Windows, press Alt+NUMPAD2NUMPAD1 or Alt+NUMPAD0NUMPAD1NUMPAD6NUMPAD7. On macOS, press ⌥ Option+6. On Linux, press Compose+S+O. In Bedrock Edition, the section sign can be entered into signs, world names, renaming items and in the chat. However, external programs can be used to insert it in other locations.In Java Edition, section signs can no longer be used inside book and quills.[1]
- 2Formatting codes
- 3Use in server.properties and pack.mcmeta
Color codes[edit]
Hex digit to color mapping. Use § followed by the corresponding color letter/number; e.g. §e will give you yellow.
Messages sent from the server to the client can contain color codes, which allow coloring of text for various purposes.
A section sign (§) followed by a hex digit in the message tells the client to switch colors while displaying text.
Code | Name | Foreground color | Background color | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | G | B | Hex | R | G | B | Hex | ||
§0 | black | 0 | 0 | 0 | 000000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 000000 |
§1 | dark_blue | 0 | 0 | 170 | 0000AA | 0 | 0 | 42 | 00002A |
§2 | dark_green | 0 | 170 | 0 | 00AA00 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 002A00 |
§3 | dark_aqua | 0 | 170 | 170 | 00AAAA | 0 | 42 | 42 | 002A2A |
§4 | dark_red | 170 | 0 | 0 | AA0000 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 2A0000 |
§5 | dark_purple | 170 | 0 | 170 | AA00AA | 42 | 0 | 42 | 2A002A |
§6 | gold | 255 | 170 | 0 | FFAA00 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 2A2A00 |
§7 | gray | 170 | 170 | 170 | AAAAAA | 42 | 42 | 42 | 2A2A2A |
§8 | dark_gray | 85 | 85 | 85 | 555555 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 151515 |
§9 | blue | 85 | 85 | 255 | 5555FF | 21 | 21 | 63 | 15153F |
§a | green | 85 | 255 | 85 | 55FF55 | 21 | 63 | 21 | 153F15 |
§b | aqua | 85 | 255 | 255 | 55FFFF | 21 | 63 | 63 | 153F3F |
§c | red | 255 | 85 | 85 | FF5555 | 63 | 21 | 21 | 3F1515 |
§d | light_purple | 255 | 85 | 255 | FF55FF | 63 | 21 | 63 | 3F153F |
§e | yellow | 255 | 255 | 85 | FFFF55 | 63 | 63 | 21 | 3F3F15 |
§f | white | 255 | 255 | 255 | FFFFFF | 63 | 63 | 63 | 3F3F3F |
Formatting codes[edit]
Text can be formatted using the § symbol followed by a character. The § symbol can be used in any text input in Bedrock Edition and may be used in the server.properties and pack.mcmeta files and world/server names in Java Edition.
