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Draft — this page is draft documentation for BigBlueButton 4.0. The details described here may change before release.
BigBlueButton 4.0 introduces a new interface. In 3.0, the presenter’s Actions (+) menu mixed things that changed the presentation — switching or uploading a presentation — with things that did not, such as the timer or picking a random user. The gear menu was a similar collection: lock viewers, clear reactions, create breakout rooms, the learning analytics dashboard. Both menus grew organically over the years. 4.0 sorts this out. Everything you share now lives in the media area, and every other tool lives in the apps gallery.

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What changed

The media area

One place to share your screen, slides, an external video, or a camera as content — with thumbnails of your slides.

The apps gallery

Breakout rooms, polling, the timer, and the learning analytics dashboard gathered in one gallery. Pin the ones you use.

Minimize the presentation

The layout manager is gone. Minimize the presentation and everyone sees a grid of tiles.

Participant permissions

Lock settings are now affirmative permissions — a checked box means participants can do it.

Presenting modes

Assign the presenter role, let participants request it, or let anyone present at any time.

Two panels side by side

Add a second panel and keep the user list and chat — or any two panels — open together.
Other changes shown in the video:
  • User list — a search box for finding someone quickly in a large session, and user actions unified into one place.
  • Chat — pin a message so it stays at the top of the chat as the conversation moves on.
  • Shared notes — a new editor with slash commands, headings, code blocks, and tables, and much better pasting from Google Docs and similar tools.
  • Profile — your away/available status and your webcam settings, including adding a second camera, now live at the top of the user list.
  • Settings — moved to the bottom left. Language, font size, notifications, keyboard shortcuts, about, and a link to this knowledge base.

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What stayed the same

The whiteboard controls, the presentation controls, and the media controls along the bottom — share audio, share webcam, share screen, reactions, raise hand — work as they did in 3.0, along with start recording, connection status, and leave.

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Where to start