The answer depends on your edition. In Minecraft: Java Edition, the bold name in a player’s multiplayer list is chosen and stored by that player; a server owner cannot rename it remotely. To change the text the server advertises, edit motd= in server.properties. In Bedrock Dedicated Server, edit server-name= in the same file. Stop the server before changing either file, then start it again and refresh the client list.
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What “server name” means in each edition
Minecraft uses similar-looking labels for two different pieces of text. Identifying the one you want to change prevents the most common mistake: changing the server’s MOTD and expecting every Java player’s saved list name to change.
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| Edition or setup | Text you can control from the server | Where it appears | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition, self-hosted or dedicated server | Message of the day (MOTD) | The server entry’s descriptive line, normally beneath the player’s own saved name | motd= in server.properties |
| Java Edition, a player’s multiplayer list | Display name chosen by that player | The bold name at the top of that player’s saved entry | Set in the player’s Minecraft client when the server is added or edited |
| Bedrock Dedicated Server | Server name | The server list and the text players see when joining | server-name= in Bedrock’s server.properties |
| Hosted control panel | Depends on the host’s interface | May affect a panel label, the in-game listing, or both | Use the panel’s documented field and verify which file or setting it changes |
The distinction is important for Java. When a player selects Add Server, Minecraft asks that player for a name. That value is saved locally on the player’s computer. The server does not have permission to overwrite it, so two people can have different bold names for the same address. The server’s own announcement is the MOTD, which is read from server.properties.
Bedrock Dedicated Server has a server-side name key instead. A change to server-name= is therefore the correct way to rename the dedicated server for Bedrock clients. Key names can vary between releases, so check the current server.properties documentation for the exact version you run before applying version-specific advice.
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Change the advertised text on a Java server
1. Stop the server cleanly
Shut the Java server down before opening its configuration. Use the console’s normal stop command or the stop control in your host panel, and wait until the process has finished saving and exited. A running server can rewrite server.properties; an edit made while it is live may be replaced when the server saves its settings or shuts down.
2. Open the correct file
In a self-hosted installation, open server.properties in the server root—the directory that contains the server files and the world folder. Do not edit a similarly named backup, a client configuration file, or a file inside the world directory. If the file is not visible, enable hidden-file display in your operating system and confirm that you are looking at the directory used by the start command.
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Make a backup copy before editing. A backup gives you a quick recovery path if a typo prevents the server from starting or causes another setting to be lost. Use a plain-text editor rather than a word processor, and preserve the existing key=value format.
3. Replace the MOTD value
Find the line beginning with motd=. Keep the key and equals sign, and replace only the value. For example:
motd=My ServerEverything after the first equals sign is the message players receive as the server’s description. Do not add quotation marks unless the file already requires them for a particular value. A space in the MOTD is ordinary text, so motd=My Server displays as “My Server.”
4. Add a second line when needed
The Java MOTD supports two lines. Put the characters
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Survival • Events every FridayThe backslash and n are two characters in the property value; they represent the break when Minecraft renders the MOTD. Do not press Enter inside the value or create a third physical line in server.properties. A third line is outside the supported two-line MOTD format and can turn into a separate, malformed property.
5. Apply colour codes carefully
Java MOTDs can use the section-sign character followed by a colour or formatting code. The section sign, §, is the ASCII-safe form to place before the code. For example:
motd=§aMy Server
§7A friendly survival worldHere §a requests green text and §7 requests gray text. The exact appearance depends on the Minecraft client and its rendering rules. If your editor or transfer method changes the section sign, remove the colour codes and test a plain MOTD first; a simple message makes it easier to determine whether the problem is the file or the characters.
6. Save, start, and refresh
- Save
server.propertiesas plain text in the same server directory. - Start the server with the command or panel you normally use.
- Wait until it has completed startup and is accepting connections.
- On a Java client, return to Multiplayer and refresh the list. If the entry is not updated immediately, leave the screen and open it again, or remove and re-add the address for a clean test.
Players who already added the address may still see their old bold name after the MOTD changes. That is expected: the bold name belongs to their local saved entry. They should edit the entry on their own client if they want the heading changed. The new MOTD is the server-controlled text they should see beneath it once the client refreshes.
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Change the name on Bedrock Dedicated Server
1. Stop Bedrock Dedicated Server
Use the server’s normal shutdown procedure before editing its properties. As with Java, changing a live configuration risks having the running process write the old value back over your edit.
2. Edit server-name=
Open the Bedrock Dedicated Server’s server.properties and locate server-name=. Replace the value after the equals sign. A basic example is:
server-name=My Bedrock ServerLeave the key exactly as shown for the release you are using. If the file supplied with your version uses a different key or spelling, follow that version’s current documentation rather than creating a second, guessed key. Unknown keys are ignored, so adding a new line with the wrong name will not rename anything.
