MacBook teleprompter
The teleprompter
for MacBook.
Cuey is a teleprompter for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro that puts your script right under the built-in camera, so you read without looking down.
Native Mac app · macOS 14 or later
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Short answer
- On every current MacBook, the middle of the screen is 10–12° below the camera at laptop distance. On video that reads as looking down.
- Viewers perceive eye contact when you look about 2° below the lens: a strip about 2 cm tall under the camera.
- A MacBook teleprompter should live in that strip. Cuey sits there by default, including around the notch.
How far below the camera
you look, by MacBook.
Computed from Apple's published display resolutions and pixel densities, at a 55 cm (22 in) viewing distance. Try your own setup in the eye contact calculator.
| Model | Notch | Screen height | Reading mid-screen | Reading in Cuey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air 13-inch (M2 and later) | Yes | ≈ 18.9 cm | ≈ 10.2° below | ≈ 2° below |
| MacBook Air 15-inch | Yes | ≈ 21.1 cm | ≈ 11.4° below | ≈ 2° below |
| MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021 and later) | Yes | ≈ 19.6 cm | ≈ 10.6° below | ≈ 2° below |
| MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021 and later) | Yes | ≈ 22.3 cm | ≈ 12° below | ≈ 2° below |
| MacBook Air 13-inch (M1) | No | ≈ 17.9 cm | ≈ 9.8° below | ≈ 2° below |
“Reading in Cuey” assumes the current line sits about 2 cm under the lens in the Compact size. Exact values depend on your text size and distance. Research: Gao et al., Journal of Vision, 2025.
Teleprompter for MacBook Air
The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with a notch put the camera in the middle of the menu bar. Choose the Notch or Under Camera placement and keep Cuey in the Compact size: one or two lines of text right under the lens. On the smaller 13-inch screen, a slightly larger text size helps if you sit back from the laptop.
Older MacBook Air models without a notch have the camera in the top bezel. Use Under Camera, and the effect is the same.
Teleprompter for MacBook Pro
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro have taller screens, so the middle sits even further below the camera: about 12° on the 16-inch. That makes placement matter more. Keep Cuey under the notch, and use Medium or Expanded only when you need longer lines.
The full-width Top Bar size spreads text across the top edge. It's useful for bullet notes, but long lines make your eyes sweep sideways, which viewers notice more than a slight downward look.
Set up a MacBook teleprompter
in three steps.
01
Paste your script
Copy it from anywhere and choose Paste into Current Script from Cuey's menu bar icon, or press ⇧⌘V in Cuey.
02
Pick Notch or Under Camera
Keep the Compact size so the text stays in the 2 cm strip under the lens.
03
Choose a mode and start
Follow listens and advances as you speak. Read scrolls on a timer. Notes waits for you. Press ⇧⌘P to start.
More detail: MacBook notch teleprompter setup, putting your script near the MacBook camera, and the best teleprompter apps for MacBook compared.
Guides
Questions, answered
Is there a teleprompter app for MacBook Air?+
Yes. Cuey is a native Mac teleprompter that runs on any MacBook Air with macOS 14 Sonoma or later and sits right under the built-in camera.
Where should the teleprompter go on a MacBook?+
Directly under the camera, centred, in a short wide window. On a 14-inch MacBook Pro the middle of the screen is about 10° below the lens at laptop distance; right under the camera it's about 2°, where viewers perceive eye contact.
Does Cuey work with the MacBook notch?+
Yes. Cuey reads the display geometry macOS reports, including the notch area, and centres the prompt on the camera at the top of the screen.
Can I use a MacBook teleprompter with an external monitor?+
Yes, but the teleprompter only helps eye contact next to the camera you're using. If you use the MacBook camera, keep the prompt on the MacBook screen. With a webcam on the monitor, use the Floating placement and move the prompt under that webcam.
Say it to the camera.
Not to your notes.
Native Mac app · macOS 14 or later