Text Formatter
Format Minecraft text with color codes and hex colors, preview it pixel-for-pixel and convert between &, §, MiniMessage and JSON text components.
Input
Preview
Output
&6&lNURSHIA &8» &7Welcome back, &bSteve&7! &#ff55aaHex colors&7, &nunderlines&7 and &kmagic&7 all work.
Guide
How to use
- 1Type or paste your text. Legacy codes (
&c,§c), hex (&#ff5555,&x&f&f…), MiniMessage tags and JSON components are detected automatically. - 2Click a color or format in the toolbar to insert it at the cursor. With MiniMessage input, selected text gets wrapped in tags.
- 3Check the preview: it uses Minecraft’s exact character widths, shadow and effects.
- 4Pick the output your plugin or command expects and copy it.
Good to know
Color first, then format
A color code resets bold, italic and the rest. Write &c&lText, not &l&cText, or the bold is lost. The converter handles this for you.
Hex needs 1.16+
RGB colors work on Java 1.16 and newer. For older clients or Bedrock, pick “Closest legacy color” and hex is mapped to the nearest of the 16 codes.
1.21.5 changed commands
Since Java 1.21.5, /tellraw and other commands take text components as SNBT instead of JSON. Choose SNBT in the JSON tab when writing commands for new versions.
Questions
What is the difference between & and § color codes?
§ (the section sign) is the character Minecraft itself understands. & is a convention used by plugins such as EssentialsX and LuckPerms because § is hard to type: the plugin replaces & with § before the text reaches the game. Vanilla commands and server.properties only understand §.
How do I use hex colors in Minecraft?
Java Edition supports any RGB color in text since 1.16. In plugin configs the common forms are &#RRGGBB (EssentialsX and many others) and &x&R&R&G&G&B&B (Spigot’s native form). Paper and Velocity use MiniMessage: <#RRGGBB>. Vanilla commands use color:"#RRGGBB" inside a text component.
What is MiniMessage?
MiniMessage is the tag-based text format from the Adventure library, built into Paper and Velocity. Instead of codes you write tags like <red>, <bold> or <gradient:#ff0000:#0000ff>. Many modern plugins accept it in their configs.
Why does my text show § or other strange characters?
The file was saved or read with the wrong text encoding. Save configs as UTF-8, or use & instead of § so the encoding no longer matters. In server.properties, write § as \u00A7.
Do color codes work on Bedrock Edition?
Bedrock uses § codes too, with extra colors such as §g (Minecoin gold). It does not support hex colors or the & form. Use the “Closest legacy color” option for Bedrock text.