The answer depends on the edition. In Minecraft: Java Edition, the bold name in a player’s multiplayer list is saved by that player, so the server owner cannot rename it remotely. The server owner can change the server’s message of the day (MOTD), which appears as the descriptive line in the entry. In Bedrock Dedicated Server, the displayed server name is controlled with server-name= in server.properties.
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Java and Bedrock use different names
Before editing anything, identify which text you want to change. A Java server entry has two separate pieces of text: a name chosen on the player’s computer and a server-provided MOTD. Bedrock Dedicated Server instead provides a server-side name setting.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →| Edition | Server-side setting | Where players see it | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | motd= in server.properties |
The descriptive line under the entry in the multiplayer list | The bold entry name is chosen and stored by each player when they add the server |
| Bedrock Dedicated Server | server-name= in server.properties |
The server list and the screen shown when players join | The key belongs to the Bedrock Dedicated Server configuration; Java instructions do not apply |
This distinction explains most reports that a Minecraft server name is not changing. Editing motd= on Java changes the server’s description, not a name that another player has already saved locally.
What Java players actually see
The bold name is client-side
When a player adds a Java server, the player supplies the label displayed in the list. That label is stored on the player’s client. It can be different for every player, and the server owner has no server-side setting that forces all clients to use one label.
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If you administer the server and a player asks you to rename the bold entry, explain that the player must edit the entry on their own computer. The player can select the existing server in the multiplayer screen, choose the control used to edit that entry, replace the saved label, and save it. The exact button wording can vary with the game version and launcher, but the important point is that this is a local list edit, not a server-file edit.
The text you can control is the MOTD
The Java server controls the MOTD through the motd= property in the server’s server.properties file. It is normally rendered as the second, descriptive line of the server-list entry. Changing it gives everyone the same server-provided message after their client refreshes the listing, while leaving each player’s locally saved label untouched.
Change the Java server MOTD safely
- Stop the server completely. Use the stop control in your hosting panel or the normal server-console shutdown procedure. Do not edit the file while the process is still running. The server can rewrite
server.propertiesduring operation, and an edit made to a live file may be overwritten. - Open the server root. Locate the
server.propertiesfile in the same server directory used by the Java server process. Make a backup copy before changing a working configuration if you need an easy rollback. - Find the MOTD property. Locate the line beginning with
motd=. Replace only the value after the equals sign. For a plain message, use a line such asmotd=My Survival Server - Save the file as plain text. Keep the property name and equals sign intact. Do not add a second
motd=line; duplicate keys make it unclear which value the server will use. - Start the server again. Allow it to finish starting before testing the listing. Starting the process after the edit ensures the server reads the saved value instead of replacing it with its in-memory configuration.
- Refresh the multiplayer list. The new MOTD should appear in the descriptive line of the Java entry. A player who still sees an old bold name is seeing their own saved client label, not evidence that the MOTD edit failed.
Format a Java MOTD with colors or a second line
Color codes
Java MOTDs can include a section-sign character followed by a formatting code. Enter the section sign as § immediately before the code and the text it should affect. For example:
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motd=§aWelcome to My ServerThe exact appearance depends on the code and the player’s client. If the characters appear literally, check that the value contains the actual section-sign character and that the file was saved as text; do not replace it with a descriptive word such as &green unless your particular server software explicitly documents that syntax.
Two-line MOTDs
The MOTD supports two lines only. Insert n between the lines in the property value:
motd=§6My Servern§fCommunity SurvivalHere, n is the two-character escape sequence written in the property, not a request to press Enter and create a physical second line in the file. Keeping the entire value on one motd= line prevents the second line from being interpreted as a separate, invalid property.
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Keep the value readable while editing
- Use one
motd=key and put all of its text after the equals sign. - Use
nfor the line break rather than inserting a real newline. - Place the section sign directly before each formatting code you intend to use.
- After saving, restart the server and refresh the list before diagnosing a display problem.