In Java Edition, if a color code is used after a formatting code, the formatting code will be disabled beyond the color code point. For example,
§cX§nY
displays as XY, whereas §nX§cY
displays as XY. Therefore, when using a color code in tandem with a formatting code, ensure the color code is used first and reuse the formatting code when changing colors. In Bedrock Edition, formatting codes will persist after a color code. Furthermore, if an obfuscated code is used and a reset code is not used before the end of the line, the client GUI will continue to obfuscate text past the MOTD and into the version number display:
§r
can be used to reset all texts format beyond it, e.g. §nXXX§rYYY
displays as XXXYYY.Code | Official Name |
---|---|
§k | Obfuscated |
§l | Bold |
§m | |
§n | Underline |
§o | Italic |
§r | Reset |
Note: The random characters placed after
§k
will always be the same width as the original characters. For example, any random character cycled through where the letter 'm' would be wide characters while any random character in the spot of an 'i' would be narrow characters.Typing[edit]
To enter '§' on Windows with most US/UK English keyboards type Alt+NUMPAD2NUMPAD1, Alt+NUMPAD0NUMPAD1NUMPAD6NUMPAD7, or if
EnableHexNumpad
is enabled in windows registry, Alt+NUMPAD+NUMPADANUMPAD7(You should also have a hexadecimal numpad to be able to press NUMPADA). On a Mac US keyboard, ⌥ Option+6 (⌥ Option+5 for US Extended). On Linux with the compose key activated, type Composeso. The player can also type it by using Unicode shortcuts: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+u00a7.Alternatively, the player can copy the character from this page (
§
), and press Ctrl+V or ⌘ Cmd+V to paste the character into a book. Note that pasting does not work on anything (e.g. chat, command blocks, world names, etc.).[Java Edition only]Sample text[edit]
The following text can be pasted into a Book and Quill to produce what is shown in the picture:
Use in server.properties and pack.mcmeta[edit]
In order to get an MOTD colored or formatted,
u00A7
must be used instead of §
; for example, §5
would be u00A75
. The full list of them is listed below.Colors can be used in conjunction with formatting. The formatting must be done after the color.Given that
pack.mcmeta
files accept raw JSON text as descriptions, the usage of §
can be replaced by text components with different color and style, though using §
still works.Code | Official Name | |
---|---|---|
MOTD code | ||
§0 | Black | u00A70 |
§1 | Dark Blue | u00A71 |
§2 | Dark Green | u00A72 |
§3 | Dark Aqua | u00A73 |
§4 | Dark Red | u00A74 |
§5 | Dark Purple | u00A75 |
§6 | Gold | u00A76 |
§7 | Gray | u00A77 |
§8 | Dark Gray | u00A78 |
§9 | Blue | u00A79 |
§a | Green | u00A7a |
§b | Aqua | u00A7b |
§c | Red | u00A7c |
§d | Light Purple | u00A7d |
§e | Yellow | u00A7e |
§f | White | u00A7f |
§k | Obfuscated | u00A7k |
§l | Bold | u00A7l |
§m | u00A7m | |
§n | Underline | u00A7n |
§o | Italic | u00A7o |
§r | Reset | u00A7r |
n | Extra line | n |
Compatibility with older versions[edit]
Formatting codes can be used in the
motd
line in a server.properties
file, but the section signs must be escaped as u00A7
. If a section sign is entered directly, the server will replace it with u00C2u00A7
(§
); clients will display the u00C2
character as a question mark. Delete the u00C2
character in the MOTD if it comes with a bunch of question marks: this will happen if something is not compatible.Use in custom language packs[edit]
Formatting codes can be used to color names and description in language files by using § then any of the numbers/letters displayed above. This is also used in end.txt and credits.txt. An example of this is
§dDiamond
to make the name of a diamond appear as Diamond.Use in world names[edit]
With the use of external tools, such as NBTExplorer, world names can have custom colors and formatting codes. To modify the name, choose the LevelName tag in the world's level.dat. In this example, LevelName is set to
§1R§2e§3d§4s§5t§6o§7n§8e §9C§ar§be§ca§dt§ei§fo§1n§2s
.Additionally, the player can rename the world's folder to contain one of the codes. In the world selection menu, the specified color or effect will appear.
The player can also use a resource pack with a § already in the world name when creating a world and all the user has to do is to change the color code after the §.
Use in server names[edit]
With the use of a third party tool such as NBTExplorer, server names can have custom colors. To utilize this functionality, select the
Name
attribute in the servers.dat
file inside the .minecraft
directory using a third party tool. In the following example, the Name
tag is set to§4§lMinecraft §6§lServer
:Trivia[edit]
- The color codes almost exactly match, in order, the 16 colors available using a Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), as released in 1981. Only color 6 differs; the formula exception for color 6 in Minecraft –
#FFAA00 – differs from that made for CGA –
#AA5500.
