How to Use a Teleprompter on Your Laptop (and Record on Your Phone)

You can use a teleprompter on your laptop by showing the script on the laptop screen and recording with your phone, which sits in front of the screen, just below the first lines of text. Your eyes stay close to the phone lens, so you look like you are talking to the viewer.

This guide covers the physical setup, step by step. It also covers the simpler option where the laptop webcam records everything.

How does a laptop teleprompter with a phone camera work?

The laptop is the prompter. The phone is the camera. You put the phone on a stand or a stack of books, directly in front of the laptop screen, so the lens sits near the top of the screen and the phone body covers only a small part of the display.

The script runs on the laptop, and the first lines you read sit at the top of the screen, just above the phone. When you read those lines, your eyes are only a little above the lens. Viewers see someone looking at them.

A phone camera is usually much better than a laptop webcam, so you get a sharper picture and better low-light results too.

What do I need?

• A laptop with a browser
• A phone with a decent rear or front camera
• Something to hold the phone up: a small tripod, a phone stand, or a stack of books
• A light source, such as a window or a lamp
• Your script

You do not need to buy a glass teleprompter rig for this.

How do I set up the phone and the laptop step by step?

1. Open the laptop first. Set the screen at a comfortable angle, tilted a little back. Put the laptop on a desk or table, not on your lap.
2. Prop the phone in front of the screen. Use a stand, or stack books until the phone lens sits near the top of the screen. Lean the phone against the books or clamp it in a stand.
3. Cover as little of the screen as you can. Turn the phone sideways only if you shoot wide video. For Reels, TikTok and Shorts, keep it upright so it covers a narrow strip.
4. Move the script to the top of the screen. The line you are saying should sit right above the phone. If your prompter lets you pick the text position, choose the top.
5. Check the frame on the phone. Open the camera app and look at yourself. Your eyes should be in the upper third of the picture, with a little space above your head.
6. Press record on the phone, then start the script on the laptop.

In YapBetter, the Setup step is built for this layout. The laptop shows the prompter and your phone, propped in front of the laptop screen, records.

How far should I sit from the screen?

Sit about an arm's length from the laptop. That is far enough that your eyes do not visibly move left and right as you read, and close enough that you can read the text without squinting.

If you can see your eyes moving across the lines on playback, you are too close or the text is too wide. Make the text bigger, narrow the text column, and move back a little.

Use large text. Short lines are easier to read at a distance and keep your eyes in one place.

Where should my eyes go?

Your eyes should go to the top lines of the prompter, which sit just above the phone lens. Read, then glance into the lens now and then, especially on important lines.

You do not need to stare into the lens for the whole video. Short glances away are normal. Read more about it in where to look when you film yourself.

If the video still feels stiff, the problem is often how the words sound, not where your eyes are. Try reading a teleprompter naturally.

How should I light the shot?

Face the light source. A window in front of you, slightly to one side, works well in daytime. At night, put a lamp behind the laptop so it shines on your face.

Avoid a bright window behind you. The phone will darken your face to balance the window.

The laptop screen itself also lights your face, and it can be bluish. A lamp in front of you softens that.

Do one short test recording before the real take. Check three things:

• Your face is bright and even.
• Your eyes look toward the lens.
• Your voice is clear, without room echo.

What if I only have a laptop?

You can record with the laptop webcam and read from the same screen. This is the laptop-only option. It is the quickest setup, and it works for Zoom-style videos and quick talking-head clips.

To keep your eyes close to the camera, make the prompter window small and move it to the top of the screen, directly under the webcam. If your script sits at the bottom of the screen, viewers see you looking down.

Shrink the browser window to about a third of the screen width and place it at the top center. Increase the font size so you can still read it from your seat.

The same tip works for a Zoom teleprompter setup on a call: put the script window right under the camera, and the other people's video tiles beside it, so you look near the camera while you read.

A webcam picture is softer than a phone picture, so light your face well. Light matters more for a webcam than for a phone.

How do I keep the scroll in step with my voice?

You have three options in YapBetter: the prompter can follow your voice (in Chrome), scroll at a fixed speed, or you can move it by hand. Following your voice means the text waits when you pause or stumble.

Fixed speed is fine once you know your pace. If you are unsure, paste your script into the free script timer to see how long it takes at slow, normal and fast pace.

What are common mistakes?

• The phone is too low. Your eyes then point at the middle of the screen, and you look down.
• The text is at the bottom of the screen. Move it to the top.
• The phone covers the text. Move the phone to the side of the text, or lower the script window.
• Light is behind you. Turn around so the window is in front.
• You read in a flat voice. Mark where you want to push a word or pause before you record.

For the flat voice, YapBetter's Enhance step adds delivery cues, such as LOUDER, PAUSE and PUNCH, directly on the words. It never rewrites your script.

If you want to try this setup, paste your script into YapBetter on your laptop, prop up your phone, and record a short test. The teleprompter for laptop page shows how the layout looks.

FAQ

Can I use my phone as the camera and my laptop as the teleprompter?

Yes. Put the phone on a stand or a stack of books in front of the laptop screen, with the lens near the top of the screen. Run the script on the laptop and record on the phone.

Can I use a teleprompter for a webcam recording?

Yes. Open the prompter in a small browser window at the top of your screen, just under the webcam. Your eyes stay close to the camera, so the video looks natural.

How do I use a teleprompter during a Zoom call?

Place the script window directly under your camera, and put the call window next to it. You read the script and still see the faces. Keep the text large so you do not lean toward the screen.

Does the phone block the screen?

It covers a narrow strip. Keep the phone upright for vertical video, and set the script text just above it so the phone never hides the line you are reading.