Why a Java server name may still look unchanged
A player is looking at a saved label
This is the most common explanation. If the bold first line remains unchanged but the descriptive line changes, the server is behaving correctly. The player must edit or remove and re-add the entry locally to choose a different label.
The file was edited while the server was running
A running server may write its current properties back to disk. Stop it, make the edit, save the file, and start it again. If a previous edit disappeared, repeat the change only after the process has fully stopped.
The wrong property was changed
For Java, the server-side text is motd=. A line named server-name= belongs to the Bedrock Dedicated Server configuration described below; adding that key to a Java file will not rename the Java list entry.
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The list has not refreshed
Return to the multiplayer screen and refresh or reopen it after the server has restarted. Test with the descriptive line, since that is the portion controlled by the server. If a newly added Java entry shows the new MOTD but an old entry keeps its old bold label, the difference is the client-side name storage.
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Formatting appears as plain characters
Check the spelling of the escape sequence and section sign, confirm that the entire value remains on one property line, then restart. A server-list preview that does not render a color code does not change the underlying distinction between the MOTD and the client-saved label.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Change the name on Bedrock Dedicated Server
- Stop the Bedrock Dedicated Server. Editing while it is active risks having its configuration write back over your change.
- Open the Bedrock server’s
server.properties. Use the file shipped with the Bedrock Dedicated Server installation, not a Java server directory. - Find
server-name=. Replace the existing value after the equals sign. For example:server-name=My Bedrock Server - Escape apostrophes. If the name contains an apostrophe, precede it with a backslash, as in
server-name=Alex's World - Save the file and start the server. Keep the key exactly as
server-nameand avoid creating a second line with the same key. - Check the result from a client. The configured name is used in the server list and is also shown when players join. If the old text remains, verify that you edited the active Bedrock installation and that the server was stopped before saving.
Hosted panels and managed servers
A control panel may present a friendly name field, a file editor, or both. Panel-specific labels and workflows are not uniform, so do not assume that a field called “server name” changes the same text in every edition. First identify whether the server is Java or Bedrock, then confirm which underlying setting the panel edits.
For a Java server, a panel field cannot override the name that an individual player has already saved in that player’s multiplayer list. At most, it may edit the MOTD or provide a shortcut to server.properties. For Bedrock Dedicated Server, use the panel’s supported editor for the server-name= property when available, or stop the server and edit the file directly according to the host’s documented workflow.
A practical diagnosis checklist
- Only one player sees the old bold name: that player has a local Java label; edit the entry on that player’s client.
- Everyone sees the old Java description: confirm that
motd=was changed in the active server root, the server was stopped during editing, and the process was restarted. - A Bedrock name does not change for anyone: check that
server-name=was edited in the Bedrock Dedicated Server’s activeserver.properties, then restart. - The second MOTD line is missing: use the literal
nescape in the value and keep the MOTD on one physical file line. The Java MOTD has a two-line limit. - An apostrophe breaks the Bedrock value: escape the apostrophe with a backslash and restart after saving.
- The setting keeps reverting: stop the server before editing and make sure you are not modifying a backup, staging directory, or inactive installation.
Version and configuration cautions
Property names and behavior can change between Minecraft or server-software versions. The instructions above describe the keys identified for Java Edition and Bedrock Dedicated Server in the documented configuration. Before applying them to a new release, verify the current server.properties reference for that version and confirm that your server software still uses the same key names.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCommunity-maintained references are useful for explaining these settings, but they are not the same as an official Mojang statement. Treat the exact key name as version-sensitive, especially when a host supplies its own panel or modifies the standard server files.
The short answer
For Java Edition, you cannot remotely rename the bold server-list entry: each player owns that label. Change the server-controlled description with motd=, using n for a second line and § formatting codes when needed. For Bedrock Dedicated Server, stop the server and change server-name= in its server.properties, escaping apostrophes with a backslash. Restart before testing either change.
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