How to Custom Brand the BigBlueButton Interface and Logo

BigBlueButton branding can mean three different things: changing the logo on the server’s default web page, showing a logo inside a meeting, or redesigning the meeting client itself. Choose the smallest change that meets your goal. The first two are documented configuration or asset changes; a reworked color scheme, wording, or client layout generally requires building a customized HTML5 client.

This guide follows the BigBlueButton 4.0 administration documentation available on October 6, 2026. Paths and deployment packaging can differ by release or hosting provider. Confirm the version installed on your server before changing files, and take a backup first.

Choose the branding change you need

The server landing-page logo and the in-meeting logo are separate. Replacing one does not automatically replace the other.

Before you edit the server

You need shell access with permission to change the BigBlueButton server, and you should know whether the host is maintained by you or by a managed service. If a provider controls the server, ask whether it supports custom branding and whether it will preserve the changes during maintenance.

• Check your installed release and compare it with the matching BigBlueButton server customization guide.
• Save a copy of the current logo and any configuration file you plan to edit.
• Prepare a clean logo file that remains recognizable at the size shown in your site or meeting. The documentation does not specify a universal pixel size, so inspect the actual display area rather than relying on an assumed dimension.
• Use an image URL that meeting participants can reach without signing in. Prefer HTTPS and verify the URL from outside the server before using it.

Change the default web-page logo

For BigBlueButton 4.0, the administration guide identifies the default logo at /var/www/bigbluebutton-default/assets/images/logo.png. This affects the default website served by the server. It does not set the logo shown inside the HTML5 meeting client.

1. Connect to the server and confirm the file exists at the documented path. If the path is different, pause and check the documentation for your installed version instead of copying the file into a guessed directory.
2. Back up the existing asset. For example, an administrator can copy it to a dated backup file in the same directory before replacing it. Keep the original permissions and ownership in mind when installing the replacement.
3. Place your new logo at the documented location using the filename logo.png. Check that the image file is actually PNG data and that it has enough contrast against the page background.
4. Open the public BigBlueButton landing page in a private browser window or clear the browser cache. Confirm that the new mark appears without being stretched, clipped, or blurred.

The official guide gives the asset location but does not promise that a local replacement will persist through every package update. Keep your original and replacement files in your deployment records, and recheck the landing page after upgrades. If the logo disappears after an update, compare the installed file with your saved asset and reapply the change only after checking the current release instructions.

Show a logo inside meetings

BigBlueButton’s documented per-meeting branding option places a logo in the branding area above the participant list. Two things must be true: the HTML5 client’s displayBrandingArea setting must be enabled, and the meeting must be created with a logo image URL. A logo parameter alone will not make a hidden branding area appear.

1. In the HTML5 client configuration, enable displayBrandingArea. On current documented installations, /etc/bigbluebutton/bbb-html5.yml is the recommended local override file; configuration entries there override the corresponding packaged client settings. Preserve other existing YAML values when editing the file.
2. Restart BigBlueButton so the configuration change takes effect: sudo bbb-conf --restart. Schedule this during a suitable maintenance window because a restart can interrupt active meetings.
3. When your application or API client creates the meeting, include a custom parameter in the form logo=https://your-domain.example/brand.png. The exact place to enter a custom parameter depends on the integration that sends the BigBlueButton /create request. Use the instructions for that integration and do not expose your server’s shared secret in client-side code.
4. Create a fresh test meeting and join it. Confirm that the logo appears above the participant list and that the image loads for a participant who is not logged into the image host.

See the official configuration file reference for the recommended override locations and the API reference for meeting creation parameters. Use the documentation matching your server release if it is not 4.0.

When you need a full interface rebrand

A logo in the meeting’s branding area is not the same as a white-label meeting application. If you need to replace interface colors, labels, or other built-in client elements, BigBlueButton’s FAQ directs administrators to set up the development environment and create their own version of the HTML5 client. The project’s branding FAQ and development guide are the starting points.

This route needs development and deployment work. It is not a quick server setting, and changes can need maintenance as BigBlueButton evolves. Before investing in a custom build, write down precisely which screens or elements must change and check whether the built-in landing-page or meeting logo options are enough. If you proceed, keep the customization in source control, document how to rebuild it, and test upgrades in a staging environment before updating production.

Verify the outcome and troubleshoot by symptom

• Landing-page logo has not changed: confirm you replaced the file in the active server’s bigbluebutton-default assets directory, then bypass browser caching. If a proxy or separate portal serves the public page, check which system owns that page.
• Meeting logo does not appear: verify the branding-area setting is enabled, the server was restarted, the new meeting was created with the logo parameter, and the image URL works for an unauthenticated browser.
• Logo appears but looks wrong: check the source image’s proportions, transparent areas, and contrast. Adjust the source artwork rather than stretching it in the interface.
• Some participants see a blank area: test the image URL from another network and device. A firewall, access restriction, invalid TLS certificate, or expiring URL can prevent participants’ browsers from loading it.
• Colors or wording remain unchanged: a server logo replacement does not reskin the meeting client. Use the custom-client development route if those interface elements must change.

Judge success by the location and consistency of the result: the landing page shows the replacement mark; a newly created test meeting shows the meeting logo in the documented branding area; and, if you built a custom client, the requested interface changes remain present through the full join-and-meeting flow. A small test meeting is a safer validation point than checking only one cached browser tab.

BigBlueButton branding options are intentionally limited at the configuration level. The built-in logo paths cover common identity needs, while a full interface redesign requires ownership of a custom client and its ongoing maintenance.