Laptop teleprompter for Zoom, Mac and Windows
Read notes or a full script right under your webcam during a Zoom call, a Google Meet or a recording. It runs in your browser on Mac, Windows, ChromeOS and Linux, with nothing to install.
110 words · about 47 sec at 140 wpm
Opens full screen. Space pauses, arrow keys change speed, Esc closes. Nothing is uploaded — your script stays in this browser.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Space · K · B | Play / pause |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Faster / slower (10 wpm) |
| ← / → | Nudge back / forward one line |
| Page Up / Page Down | Nudge three lines (clickers, foot pedals) |
| + / − | Bigger / smaller text |
| M | Mirror |
| F | Full screen |
| R · Home | Back to start |
| Esc | Close |
Wheel or drag to move the text by hand. Tap the text to pause.
How to use a teleprompter on a laptop during a Zoom call
This page opens with a narrow column of text and the reading line near the top, so the words sit just below your webcam.
-
Paste your talking points or script
Full sentences for a presentation, or a short list of points for a meeting. It saves in this browser so you can prepare it ahead of time.
-
Open the prompter in its own window
Drag this tab out into a separate browser window. Your call app stays in its own window, so you can see both.
-
Place the window under the webcam
Resize the prompter window and move it to the top center of the screen, right below the camera. Shrink the call window and move it below or to the side.
-
Start the prompter
Press Space to start and pause. Use ↑ and ↓ to change speed, or ← and → to move one line at a time if you prefer to scroll by hand.
-
Share your screen carefully
If you share your screen in Zoom, Meet or Teams, share a single window or app, not the whole screen, so the script stays private.
Why a narrow column under the webcam works
On a laptop the camera sits in the middle of the top bezel. When you read from the middle of the screen, people on the call see you looking down. When you read from a wide column, they see your eyes moving side to side.
Both problems shrink when the text is narrow and high. This page starts with the text width at 50 percent and the reading line at the top. On a large monitor, try 40 to 45 percent. On a small laptop, 50 to 60 percent is usually readable at 36 px.
Sitting a little farther from the screen also helps. The farther away you are, the smaller the angle between the webcam and the text, and the less your eye movement shows on camera. Raise the text size with + if you move back.
If you want a recording of yourself instead of a live call, the video teleprompter shows your webcam behind the text and records the take for you.
Setups that work on a laptop or desktop
Side-by-side windows
Prompter window at the top center under the webcam, call or recording app below it. Works on any single screen.
Second monitor
Put the call app on the second monitor and the prompter full screen on the monitor that has the webcam. Press F for full screen.
External webcam on a monitor
If your webcam clips to an external monitor, run the prompter on that monitor, not the laptop screen.
OBS or a screen recorder
Exclude the prompter window from capture by recording a specific window or the camera source only, so the script never shows up in the video.
Hands-free scrolling
A presentation clicker or a Bluetooth foot pedal sends PageUp and PageDown, which move the text three lines. Or turn on voice scroll so the text follows you.
Notes, not a script
For meetings, bullet points read more naturally than full sentences. Turn the speed down or scroll by hand with the arrow keys.
Works on Mac, Windows and more
There is no download. It runs in a current browser on each of these.
| Computer | Browsers | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mac (MacBook, iMac) | Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox | Voice scroll works in Safari, Chrome and Edge. |
| Windows PC or laptop | Chrome, Edge, Firefox | Voice scroll works best in Edge and Chrome. |
| Chromebook (ChromeOS) | Chrome | Everything works, including voice scroll. |
| Linux | Chrome, Firefox | Voice scroll needs Google Chrome. Firefox and most Chromium builds have no speech recognition. |
Firefox has no speech recognition, so voice scroll is not available there. Timed scrolling works everywhere.
Reading on a call without sounding scripted
A live call is not a recording. People can interrupt, and a word-for-word script makes it hard to answer and get back on track. For meetings, sales calls and interviews, write short prompts instead of full sentences: the number you need to quote, the three questions you want to ask, the one line you want to land. Pause the prompter while you talk and press → to move to the next point.
For a webinar, a pitch or a recorded presentation, full sentences work well. Rehearse once at 130 to 140 wpm so the pace feels like your normal speech, then raise or lower it with the arrow keys during the real thing.
If you would rather not touch the keyboard at all, the voice-activated teleprompter moves the text as you speak. It uses the same microphone as your call app, which usually works fine, but test it once before an important call.
Keyboard shortcuts on a computer
You can run the whole prompter from the keyboard, which is handy when your mouse is busy in another window.
- Space (also K, B or .) to play and pause.
- ↑ / ↓ to change speed by 10 words per minute.
- ← / → to nudge one line; PageUp / PageDown to nudge three lines.
- + / − to change text size.
- F for full screen, M to mirror, R or Home to go back to the start, Esc to close.
- The mouse wheel or a drag also nudges the text. Click the text to play or pause.
Recorded a long video? Get the Shorts out of it.
Short.now finds the best moments in your video, reframes them to 9:16 and adds captions, so one recording becomes a week of Shorts, Reels and TikToks.
Questions
Open this page in a separate browser window, paste your script and place the window just below your webcam. Keep Zoom in its own window and share a single window, not your whole screen, if you present.
Not unless you share the screen or window it is on. Share a specific app or window instead of your entire screen.
Yes. This one runs in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a Mac with nothing to install, and it is free with no sign-up.
Yes. Open it in Edge, Chrome or Firefox on any Windows PC or laptop. Voice scroll works in Edge and Chrome.
Keep the text narrow and the reading line at the top, right under the webcam, and sit a little farther back. Your eyes then move less and stay near the lens.
Yes. It runs in its own browser window, so it works next to any call app, including Meet, Teams, Webex and Zoom.
