Minecraft Color Codes
The complete reference for Minecraft's 16 color codes and 6 formatting codes, with a live preview and one-click copy below.
Color
Formatting
Live preview
Section-sign code (in-game chat, signs, books)
§aSteveAmpersand code (server plugins, MOTD configs)
&aSteveMinecraft Color Codes
Minecraft's color codes are a fixed set of 16 colors, each triggered by a code character after a section sign (§) or, on most servers, an ampersand (&) that gets translated to a section sign automatically. They've been part of the game since the earliest chat-formatting system, well before Minecraft added custom hex colors in Java 1.16.
Minecraft Color Codes List
| Color | Code | Hex |
|---|---|---|
| Black | §0 / &0 | #000000 |
| Dark Blue | §1 / &1 | #0000AA |
| Dark Green | §2 / &2 | #00AA00 |
| Dark Aqua | §3 / &3 | #00AAAA |
| Dark Red | §4 / &4 | #AA0000 |
| Dark Purple | §5 / &5 | #AA00AA |
| Gold | §6 / &6 | #FFAA00 |
| Gray | §7 / &7 | #AAAAAA |
| Dark Gray | §8 / &8 | #555555 |
| Blue | §9 / &9 | #5555FF |
| Green | §a / &a | #55FF55 |
| Aqua | §b / &b | #55FFFF |
| Red | §c / &c | #FF5555 |
| Light Purple | §d / &d | #FF55FF |
| Yellow | §e / &e | #FFFF55 |
| White | §f / &f | #FFFFFF |
Minecraft Formatting Codes
Beyond color, six codes control text style. These stack with a color code and each other:
§l / &l— Bold: Thickens the text.§o / &o— Italic: Slants the text.§n / &n— Underline: Draws a line under the text.§m / &m— Strikethrough: Draws a line through the text.§k / &k— Obfuscated: Randomly cycles the characters while displayed.§r / &r— Reset: Clears all color and formatting after this point.
Where Minecraft Color Codes Work
In vanilla Java Edition, typing § directly into chat disconnects you, and signs and books don't accept typed color codes at all — Java 1.21.6 even removed pasting § into books. These codes work in non-gameplay text (server.properties, resource pack names, world/server names set via NBT) and through commands or datapacks like /tellraw. Real colored chat almost always comes from a server plugin translating & codes — it's not a vanilla toggle. Bedrock Edition is the exception, supporting these codes directly in chat, signs, and books. See our Chat Color Codes guide for the full breakdown of getting colored chat on a real server.
Minecraft Color Codes vs Hex Color Codes
The 16 codes above are fixed — you can't mix your own shade. Java Edition 1.16 added a separate system, custom hex colors (#RRGGBB), usable in JSON text components like /tellraw for any RGB value, not just the 16 presets. See our Hex Color Codes guide for examples and a hex-to-command generator.
Frequently asked questions
- How many color codes does Minecraft have?
- 16 named colors, each tied to a single character code (0–9 and a–f) after a § or & symbol, plus 6 additional formatting codes for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, obfuscated, and reset.
- Do I type & or § for Minecraft color codes?
- Minecraft itself reads §. Most servers let you type & instead and translate it to § automatically, since § is awkward to type directly — but neither works when typed straight into vanilla Java chat, signs, or books.
- Are Minecraft color codes the same on Java and Bedrock?
- The 16 colors and their codes are the same on both editions, but where you can use them differs — Bedrock supports typing them directly into chat, signs, and books, while vanilla Java restricts them to commands, datapacks, and config files.
- What's the difference between color codes and hex codes?
- Color codes are a fixed palette of 16 preset colors available since the early formatting system. Hex codes, added in Java 1.16, let you specify any RGB color via JSON text components — a much larger range, but Java-only and command-based.