Teleprompter for Zoom, Teams and video calls
Pitches, interviews, webinars and all-hands updates go better with notes. A browser teleprompter placed under your webcam lets you follow them while looking at the camera, and nobody on the call sees it.
Does Zoom have a built-in teleprompter? No. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet don't include a teleprompter. The usual approach is a separate teleprompter window, like the free Tuzu online teleprompter, positioned just below your webcam.
Set it up in five minutes
- Open the teleprompter in its own browser window (not a tab in the same window as a web call), so you can size and move it independently.
- Make the window small and narrow (about a quarter of the screen width) and drag it right under the webcam, at the top center of your screen. The closer the text is to the lens, the less your eyes drop.
- Set the text width to 60–80% of that small window and the size to 32–44 px, so you can read 4–6 words per line without scanning.
- Choose a calm pace. Calls are conversational, and people interrupt. Try 120–140 words per minute, and use Space to pause whenever someone speaks.
- Test with Zoom's self-view. Record a 20-second test call, or watch your preview, to check your eyes stay near the lens.
Will others see it? Only if you share your whole screen. When presenting, share a single window or application (your slides, for example) instead of the entire desktop, and the teleprompter stays private.
Multiple monitors
If your webcam sits on a different monitor from your call window, put the teleprompter on the monitor with the camera. Reading from another screen makes you look away, which defeats the point.
Write notes, not a speech
Calls are two-way. A word-for-word script makes it hard to respond naturally when someone cuts in. For most meetings, prompt yourself with short phrases:
Write full sentences only for the parts that must be exact: an opening statement, a pitch, a legal or compliance line, the closing ask.
Recorded webinars and presentations
For pre-recorded sessions, you can script fully and use a more normal speaking pace. If you'd rather not rely on Zoom's recorder, the teleprompter can record your webcam directly: turn on the camera, press record, and the take is saved to your computer. Combine it with your slides in any editor.
Presenting live with slides? See teleprompter for presentations for working with PowerPoint and Keynote.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a teleprompter on Zoom?
Yes. Open an online teleprompter in a separate window, make it small, and place it directly under your webcam. Zoom doesn't detect it, and others can't see it unless you share your entire screen.
Does Microsoft Teams or Google Meet have a teleprompter?
Not built in. Teams has a presenter view for PowerPoint slides with speaker notes, but notes don't scroll automatically. A browser teleprompter works alongside Teams and Meet the same way it does with Zoom.
How do I keep eye contact while reading on a video call?
Put the text as close to the webcam as possible, keep it narrow so your eyes don't sweep left and right, and sit a little further back from the screen. Glancing at the lens at the end of each phrase also helps.
Can I control the teleprompter without clicking into it?
Keyboard shortcuts work when the teleprompter window has focus. To control it while another app is focused, use a Bluetooth presentation clicker paired with the device that runs the teleprompter, or run the teleprompter on a separate tablet placed under the camera.