Minecraft MiniMessage Gradients and Colour Codes

Coloured text is one of the fastest ways to polish a Minecraft server — rank prefixes, join messages, item lore, and MOTDs all benefit from clear formatting.

On modern Paper servers, MiniMessage (Adventure) is the preferred format. Many older plugins still expect legacy & or § codes, including hex via &x.

Section 01

MiniMessage basics

MiniMessage uses angle-bracket tags. Common examples:

• <red>Hello</red> — named colour
• <bold>Important</bold> — decoration
• <#55FF55>Custom hex</#55FF55> — hex colour
• <gradient:#FF55FF:#55FFFF>Gradient text</gradient> — colour blend across characters

Section 02

Gradients and hex colours

Gradients work best on short phrases (rank names, MOTD lines). Long paragraphs with dense gradients can be hard to read in-game.

1. Pick two (or more) hex colours that contrast enough to read on dirt/stone backgrounds.
2. Wrap the text in a <gradient:...> tag, or generate the string with the Colour Text Generator.
3. Paste into your plugin config and reload — verify in-game, not only in a web preview.

Example MiniMessage gradient:

<gradient:#22C55E:#4ADE80>Mine Studios</gradient>

Section 03

Legacy colour codes

Legacy formats use & (configs) or § (some APIs). Named colours are &a, &b, … Hex often looks like:

&x&2&2&C&5&5&EMine Studios

That is &x followed by six nibble pairs for RRGGBB. Our hex picker can emit this form automatically.

Section 04

Where to use coloured text

• MOTD — keep lines short; test both online and offline player views.
• Ranks / chat prefixes — prefer readable contrast over maximal rainbow effects.
• Item lore / GUIs — MiniMessage is common on Paper menu plugins.
• Scoreboards / tabs — respect character limits and update rates.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions