> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bigbluebutton.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What's New in BigBlueButton 4.0

> A ten-minute video tour of the new interface in BigBlueButton 4.0.

<Note>
  **Draft** — this page is draft documentation for BigBlueButton 4.0. The details described here may change before release.
</Note>

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**.

<iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KXeIoETYVno" title="What's New in BigBlueButton 4.0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />

## What changed

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The media area" icon="photo-film" href="/docs/4.0/presenter-guide/the-media-area">
    One place to share your screen, slides, an external video, or a camera as content — with thumbnails of your slides.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The apps gallery" icon="grid-2" href="/docs/4.0/presenter-guide/the-apps-gallery">
    Breakout rooms, polling, the timer, and the learning analytics dashboard gathered in one gallery. Pin the ones you use.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Minimize the presentation" icon="grip" href="/docs/4.0/presenter-guide/minimize-the-presentation-and-switch-to-grid-view">
    The layout manager is gone. Minimize the presentation and everyone sees a grid of tiles.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Participant permissions" icon="sliders" href="/docs/4.0/moderator-guide/participant-permissions-and-policies">
    Lock settings are now affirmative permissions — a checked box means participants can do it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Presenting modes" icon="user-check" href="/docs/4.0/moderator-guide/presenting-modes">
    Assign the presenter role, let participants request it, or let anyone present at any time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Two panels side by side" icon="table-columns" href="/docs/4.0/user-guide/open-two-panels-side-by-side">
    Add a second panel and keep the user list and chat — or any two panels — open together.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

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.

## 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.

## Where to start

* **Students and participants** — read the [User Guide](/docs/4.0/user-guide/open-two-panels-side-by-side) section.
* **Presenters** — read the [Presenter Guide](/docs/4.0/presenter-guide/the-media-area) section.
* **Moderators and educators** — read the [Moderator Guide](/docs/4.0/moderator-guide/participant-permissions-and-policies) section.