Presentation Prompter on Mac: Teleprompter Setup Guide

To use Presentation Prompter on a Mac with your Desktop Studio, set the teleprompter monitor as an extended display in System Settings, then open Presentation Prompter, go to Preview and send the text to the second display. Narrow the margins so the words sit over the camera lens, and use the space bar to start and stop.

How do you set up Presentation Prompter on a Mac?

1. Download Presentation Prompter and put it in your Dock. Download it from presentationprompter.com. Then open your Applications folder and drag Presentation Prompter into your Dock so it is easy to find every time.
2. Set the teleprompter as an extended display. Go to System Settings, then Displays. Find the teleprompter monitor and make sure it is set up as an extended display, an extra monitor for your computer, rather than mirroring your main screen.
3. Send the text to the second display. Open Presentation Prompter and click Preview. In the display settings, choose the second display, so the teleprompter is used for your script only.
4. Flip the text if you need to. If the words read backwards in the teleprompter glass, tick the option to flip the text horizontally.
5. Narrow the margins so the text sits over the lens. You sit less than a metre from the teleprompter, so wide lines make your eyes visibly move from left to right. Narrow the side margins, up to about half the width, so the text falls around the lens. Do the same with the top and bottom margins, so the words appear right over the lens and you look like you are speaking straight down the barrel.
6. Learn the keyboard shortcuts. The space bar starts and stops the scroll. The right arrow makes it faster and the left arrow slows it down. You can add your own shortcuts in Preferences, then Controls. Chris sets the T key to jump back to the top of the script, so he can start again quickly.

What changes if you have the larger PrompterMax?

The PrompterMax is a 10-inch, super-bright teleprompter, so you have far more room on screen. A lot of these steps get simpler: you don't need to flip the text, and you can move windows around more freely, with your script on one side and something else on the other. Chris uses the extra space to see himself as he records and for Zoom calls.

What if the teleprompter isn't showing the script?

If the teleprompter is black or blue, see how to bring a dead TeleprompterMax back to life. If the text is there but too small, you can make the teleprompter text bigger. If pasted scripts come through with odd formatting, here is how to paste script without formatting glitches. On a PC, follow the guide to set up your teleprompter on PC instead. For how the whole studio fits together, see what the Desktop Studio setup involves.

Presentation Prompter questions we get asked

How do I get Presentation Prompter onto my teleprompter screen?

Set the teleprompter as an extended display in System Settings, Displays. Then in Presentation Prompter go to Preview and choose the second display for the prompter text.

Why is the text backwards in my teleprompter?

The teleprompter glass reflects the screen, so the text may need flipping. Tick the option to flip the text horizontally in Presentation Prompter's Preview settings.

How do I stop my eyes moving when I read?

Narrow the margins so the text sits in a small area around the camera lens, at the sides and at the top and bottom. Your eyes then stay on the lens while you read.

How do I control the speed of the scroll?

The space bar starts and stops it, the right arrow speeds it up and the left arrow slows it down. You can set extra shortcuts in Preferences, then Controls.