References[edit]
Minecraft by Mojang AB, Xbox Game Studios, 4J Studios, SkyBox Labs, Other Ocean Interactive, Telltale Games, Double Eleven, and NetEase | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Help | ||||||||||||||
Game customization | ||||||||||||||
Editions |
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Official Merchandise | ||||||||||||||
Other |
|
Retrieved from 'https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Formatting_codes&oldid=1450676'
This helped me :D ---Darkus Relling of SDP 04:02, 25 June 2012 (UTC)
Ampersand (&) vs. section mark (§)[edit]
Currently, the article seems to use these symbols (& and §) interchangeably. Can someone who's familiar with it confirm which one is correct, or if both can be used equivalently in-game? -- Orthotope 05:27, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- I think the guys who created this (Pbfy0) confused the two symbols. It should be the section sign (§). - Asterick6(talk) 20:55, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
- You are correct, it should be the section sign. I just undid the changes of someone who changed the sections signs to ampersands, and changed the remaining ampersands to section signs as well. Hopefully whoever did that will leave it alone now. 83.87.133.123 16:34, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- I believe the reason some editors have made this mistake is because many bukkit servers run plugins that can change the '&' to '§' without the user even knowing, making it very easy to become confused. -- maxpowa 01:12, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
How do you get § sign?[edit]
I can't seem to paste it on to a sign... is there a keyboard shortcut?
It's only a key on the keyboards of people in Europe... I've tried pasting AND doing the keyboard shortcut but neither of them work in minecraft (they do work in word processor programs and other text things like search engines). Anyone know how we cam make this work?
I switched to a layout that has the section sign and can still not type it, nor paste it. 166.248.64.81 03:58, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
- Pasting it in works for me in Book & Quill, but not in Talk. PhilHibbs 22:28, 16 August 2012 (UTC)
There is a plugin/mod that replaces the selection sign (§) to (&).
You can type it by holding Alt, pressing number pad 2, pressing number pad 1, then releasing Alt. 12 Me 21 (talk) 19:17, 9 February 2014 (UTC)
For Mac, hold alt then hit 6. 107.130.102.163 05:09, 11 February 2015 (UTC)Whatever works for you will work for the colour coding.
From an european user with the § sign on the keyboard: Using it directly in the chat also doesn't work, like pasting. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 90.96.128.171 (talk) at 09:19, November 30, 2016 (UTC). Please sign your posts with ~~~~
As of October 26, 2019, I've gotten the § sign by holding Alt(doesn't matter which side you hold) and pressing Numpad 0, Numpad 1, Numpad 6, Numpad 7 in sequence then releasing the Alt key.--Inshomothal (talk) 16:24, 27 October 2019 (UTC)
Adding Scoreboard name column to the color table[edit]
Since Scoreboard, textcolors now have official ingame names.
(when you use /scoreboard teams option someteamname color and press TAB, you can see them)Maybe we should add it to the table like so?
(when you use /scoreboard teams option someteamname color and press TAB, you can see them)Maybe we should add it to the table like so?
