How to Add a Minecraft Server to a Server List (Votifier, 2026)

To add a Minecraft server to a server list, make sure it is online 24/7 at a fixed address, set a motd in server.properties and a 64 by 64 pixel server-icon.png in the server's main folder, then make an account on each list site and submit your address, port, version and tags. For vote rewards, install NuVotifier, give it its own open TCP port in plugins/Votifier/config.yml, and paste its public.key into the list.

What server lists need from you

The status check is the same one the Minecraft multiplayer screen uses, so if your server shows up there with a green ping, the list can read it too. It needs enable-status=true in server.properties, which is the default.

Before you start

• Keep it online. Lists check your server regularly and push offline servers down or remove them. A server that only runs while your PC is on will not rank.
• Use a fixed address. If your IP changes, every listing breaks. A domain pointing at the server, with an SRV record when the port is not 25565, lets you move later without editing every list.
• Turn the whitelist off if you want strangers, and decide your rules first. Lists bring in people you do not know. Grief protection, see how to install GriefPrevention, is worth having before you go public.

Step 1: Set the MOTD

The MOTD is the text under your server name in the multiplayer list, and most list sites show it too. Edit motd in server.properties with the server stopped:

motd=§6§lMaple SMP §7| §aSurvival 26.x\n§fClaims, economy, weekly events

§ is the section sign that starts a colour or format code: 6 gold, a green, 7 grey, f white, l bold. \n starts the second line. Writing the escape instead of the symbol itself avoids broken characters when the file is saved in the wrong encoding. Keep each line short, around 45 characters, or it gets cut off in the client. More keys are in Minecraft server.properties explained.

Step 2: Add a server icon

1. Make a square PNG exactly 64 by 64 pixels. Larger images are ignored.
2. Name it server-icon.png, all lower case.
3. Upload it to the server's main folder, next to server.properties, not into the world folder.
4. Restart. The icon now shows in the multiplayer list and on lists that read it.

Step 3: Submit the server to the lists

Each site works the same way: sign up, click add server, fill in the form, verify ownership if asked. Well known general lists include Planet Minecraft, minecraftservers.org, Minecraft-MP and minecraft-server-list.com. Some ask you to prove ownership by putting a code in your MOTD for a few minutes, so keep the panel or file manager open while you submit.

Fill in everything: a clear description of what makes your server different, the right version, real tags, a Discord link and a banner. Lists rank mostly by votes, so a complete page that converts visitors into players matters more than being on twenty sites.

Step 4: Set up NuVotifier for vote rewards

Votes are how lists rank servers, and rewards are how you get players to vote. NuVotifier receives the vote from the list site. A second plugin gives the reward.

1. Download NuVotifier for Paper, Spigot or Purpur, put the jar in plugins/ and restart once. It creates its folder with config.yml and an rsa folder holding public.key and private.key.
2. Stop the server and open plugins/Votifier/config.yml:

host: 0.0.0.0
port: 8192

3. Change port to a port that is actually open to the internet for your server (see the warning below), save and start.
4. On each list's settings page, enter your server address as the Votifier host, the port you chose, and the contents of rsa/public.key.
5. Install a vote listener plugin that turns votes into rewards (VotingPlugin and SuperbVote are common choices) and set the rewards in its config.
6. Test with the list's test vote button, or /testvote in game.

The port nobody opens

NuVotifier listens on its own TCP port, 8192 by default, separate from the game port. On a home server that port also needs forwarding on the router. On any hosted server, 8192 is almost never one of the ports assigned to you, so the list's vote packets never arrive, and the list just reports that Votifier is unreachable. The fix is to set port in config.yml to a port your server owns, then give the list that port, not 8192.

The public key format

Paste the key as one block of letters and numbers, exactly as it appears in public.key. Do not add BEGIN PUBLIC KEY lines unless the site asks for them, and do not paste private.key. If you regenerate the keys, every list needs the new public key.

Common problems

• List says the server is offline: the address or port is wrong, the server was down when the list checked, or enable-status is false. Test the exact address in your own multiplayer screen.
• Icon does not show: the file is not exactly 64 by 64, not a real PNG, not named server-icon.png, or not in the main folder. Restart after uploading.
• MOTD shows strange characters: the section sign got saved in the wrong encoding. Use § codes instead.
• Votes count on the site but nobody gets rewards: NuVotifier is not reachable. Check the port in config.yml is open and matches the list, and that the public key is current.
• Votifier works but no reward is given: NuVotifier only receives votes. Install and configure a vote listener plugin.
• Wrong version on the list: lists show what your server reports. With ViaVersion installed it can report a range, set the version manually on the site if needed.

Listing a GamezServers server

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers the server stays online without your PC, which lists reward. The name and description you set in the panel are written into motd when you save them, so either set your text there or edit server.properties by hand afterwards (saving the name in the panel again rewrites it). Every Minecraft server comes with two extra ports beyond the game port, meant for voice chat and a web map. If one is free, NuVotifier can use it: put that number in config.yml and on the list. Upload the icon and plugins through the file manager or SFTP. For more ways to bring players in, see how to grow a game server community.

FAQ

How do I get my Minecraft server on a server list?

Sign up on a list site, click add server and enter your address, port, version, tags and description. The server has to be online when the site checks it.

What size is a Minecraft server icon?

64 by 64 pixels, as a PNG named server-icon.png in the server's main folder.

What port does Votifier use?

8192 by default, over TCP. It must be a port that is open for your server, so on hosted servers you usually change it to one of your assigned ports.

Why do votes not give rewards on my server?

Either NuVotifier is not reachable from the list (wrong port or key), or there is no vote listener plugin installed to hand out the rewards.