What to expect with Moodle 4.5
Updated on: 8 May 2025
Overview of the key features and improvements arriving with the Moodle upgrade.
Change summary
Watch the video to see the new features and improvements you can expect in Moodle 4.5. If you would prefer to read about the changes instead, explore to the sections under the video.
Look and feel
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The course page has a cleaner, more streamlined appearance.
- Sections and their expand/collapse toggles are more clearly presented.
- Icons are smaller and more accessible.
- Activities and resources take up less space.
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Collapsed sections can be viewed as individual pages, either by:
- clicking on the section name with edit mode off, or
- selecting ‘View’ in the section menu with edit mode on.
You can also collapse and expand all sections in the course index.
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There is now a field to enter a title for a text and media area resource. The title shows in the course index for all course participants, where it functions like an anchor link.
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Floating arrow buttons have replaced the ‘Next’ and ‘Previous’ page buttons in a book resource. The buttons now follow you down the page as you scroll in long form chapters.
Course editing
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The default course format has a different name (custom sections). The word ‘section’ is reflected in the terminology used on the course page.
Activities and resources can be added anywhere in a section.
You can duplicate sections and grab a permalink for a section.
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Subsections can be added to courses, allowing you to better organise your content.
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There is a new selection at the top of the course page called ‘Bulk actions’. When you select this, a sticky footer appears containing the mass actions you can apply to selected sections, activities and resources.
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A new text editor called the ‘TinyMCE text editor’ is used. It is possible to work in fullscreen with this text editor.
Content settings
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Activity and resource menus contain an 'Availability' option. This allows you to toggle between availability modes (show, hide, or make available).
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The display and handling of activity completion settings is clearer.
Extra activity completion conditions only display when you select certain options.
On the course page, you can access activity completion conditions from a dropdown menu. It is also quicker to access preset activity completion settings - select ‘Edit conditions’ to do so.
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When adding an activity completion restriction, you can now choose ‘Previous activity with completion’.
On the course page, access restrictions remain hidden until you select 'Show more'. It is also quicker to access preset access restriction settings - select ‘Edit restrictions’ to do so.
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You can more easily see and toggle between group modes (no groups, separate groups, or visible groups) on activities.
Course management
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You can now create forum posts and target them to particular groups in a course. Set the group in the dropdown menu before selecting the 'Post to forum' button.
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You can specify who can see which groups in a course. In the groups' settings, use the 'Group membership visibility' dropdown menu to do so.
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Categories can now be collapsed in the gradebook. Menu improvements also make the handling of grade items and categories easier.
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A search box has been added to the grader report. It is also possible to view feedback in the grader report.
Quiz and question bank
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There is a new question type called 'Ordering'. This question type displays several items in a random order which must then be dragged into the correct sequential order. The items can be words, phrases, images or other media.
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In quizzes, you can now do the following.
- Customise question numbers in a quiz.
- Allocate grades to groups of questions in a quiz.
- Reopen attempts never submitted.
There are also more choices available when regrading.
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In the question bank, you can now do the following.
- Customise the question bank table.
- Drag and drop and edit categories.
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Students now see a 'Last saved' message in the quiz navigation when making an attempt.
Students may receive a web and/or email notification when a quiz is about to open.
Assignment activity
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In the assignment activity, there is:
- quicker access to more key actions, and
- improved filtering options, with the addition of a search box.
There is also easy access to bulk actions via a sticky footer in the grading screen.
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You can offer resubmissions automatically where more than one attempt is allowed and no pass mark is set.
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Students may receive a web and/or email notification for upcoming and overdue assignments.
