How to Add a Minecraft Server Icon and MOTD

Quick Answer

Name your image server-icon.png, make it exactly 64x64 pixels, and drop it in your server's root folder, right next to server.properties. Restart the server and it should show up in the multiplayer list. If it doesn't, check the size and name again, or clear the client cache. For the MOTD, just edit the motd line inside server.properties.

The Exact Requirement

Minecraft is picky about this one. The file has to be named server-icon.png, all lowercase, no exceptions. It has to be exactly 64x64 pixels too, not 63, not 65. Anything else and the game just won't pick it up. PNG is the only format that works, so no JPG or WEBP here.

Where the File Goes

The icon sits right in the main server folder, the same place you'll find server.properties and your world folder. Don't tuck it inside a subfolder or rename the folder path, it needs to be right there at the root for the server to find it.

Uploading It via Panel or SFTP

If you're using a hosting panel, there's usually a file manager where you can just drag and drop the icon straight into the root folder. Some panels even give you a dedicated upload button just for the server icon.

Prefer doing it manually? You can connect over SFTP and upload it yourself. Our guide to using SFTP with WinSCP walks through the whole setup if you haven't done this before.

Why It Isn't Showing

Nine times out of ten, it's one of these three things. Either the image isn't 64x64, the file isn't named exactly server-icon.png, or your Minecraft client cached an old icon and just hasn't refreshed. Try resizing the image with any basic photo editor, double check the file name has no typos, and if it still won't show, remove the server from your multiplayer list and add it again fresh.

Setting the MOTD

The MOTD, short for message of the day, is the little line of text players see under your server name in the list. You'll find it in server.properties, on the line that starts with motd=. Just type whatever you want players to see right after the equals sign, save the file, and restart the server. For a full rundown of every other setting in that file, check our server.properties guide.

Colour and Formatting Codes in the MOTD

You can spice up the MOTD with colour codes, using the section symbol followed by a number or letter, like &a for green or &c for red. You can also throw in &l for bold text. Mix a few together and your server name can really pop in the list. Just keep it simple, too many colours in one line can look messy and hard to read.FAQs