# What is a teleprompter?

> A teleprompter shows a scrolling script near the camera so you can read while looking at the lens. Learn how a notch teleprompter works on a Mac.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/teleprompter/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

A teleprompter shows a script that scrolls past at a steady speed, placed near the camera, so you can read it while looking almost straight at the lens. Broadcast studios use glass panels for this. On a Mac, the equivalent is a window of scrolling text.

## Why it matters

Reading from a script usually means looking away from the camera, and viewers notice. On a MacBook the camera sits in the [notch](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch/), so text shown in the notch is as close to the lens as software can put it.

## How NotchStar's teleprompter works

Open the Teleprompter tab, press the pencil, paste your script and confirm. Press play, set the scroll speed with the tortoise and hare slider, and size the text with the second slider. The edges fade so the line you are reading stays clear. The script is kept in the app's preferences on your Mac.

## Limits

The teleprompter helps with eye line, not with delivery. A script written for reading aloud, in short sentences, is easier to follow than one written for a page. The guide on teleprompting on a Mac covers pacing.

## Related

Read the [teleprompter guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/teleprompter-on-mac/) and the [comparison of Mac notch teleprompter apps](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-mac-notch-teleprompter-apps/). Before a call, [check your camera](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/camera-mirror/) with Mirror. The tool itself is on the [Teleprompter page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/teleprompter/).

## Keep reading.

- [A teleprompter right under your camera](https://www.notchstar.com/features/teleprompter/): Read a scrolling script right beside your Mac's camera. Adjustable speed and text size, fading edges, and an edit mode for your script.
- [Using a teleprompter on your Mac for calls and video](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/teleprompter-on-mac/): How to read a script on camera without looking like you are reading: placement, pacing, writing for the ear and a notch based setup.
- [Notch teleprompter apps for Mac, compared with prices](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-mac-notch-teleprompter-apps/): Compare Mac teleprompters in the notch: voice following, hiding from screen sharing, price and macOS version, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.
- [What is a camera mirror on a Mac?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/camera-mirror/): A camera mirror shows a live, flipped preview of your webcam so you can check how you look before a call. Learn what it does and what it does not record.

## More in Notch and apps.

- [What is a notch app?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch-app/): A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do.
- [What is the Dynamic Island?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/dynamic-island/): The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect.
- [What is a live activity?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/live-activity/): A live activity is a small readout of something happening right now, such as a timer or a song. Learn the iPhone meaning and how notch apps use the term.
- [What is a file shelf?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/file-shelf/): A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop.
- [What is clipboard history?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/clipboard-history/): Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for.
- [What is the Pomodoro technique?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/pomodoro/): The Pomodoro technique splits work into timed focus blocks with short breaks. Learn the basic pattern and how a Mac timer in the notch tracks it.