How to use a teleprompter on Zoom, Google Meet and Teams
Put your script in a narrow strip directly under your webcam and let it scroll as you speak. Your eyes stay next to the lens, so people see eye contact instead of someone reading. You can set this up free in a browser in about two minutes.
Why reading from notes looks wrong on video
On a call, people judge eye contact by where your eyes are relative to the camera. Notes on a second monitor, a sheet of paper or the bottom of the screen pull your gaze down or sideways, and it shows. The fix is to move the words, not your eyes: the closer the text is to the lens, the more natural you look.
Free setup: a browser teleprompter under your webcam
- Open the teleprompter: Open socialai.cloud/teleprompter in a new browser window (not a tab in the same window as your meeting) and paste or import your script.
- Set it up for a webcam: Press Play, then open Settings (⚙): choose Text width "Narrow" and Reading line "Top". Use A− / A+ so about 6–8 words fit on a line.
- Place the window under your webcam: Make the browser window short and narrow and drag it to the top-centre of the screen, directly below the camera. Move the meeting window below it.
- Start reading: Press Start voice and read. The text follows your voice, so you can pause, answer a question and carry on without losing your place.
This works the same for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and any other video app, because the teleprompter is just another window on your screen. The camera films you, not your screen, so nobody on the call sees it.
Zoom
Use Zoom's desktop app rather than Zoom in the browser, so the meeting and the teleprompter are separate windows you can arrange. Keep the Zoom window below the teleprompter strip. If you share your screen, choose the specific window or app you want to show, not your whole desktop.
Google Meet
Meet runs in a browser tab, so open the teleprompter in a separate browser window (File › New Window) and place it at the top-centre of the screen, above the Meet window. When presenting, share "A tab" or "A window" rather than "Entire screen".
Microsoft Teams
In the Teams app, shrink the meeting window or let it sit below the teleprompter strip. When you share, pick a window instead of your screen so the script stays private.
On a Mac: a teleprompter that floats over the call
A browser window can't stay on top of a full-screen meeting, and it gets in the way when you need to click Mute or Share. SocialAI Prompter is a Mac app built for exactly this:
- A slim, see-through strip that stays just under your webcam, on top of Zoom, Meet or Teams.
- Click-through, so the meeting controls underneath keep working.
- Follows your voice, waits when you pause, and ignores ad-libs.
- Imports PDF and Word scripts, and includes interview practice with feedback on pace and filler words.
Tips so it doesn't look like you're reading
- Narrow column, big text. 6–8 words per line means your eyes barely move sideways.
- Camera at eye level. Raise the laptop so the lens is level with your eyes; looking up or down at a camera reads as reading.
- Read at your speaking pace. Voice tracking moves with you; a fixed scroll pushes you to rush or wait. Around 140 words per minute sounds conversational.
- Write the way you talk. Short sentences and contractions. See our script length guide to fit your time slot.
- Look into the lens at full stops. A glance straight at the camera at the end of key sentences adds warmth.
- Rehearse once. Read it aloud with the teleprompter before the call and smooth any line you trip over.
Other options
- Hardware teleprompter. A glass beam-splitter in front of the webcam puts the text exactly over the lens. Best eye contact, but bulky, and you need a mirror-mode app (our free one has Mirror).
- Notes on a second monitor. Easy, but your eyes move away from the camera every time you look over.
- Phone taped under the webcam. Works in a pinch with the free teleprompter on your phone, but the text is small.
Frequently asked questions
Can people on the call see my teleprompter?
Not unless you share it. Your camera only films you. If you share your screen, share a single window or tab (not your entire screen) so the script stays private.
Does Zoom have a built-in teleprompter?
Zoom, Google Meet and Teams don't include a teleprompter for reading a script to camera. Use a teleprompter in a separate window placed just under your webcam, or a desktop app that floats on top of the meeting.
Where should I put the teleprompter on my screen?
As close to the webcam as possible: a narrow strip at the top-centre of the screen, directly under the camera. The closer the words are to the lens, the more it looks like eye contact.
How do I stop it looking like I am reading?
Keep the text column narrow so your eyes barely move sideways, use a large font, read at your normal pace with voice tracking instead of a fixed scroll, and look up into the lens at the end of key sentences.
Does this work with an external webcam?
Yes. Put the teleprompter strip directly under wherever the webcam sits, whether that is the top of a laptop screen or a monitor.
Is the free teleprompter safe to use with confidential scripts?
The script stays in your browser and is never uploaded. Voice tracking uses your browser's speech recognition; in Chrome, that audio is processed by Google.