Teleprompter for Mac

Set up in under a minute

There is no installer, no Gatekeeper prompt, and nothing to keep updated. macOS asks about the microphone once per browser.

1. Open sayscroll.com in Safari or Chrome and paste your script.
2. Press Present. The browser asks for microphone access — click Allow. If macOS also asks (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone), allow the browser there too.
3. Start reading. The active word stays centred; press F for fullscreen and Esc to leave.

Recording on a Mac: three ways

How you record decides where the prompter goes. All three keep the script following your voice; they differ in camera, quality, and how many windows you juggle.

With the built-in recorder, takes save to your Downloads folder as regular video files and nothing is uploaded. Whichever route you choose, the prompter only needs to hear you — it does not touch the recording app.

Eye line: where to put the text

A MacBook's camera sits above the screen, so the prompter window should be as high and as narrow as possible. Drag the browser window to the top of the display, shrink it to a tall column, and put the recording app underneath. Your eyes travel a centimetre, which reads as eye contact.

• External webcam on a monitor: clip it at the top-centre and run the prompter fullscreen with a narrow column, or use a second display placed directly under the camera.
• iPhone as webcam: Continuity Camera puts the lens above the screen; keep the text under it, large, and centred.
• Beam-splitter rig: run the prompter fullscreen on the rig's monitor and turn on mirror mode so the reflection reads correctly.

More on eye line and phrasing in how to look natural on camera.

Reading controls and shortcuts

Everything adjusts while the script follows your voice, so you can fix a layout mid-take without stopping.

• Runs in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Edge, Firefox and more
• Voice-paced scrolling, no remote or pedal
• Fullscreen (F), light or dark background, adjustable size and width
• Horizontal and vertical mirroring for beam-splitter rigs

Pause to think and the prompter waits; go quiet for 30 seconds and the microphone pauses itself until you press Resume. How the voice tracking behaves when you improvise is on the voice-controlled teleprompter page.

Troubleshooting on a Mac

Three problems account for nearly every "it isn't following me" report on macOS, and all three are settings rather than faults.

• The text never moves. The browser has no microphone permission. In Safari: Safari menu → Settings for sayscroll.com → Microphone → Allow. In Chrome: the icon left of the address bar → Site settings → Microphone. Then check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone lists the browser.
• It follows for a while, then stops. You went quiet for 30 seconds and the mic paused itself — press Resume. If you were still talking, the browser may have switched to a different input (a headset that woke up); reselect the mic.
• Tracking lags or skips. Usually a slow connection: speech is transcribed live, so a hotel Wi-Fi hiccup shows up as a delay. A wired or reliable connection fixes it; a quieter room and a closer mic help recognition.

Works on every Mac

MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio — Apple silicon or Intel. There is no minimum spec beyond a browser and a microphone; the speech recognition runs in the cloud, not on your machine, so an older Mac is fine. On a MacBook the built-in display is the prompter; on a desktop Mac, any second display or an iPad in Sidecar can sit directly under the camera.

Also filming on your phone? The teleprompter for iPhone page covers the mobile setup. To try the Mac version now, paste a short script on the free teleprompter page.