EssentialsX sends hundreds of messages: teleport requests, balance checks, home and warp confirmations, kick screens, errors. Out of the box they're readable but plain, and they don't match the rest of your server. The good news is that every single one can be changed. This guide shows you how, for EssentialsX 2.22.
Where the messages live
EssentialsX doesn't put its messages in config.yml. They live in a language file:
If that file doesn't exist, EssentialsX uses the built-in defaults. To start customizing, create the messages folder and add the file. You only need to include the messages you want to change. Any key you leave out falls back to the default.
Each line is one message in key=value form:
balance=<primary>Balance\:<secondary> {0}
The key (balance) must stay exactly as it is. You only edit the text after the =
.
Choosing a language
Set the language in
plugins/Essentials/config.yml
:
locale: en
EssentialsX then loads
messages_en.properties
. For German, set
locale: de
and it loads
messages_de.properties
. If the line is commented out, the server's own default locale is used.
Want each player to see their own client language? Set
per-player-locale: true
and provide a file for every language you support.
Adding colors and formatting
EssentialsX 2.21 and newer read
MiniMessage
formatting, the same tag style used by Paper and many modern plugins:
balance=<gray>Your balance is <gold>{0}</gold>.
You can use named colors (
<red>
), hex colors (
<#F78FB3>
), gradients (
<gradient:#ffc3a0:#f78fb3>text</gradient>
) and styles like
<bold>
or
<underlined>
.
Keep the placeholders
Placeholders like
{0}
and
{1}
are replaced with real values: a player name, an amount, a time. If you remove one, that information disappears from the message. If you reorder words, keep each number with the value it belongs to.
For example, in
moneySentTo
,
{0}
is the amount and
{1}
is the player:
moneySentTo=<green>You sent {0} to {1}.
Three mistakes that break messages
1. Single apostrophes.
In messages with placeholders, a single
'
is treated as a quote character and can swallow the rest of the line. Write two instead:
playerNotFound=That player couldn''t be found.
2. A backslash at the end of a line.
In
.properties
files, a trailing
\
means "this line continues on the next one", so the next message gets glued onto this one and disappears. If you need a trailing space, write
\
(backslash, then a space) and make sure your editor doesn't strip it.
3. The wrong encoding.
Save the file as UTF-8. Otherwise symbols like
✔
,
♥
or German umlauts turn into garbled characters.
Apply your changes
Run this in the console or in game:
/ess reload
No restart is needed. If a message looks wrong, check the console. EssentialsX reports files it can't read.
Want hover text, clickable buttons and sounds?
Colors are just the start. In our next guide we show how to add
EliteDenizen · 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read