217.123.123.177 19:09, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
Sample | Code | Common Name | Scoreboard Name | Foreground Color | Background Color | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | G | B | HEX | R | G | B | HEX | ||||
§0 | Black | black | 0 | 0 | 0 | #000000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | #000000 | |
§1 | Dark Blue | dark_blue | 0 | 0 | 170 | #0000AA | 0 | 0 | 42 | #00002A | |
§2 | Dark Green | dark_green | 0 | 170 | 0 | #00AA00 | 0 | 42 | 0 | #002A00 | |
§3 | Dark Aqua | dark_aqua | 0 | 170 | 170 | #00AAAA | 0 | 42 | 42 | #002A2A | |
§4 | Dark Red | dark_red | 170 | 0 | 0 | #AA0000 | 42 | 0 | 0 | #2A0000 | |
§5 | Purple | dark_purple | 170 | 0 | 170 | #AA00AA | 42 | 0 | 42 | #2A002A | |
§6 | Gold | gold | 255 | 170 | 0 | #FFAA00 | 42 | 42 | 0 | #2A2A00 | |
§7 | Gray | gray | 170 | 170 | 170 | #AAAAAA | 42 | 42 | 42 | #2A2A2A | |
§8 | Dark Gray | dark_gray | 85 | 85 | 85 | #555555 | 21 | 21 | 21 | #151515 | |
§9 | Indigo | blue | 85 | 85 | 255 | #5555FF | 21 | 21 | 63 | #15153F | |
§a | Bright Green | green | 85 | 255 | 85 | #55FF55 | 21 | 63 | 21 | #153F15 | |
§b | Aqua | aqua | 85 | 255 | 255 | #55FFFF | 21 | 63 | 63 | #153F3F | |
§c | Red | red | 255 | 85 | 85 | #FF5555 | 63 | 21 | 21 | #3F1515 | |
§d | Pink | light_purple | 255 | 85 | 255 | #FF55FF | 63 | 21 | 63 | #3F153F | |
§e | Yellow | yellow | 255 | 255 | 85 | #FFFF55 | 63 | 63 | 21 | #3F3F15 | |
§f | White | white | 255 | 255 | 255 | #FFFFFF | 63 | 63 | 63 | #3F3F3F |
Ah I see someone removed the common name column and made Official Name, based on the color_names in Scoreboard but written like Color Names. That's even better than my idea.217.123.123.177 20:29, 5 February 2013 (UTC)
color codes[edit]
Link titleThe color codes wont work at all for Minecraft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHY!75.70.47.30 00:56, 4 February 2013 (UTC)
- No idea, use MCEdit, and if you want to use so many exclamation points, you should include some ones. Pokechu22 22:08, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
The Color Codes work now for Bedrock Edition. I've used them in Chat, Book & Quill, and Sign Posts.--Inshomothal (talk) 16:27, 27 October 2019 (UTC)
British spelling[edit]
At the moment, entering 'Color codes' redirects to this page, while 'Colour codes' (which is the British way of spelling 'color') does not. I think a fix would be quite useful. 87.174.225.191 15:53, 2 April 2013 (UTC)Signature
Done. Colour codes --whizzer0 16:21, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:)[edit]
Thanks, Minecraft Wiki makers. This really helps me in my mod that I have to edit my Book and Quill. I hope this page helps most people as much as it did me! I edited it so that they could realize that you could chat in color with &[number]!--24.124.116.62 22:54, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
- That's not a vanilla Minecraft function. The ampersand (&) is on modified servers.
--Kanegasi☺C
23:02, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
Euyup good but hard
192.168.98.65 02:46, 12 April 2013 (UTC) I need minecraft school
weird................[edit]
I somehow got to write in the error code writing but I can't do the color writing!
192.168.98.65 02:49, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
Additional formatting codes beyond colors?[edit]
Hiya. I was wondering what the type of code used for the server.properties file is for formatting codes, as I'm trying to figure out how to input characters such as the em dash (—) and others into my multiplayer MOTD. Or, better yet, if you know how to do that specifically, even better. Thanks! --64.187.231.76 01:02, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
Alt Code[edit]
When I use alt code in Minecraft, the numpad acts as arrow keys instead of numbers. I can use it outside Minecraft, but not in Minecraft. --13sparx13 10:57, 13 September 2013 (UTC)
Make sure you have your NumLock turned on, otherwise it doesn't work (in a book and quill that is). C4an7 (talk) 17:09, 23 December 2013 (UTC)
Section symbol support[edit]
Apparently, Mojang is slowly moving away from supporting § as a formatting symbol, as stated here by Dinnerbone: https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-33145?focusedCommentId=111521&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel#comment-111521
Should we mention this in the article?
