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The BigBlueButton interface is organized into distinct regions, each serving a specific purpose during your session.

Interface Regions

Toolbar (Top)

The toolbar at the top of the screen provides quick access to session-wide controls:
  • Audio controls — join/leave audio, mute/unmute your microphone
  • Webcam toggle — start or stop sharing your camera
  • Screen share — share your screen or application window
  • Raise hand — signal to the moderator that you have a question
  • Reactions — send quick emoji reactions to the session

User List (Left Panel)

The user list shows all participants in the session:
  • See who is a moderator, presenter, or viewer
  • View participant status indicators (raised hand, away, etc.)
  • Moderators can manage users from this panel (mute, promote, remove)
See Manage Users for moderator controls.

Chat Panel (Left Panel)

The chat panel supports both public and private messaging:
  • Public chat — visible to all participants
  • Private chat — one-on-one messages between participants
  • Save or copy chat messages for reference
See Send Public and Private Chat Messages.

Presentation Area (Center)

The main content area displays:
  • Uploaded presentations (PDF, slides)
  • Screen shares from the presenter
  • External videos shared by the presenter
  • The whiteboard for annotations and collaborative drawing
Presenters control navigation using Presentation Controls.

Webcam Area

Webcams can be positioned in different areas depending on your layout:
  • Webcam pagination — navigate through multiple webcam feeds.
  • Pin a webcam — keep a specific webcam visible. See Pin a Webcam.
  • Move webcams — reposition the webcam area. See Move Webcams.

Screen Layouts

BigBlueButton offers several layout options to optimize your view:
  • Default layout — balanced view of presentation and webcams
  • Grid layout — equal-sized tiles for all webcam feeds. See Grid Layout.
  • Custom layouts — moderators can push a layout to all participants. See Push Layout.
See Layout Options for details.