3. Escape apostrophes
Bedrock’s property value requires apostrophes to be escaped with a backslash. For a name such as “Alex’s Realm,” write:
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server-name=Alex's RealmThe backslash is part of the file syntax. Without it, an apostrophe can be parsed incorrectly and the displayed name may be truncated or otherwise malformed. If you do not need an apostrophe, a plain name avoids this special case.
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4. Save and verify
- Save the file in its original server directory.
- Start Bedrock Dedicated Server again.
- Connect from a Bedrock client and check both the server list and the text shown when joining.
If the old name remains, stop the process and confirm that you edited the file belonging to the instance you actually launched. Multiple installations, test copies, and panel-managed directories are common sources of this error.
Java troubleshooting: the name still looks wrong
The bold name did not change
This is normally not a server failure. Java stores the bold multiplayer-list name on each player’s client. Have the affected player select the entry, choose Edit, and type the preferred name. The owner can change the MOTD, but cannot force a replacement for that client-side label.
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- Check the key: The line must begin with
motd=, not a similarly named setting. - Check the directory: Confirm that the file is in the same server root used at startup. A panel may run the server from a managed directory rather than the folder you first opened.
- Check the shutdown: If you edited while the process was running, stop it, make the change again, and restart.
- Check the client cache: Refresh Multiplayer or reconnect. Test with a player who has not manually changed the entry name if you need to distinguish a stale MOTD from a saved client label.
- Check syntax: Restore a plain value such as
motd=My Server. If that appears, add the second line or colour codes one at a time.
The server will not start after editing
Stop trying additional changes until you have restored a known-good configuration. Replace the edited file with your backup, or undo only the last change, then start the server. If the plain MOTD works but the formatted value does not, remove the section-sign codes and any second-line sequence and test again. Keep the file as plain text and preserve one property per physical line.
Only part of the message appears
Look for an unescaped apostrophe in a Bedrock server-name= value, an accidental physical line break in a Java MOTD, or a malformed colour sequence. Java’s supported MOTD is two lines; text beyond that should be removed rather than forced into a third line.
Formatting examples for Java MOTDs
| Goal | Value to enter | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| One plain line | motd=Oak Valley SMP |
A single server description |
| Two plain lines | motd=Oak Valley SMPnCommunity survival |
The title and description render on separate lines |
| Two coloured lines | motd=§6Oak Valley SMPn§fCommunity survival |
The first line requests gold and the second requests the default white tone |
| Bedrock name with an apostrophe | server-name=Jordan's World |
The apostrophe is treated as part of the name |
Use the simplest value that meets your goal. Formatting is optional; it does not change the server address, port, world, permissions, whitelist, or gameplay settings. A MOTD is also not a substitute for the Java list name that a player has already saved.
Hosted panels, managed servers, and version differences
A hosting dashboard may expose a field labelled “server name,” “MOTD,” or something similar. The label alone does not tell you which value it changes. Some panels edit the underlying server.properties; others use a panel-only label, and some may provide separate fields for a listing title and an MOTD. The exact behavior of individual providers is not established here.
Before saving a panel change, identify the edition and inspect the resulting configuration when the panel allows it:
- For Java, look for the
motd=value if your goal is the server’s advertised description. - For Bedrock Dedicated Server, look for
server-name=. - If the panel offers a separate listing-name field, determine whether it affects players’ saved Java names; normally it cannot overwrite those local entries.
Panels can also restart the server automatically. Treat a save that triggers a restart as equivalent to the stop-edit-start process, and wait for the server to finish loading before testing. Realms and other managed services may not expose a normal server.properties file at all; use the controls provided for that product rather than uploading a file intended for a dedicated server.
Configuration keys can change across Minecraft releases. The strongest readily available reference for these settings is the community-maintained Minecraft Wiki, not an official Mojang statement. Use the page for your edition and version to confirm the current key names, especially after an upgrade or when a newly generated properties file differs from older guides.
Quick Recap
A short decision checklist
- Are you on Java? If yes, decide whether you mean the player’s bold saved label or the server-controlled MOTD.
- Do you mean the bold label? Edit the entry on each player’s client; there is no server-side rename for that value.
- Do you mean the Java description? Stop the server and edit
motd=. - Are you running Bedrock Dedicated Server? Stop it and edit
server-name=. - Does the value contain an apostrophe on Bedrock? Escape it with a backslash.
- Need a second Java line? Use
n; do not insert a physical newline. - Need colour? Prefix the code with
§, then test a plain value if rendering fails. - Still seeing the old text? Verify the active directory, restart state, client refresh, and edition before changing anything else.
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