—Hartspoon (talk) 18:15, 15 December 2013 (UTC)
![Minecraft text symbols Minecraft text symbols](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J-UeK_OJbzU/U09yrcQaD6I/AAAAAAAAB_c/h8WzHtqh9iE/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/Minecraft+Creeper+ASCII+Text+Art.jpg)
In 2019 Mojang still is supporting the § symbol.--Inshomothal (talk) 16:29, 27 October 2019 (UTC)
Where can I edit colors?[edit]
I'm just wondering; how can I edit the Minecraft files so that I can add more colors? I'm very confused. -Jack –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 99.29.6.139 (talk) at 22:21, 22 August 2014 (UTC). Please sign your posts with ~~~~
- No, you cannot. LB(T|C) 06:42, 29 August 2014 (UTC)
Gold background color?[edit]
The table currently reads that the Gold background color is 42,42,0 - however, looking at the pattern with the rest of the table, should it not be 127,42,0? LB(T|C) 06:43, 29 August 2014 (UTC)
- No, the table actually is correct as it is. There's a line of code that specifically brightens the red component of color 6, making it gold instead of olive (#AAAA00). The corresponding background is color 22, so it isn't changed and follows the pattern of the other background colors. Take a look at the class initializer of FontRenderer.java if you want to see the details of how the colors are calculated. -- Orthotopetalk 21:27, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
Using § in the language file for names doesn't work[edit]
The wiki says it does. I tested multiple times. Latest as of 1.8
Nmoleo64 (talk) 19:10, 7 December 2015 (UTC)
- Works just fine in the latest version. If you're using mods, that's likely the issue. Otherwise double-check that you're using resource packs correctly. Skylinerw (talk) 19:26, 7 December 2015 (UTC)
- No mods. it just doesn't work. Nmoleo64 (talk) 22:35, 7 December 2015 (UTC)
using :§ doesnit work in mc 1.9.4[edit]
you are not able to use § in minecraft 1.9.4.but you are able to use &so it is more usefu if the table up there was using & not § –Preceding unsigned comment was added by Bbraun02 (talk • contribs) at 22:23, 06 June 2016 (UTC). Please sign your posts with ~~~~
- You are not in vanilla. Skylinerw (talk) 22:29, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
Using § without external editors[edit]
As of right now, it is possible to use § in commands without the use of external editors. If you place a sign with a click event, with the unicode combination u00A7, you can use § in basically any command, allowing for uses such as coloured entity names and scoreboard objective names. Should the page be updated to reflect this (or is it just a bug that should be reported)? ~ CreepaShadowz (talk) 06:18, 10 August 2017 (UTC)
Which edition[edit]
Does this page only apply to the Java Edition or can these formatting codes also be applied in the Bedrock Edition? –Goandgoo ᐸ Talk
Contribs 11:14, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
Contribs 11:14, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
- They're used in Bedrock Edition and can be used everywhere freely without the use of external editors. This page should probably be updated to reflect that. --Pepijn (talk) 07:49, 2 October 2017 (UTC)
How to put player names in to a book[edit]
I want to know what a code to put player name to show in a book
Thx :)
Using the & symbol[edit]
Note that the & symbol can and will substitute the § symbol. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 73.208.148.54 (talk) at 22:41, 03 May 2018 (UTC). Please sign your posts with ~~~~
- As noted in several places on this talk page, that only works on modded servers. -- Orthotopetalk 22:46, 3 May 2018 (UTC)
I've Tried[edit]
I tried lots of times entering the § symbol, and I made sure Num Lock was on, I tried on a book and quill, and all I got was a 7 and 0 constantly switching between each other. Please tell me why this won't work.–Preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.175.37.107 (talk) at 1:09, 25 January 2019 (UTC). Please sign your posts with ~~~~
Is it true this is no longer supported in Java Edition 1.14?[edit]
The article makes it seem like formatting book text can still be done in Java edition 1.14 but that does not seem to be the case anymore. The article should be updated to reflect that fact. Polartwins (talk) 04:46, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
- It's no longer available in-game in Java; it's only available in text files like pack.mcmeta or server.properties. – Nixinova 05:20, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
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