How to Use a Teleprompter: Setup, Reading, and Recording

To use a teleprompter, paste a short script, put the screen next to the camera, set a large font and a slow scroll, then read one line ahead of your voice. Do one practice pass before you record.

That is the whole job. A teleprompter only shows your words while you speak. It does not fix a stiff script, and it does not replace a rehearsal. If you want the definition and how the glass version works, start with what a teleprompter is, then come back here for the steps.

In the UK the same tool is often called an autocue. How to use an autocue is the same process: load the script, set the speed, and read near the lens.

Fixed-speed scrolling does not need an account, and there is no install. Browser recording does need an account. After you sign in, recording is free, with no watermark and no time limit. The 3-minute limit applies only to Smart Follow, which is optional and covered later.

How to Set Up a Teleprompter

How to set up a teleprompter on a phone, tablet, or laptop:

1. Open an online teleprompter in the browser. Nothing to install, and you do not need to sign in for a fixed scroll.
2. Paste or type the script. Break it into short lines, about one sentence each.
3. Set a large font, a slow scroll, and colors you can read. Start slower than you talk.
4. Put the screen just under or beside the camera, about an arm's length away.
5. Read the script once without recording. Fix any line you stumble on.

A studio rig is different. Mount the glass in front of the lens and flip the text so the reflection reads the right way. On a normal screen, leave the text as it is. CuePrompter only flips the words on the page, with Flip Horizontal and Flip Vertical. It does not control a studio teleprompter. Test once so you do not discover a flipped script on the real take.

Put the Screen Next to the Lens

The text should sit as close to the camera as you can manage. Every gap between the words and the lens is a place your eyes can wander.

• On a laptop, raise the screen so the webcam is at eye level. A teleprompter for laptop and a teleprompter for PC use the same placement: park the scrolling window under the camera.
• On a phone, use the front camera. The lens is already just above the words.
• Sit about an arm's length away.

After you sign in, you can generate a QR code. It opens the teleprompter page on a second phone. Paste the script on that phone so the words sit closer to the lens.

The page cannot float on top of Zoom. There is no Zoom plugin. A teleprompter for zoom is the browser window beside the camera. The Android app on Google Play can float the script over other apps. Floating there uses Smart Follow: on the free plan each session is 3 minutes, and members have no per-session time limit. The iPhone app is not available yet.

If people say you look distracted even though you did not miss a line, move the screen closer to the lens before you change the script.

Set the Font and the Speed

Font size, scroll speed, and text color only need to be readable. If your eyes sweep left and right, the column is too wide or the type is too small.

Scroll speed should follow your voice, not the other way around. Begin slower than you speak. If you keep waiting for the next line, speed it up. If you are still on the line above, slow it down.

A fixed speed is enough for the first pass. On the teleprompter page, press play and wait through one countdown before the words move.

Smart Follow is optional. After you sign in, it scrolls with your reading, which helps when you pause. The speed control turns off, and the scroll follows your voice. If the script language and the site language do not match, a prompt lets you switch the language and play. On the free plan each session is 3 minutes. When it ends, you can start another round right away. Members have no per-session time limit. The same rules apply on the teleprompter page and the recording page. The 3 minutes do not limit recording.

Reading From a Teleprompter

Reading from a teleprompter should sound like talking, not like reciting.

Do not say a word the moment you see it. That is what makes the voice go flat. On the teleprompter page, the highlighted reading band is on screen the whole time. Open Prompt Area Settings and move Top Distance so the band sits near the camera. Use the highlighted reading band as your eye line: look at the next line in that band, then say it while your eyes stay near the lens. On the record page, there is no highlighted reading band. Read the line nearest the lens.

A few habits do most of the work:

• Keep the spoken lines short.
• Leave a blank line where you want to breathe.
• Put stage directions in brackets, like [pause] or [smile]. See them. Do not say them.
• Mark only one or two words you must not forget. If you mark every word, nothing stands out.

If the script still sounds like an essay, rewrite the lines out loud before you change the speed.

How to Record a Video With a Teleprompter

This is the teleprompter for video. Record with the script on screen. The prompter sits over the camera preview, so you are not switching apps mid-take.

Sign in before you record. Browser recording does not start without an account.

1. Frame your face at eye level. Light your face, not the screen.
2. Silence notifications so a banner does not cover the script.
3. Do one dry read. Cut the sentence you trip on.
4. Start recording. Wait until the camera countdown ends. Speak when the words start to move.
5. Watch the first 10 seconds. If your eyes dart sideways, move the text closer to the lens. On a desktop, drag the prompter window toward the camera, or drag a corner to make that window narrower. There is no separate column-width control. On a phone, the camera is full screen and the script sits on top of the picture.
6. Keep the take that is mostly good. More takes often make you sound more recited, not more natural.

When the take stops, it is saved to Video History. Recording is free, with no watermark and no time limit.

For a longer video, split the script into short sections. It is easier to redo one answer than to restart a long read. If you need mp4 or mov, use the online video converter. It runs in the browser.

Teleprompter Practice

Ten minutes is enough. The same drill is autocue practice.

1. Paste a product intro or a 60-second update. Use a script you will actually say, or start from the script templates. After you sign in, you can generate one from 30 seconds to 20 minutes.
2. Break long lines in half.
3. Set a large font and a slow scroll.
4. Read it once out loud. Do not record.
5. Change the speed until you are not chasing the text.
6. Record one take. Sign in first. Speak when the words start to move, once the camera countdown ends.
7. Play it back and mark the line where you rushed or went flat. Fix that line only.

Do this once before a real recording.

Mistakes That Waste a Take

• Writing for the page, then reading it to the camera.
• Scrolling faster than you speak, then rushing to catch up.
• Parking the screen on the desk while the camera is at eye level.
• Saying the words [pause] or "smile here" out loud.
• Turning on Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical on a normal monitor.
• Skipping the dry read and discovering a bad line on the recording.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install anything or create an account?

No install. Fixed-speed scrolling does not require an account. Browser recording does require an account. After you sign in, recording is free, with no watermark and no time limit. Smart Follow needs you to sign in, and only Smart Follow has the 3-minute limit.

Should I turn on mirror mode on a laptop?

No. Leave the text facing the normal way. Use Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical only when the words are reflected in glass.

Should you read every cue word on a teleprompter?

No. Read the spoken lines. Skip directions such as pauses and camera notes. On the teleprompter page, look at the next line in the highlighted band, then deliver it toward the lens instead of voicing each word as it appears. On the record page, read the line nearest the lens.

Can I use a teleprompter for Zoom?

Yes. Keep the browser window beside the camera. The page cannot float on top of Zoom, and there is no Zoom plugin. The Android app on Google Play can float the script. The iPhone app is not available yet.

Does browser recording add a watermark or a time limit?

No. After you sign in, recording is free, with no watermark and no time limit. The file is saved to Video History. The 3-minute limit applies only to Smart Follow.

How do I use an autocue on a laptop?

Open the browser, set a large font, and put the screen under the webcam. Leave mirror mode off unless the words are reflected in glass.

Start With One Script

Open a browser, paste a script you already have, and read it once before you hit record. That is enough to learn the tool.

When you are ready, use the online teleprompter for the scroll, or record with the script on screen if you want the camera in the same tab.