How to use a teleprompter on your Mac
By Zakaria Reziki · · 8 min read
To use a teleprompter on a Mac, put your script in a small window directly under the camera, choose how it scrolls (on a timer, by following your voice, or by hand), and start it with a keyboard shortcut so your hands never go near the trackpad. Below are your options, then a full walkthrough.
What are your teleprompter options on a Mac?
| Option | How it works | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac teleprompter app | Native app shows the script near the camera, over other windows | Calls, Looms, YouTube, presentations | An install |
| Browser teleprompter | A web page scrolls your text in a tab | A quick one-off recording | It is a browser window, so keeping it by the camera and on top of your call app is up to you |
| Hardware beam-splitter | Glass in front of a camera reflects a screen | Studio shoots with a separate camera | Cost, bulk, setup time |
| A document you scroll | Notes, Pages or a PDF, scrolled by hand | Nothing on camera | Eyes drop to scroll and sweep across wide lines |
If you just want to try reading from a prompter, our free online teleprompter runs in the browser with nothing to install.
How a hardware teleprompter works
A classic teleprompter puts a sheet of beam-splitter glass at an angle in front of the camera lens. A screen below the glass shows the script, mirrored, and the glass reflects it toward you. The camera shoots straight through the glass from behind, so your eyes land on the lens while you read. It gives the most exact eye line, but it needs a separate camera, a tripod and space. For a MacBook's built-in camera, a software prompter placed just under the lens gets close enough: viewers perceive eye contact at about 2° below the camera (Gao et al., 2025).
How to set up a teleprompter on Mac with Cuey, step by step
This walkthrough uses Cuey, the teleprompter for Mac. The same ideas apply to any prompter.
- Install it. Cuey needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Get it from the download page. It lives in the menu bar.
- Load your script. Copy the script from wherever you wrote it, then press ⇧⌘V to quick-paste it from the clipboard.
- Choose a placement. Under Camera is the default and the best choice for most MacBook calls and recordings.
- Choose a size. Smaller keeps your eyes closer to the lens. Bigger shows more context.
- Choose a mode: Read, Follow or Notes (see the table below).
- Adjust the display. Set text size, window opacity and, in Read mode, reading speed. Choose Dark, Light or System theme.
- Start. Press ⇧⌘P. A countdown runs first (3 seconds by default, adjustable) so you can look up and settle.
Placements
| Placement | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Under Camera (default) | Most calls and recordings on a MacBook |
| Notch | You want the text as close to the lens as possible |
| Left or Right of Camera | Something you need to see sits under the camera, like a Zoom window |
| Floating | You use an external webcam or an iPhone camera: drag the prompt as close to that lens as your screen allows |
Sizes are Compact, Medium, Expanded and Full-width Top Bar. Start with Compact on a MacBook. Our MacBook camera eye contact guide explains why every centimetre below the lens counts.
Modes
| Mode | How it advances | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Read | On a timer, at the speed you set | Word-for-word scripts at a steady pace |
| Follow (Voice Follow) | Listens and moves on when you reach the next line. Waits through pauses and ad-libs. | Scripts where your pace varies |
| Notes | You step forward and back through points | Talking points, meetings, Q&A |
Cuey shows an estimated time remaining. In Follow and Notes modes the estimate assumes 150 words per minute. For how fast to set Read mode, see teleprompter words per minute.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⇧⌘V | Quick-paste a script from the clipboard |
| ⇧⌘P | Start or stop the teleprompter |
| ⌥⌘Space | Play or pause |
| ⌥⌘T | Show or hide the teleprompter |
Allow microphone and speech recognition for Voice Follow
Follow mode listens to you, so the first time you turn it on, macOS asks whether Cuey may use the microphone and speech recognition. Allow both. If you clicked Don't Allow, or want to check later:
- Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
- Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
- Click Microphone and turn Cuey on.
- Go back, click Speech Recognition and turn Cuey on.
Apple documents both lists in the Mac User Guide (microphone, speech recognition). You may need to quit and reopen the app after changing them.
Troubleshooting a Mac teleprompter
Voice Follow isn't moving
- Check both permissions above.
- Check which input macOS is using in System Settings, under Sound, then Input. Speak and watch the level meter.
- If you ad-libbed, it is waiting. Say the next scripted line and it picks up.
- Cut background noise, or move closer to the microphone.
You look like you're reading
- Switch to Under Camera or Notch placement and Compact size.
- Sit a little further back: 55 cm instead of 45 cm cuts every angle by about a fifth.
- Check your own setup with the eye contact calculator.
Read mode is too fast or too slow
- Adjust reading speed before you start, then do a 30-second test take.
- If your pace changes a lot through the script, switch to Follow mode so the text waits for you.
A shortcut does nothing
- Another app may use the same key combination. Quit apps you suspect and try again.
- If the window has disappeared, press ⌥⌘T to show it.
You are sharing your screen
- Share a single app window rather than the whole display, so viewers only see what you intend them to see.
Quick setup checklist
- Laptop raised so the camera is at eye level.
- Script copied, pasted with ⇧⌘V.
- Under Camera, Compact size.
- Mode chosen, permissions allowed for Follow.
- ⇧⌘P to start, ⌥⌘Space to pause.