A free teleprompter for Chromebook

A Chromebook makes a good teleprompter: the webcam sits right above the screen, the keyboard has everything you need, and Chrome runs web apps well. You don't need an app from the Play Store. EasyPrompter runs in Chrome on ChromeOS like any website, free and with no account.

This guide covers how to start, the keyboard shortcuts on a Chromebook, how to read while you look at the webcam, recording, a second monitor, and what to do when a school or work Chromebook blocks something. For Windows PCs and Macs, see the teleprompter for PC and Mac guide.

Start in a minute

1. Open Chrome and go to studio.easyprompter.app.
2. Paste your script, or type it. To bring a Google Doc in, select all in the document, copy, and paste it into EasyPrompter: bold, italics and lists come with it.
3. Set the speed in words per minute. Around 130 is a comfortable start for most people.
4. Press Start. After a short countdown the text scrolls. Tap or press Space to pause.
5. For full screen, use the prompter's full-screen button or the full-screen key in the top row of the keyboard.

The free teleprompter keeps one script while the page is open; close the tab and it's gone. Keep your original in Google Docs. Pro saves your scripts to your account and syncs them with your other devices.

Keyboard shortcuts on a Chromebook

The prompter answers the keyboard while its window is in front:

• Space, Enter or K: play and pause
• ↑ and ↓: faster or slower, 10 words per minute at a time
• ← and →: the previous or next paragraph
• + and −: bigger or smaller text
• M: mirror on or off; L: loop on or off
• Esc: back to the editor

Chromebook keyboards have no Page Up, Page Down or Home keys. You don't need them: the arrow keys move between paragraphs. A Bluetooth clicker or page turner paired with the Chromebook sends Page Up and Page Down itself, and those work too. The user guide has the full list.

Look at the webcam while you read

The camera is in the bezel above the screen, so the text should be as close to it as possible.

• Eye contact. Turn on Eye contact in the prompter's quick menu: only the lines you're reading stay on screen, white on black, in a narrow island at the top of the window, right under the webcam. It's free.
• A narrow column, high up. Without eye contact, use wide side margins and move the reading line near the top of the screen, so your eyes barely move.
• Sit back a little. From further away, the difference between the camera and the text is smaller.

The eye contact and recording page shows how it looks.

Record yourself while you read

Press Start camera instead of Start: your webcam picture appears behind the text, with eye contact on, so you can check your framing while you read. It's free. With Pro, the red Record button records the take while the text scrolls, and you can save it to the Chromebook or to Your videos in your account, then edit it in the video editor.

You can also record with another app, such as the Chromebook's Camera app or a video call, while the prompter runs without its camera picture.

Let the prompter follow your voice

Turn on Auto by the speed, and the prompter listens through the Chromebook's microphone: it starts with your first words, follows your pace and waits when you stop. It uses Chrome's own speech recognition. It's free, and handy when your hands are busy.

Use a second monitor

With a monitor plugged in as an extended display, choose Another screen in the prompter's quick menu. The prompter opens in its own window, full screen on the other display, and the Chromebook's tab becomes the control panel: speed, pause and paragraphs, while the reader only sees the text. This also works for a monitor under a glass teleprompter: turn on Mirror.

Control it from your phone

With Pro, open Remote control on the Chromebook and scan its QR code with any phone: the phone becomes the remote, with play, pause, speed and paragraphs, and no app or sign-in on the phone. If you're signed in on both, either device can drive the other. More on the remote control page.

Install it like an app

With Pro, sign in and use Chrome's install button in the address bar. EasyPrompter then opens in its own window, without tabs, and sits in the launcher and the shelf with your other apps. See installing EasyPrompter as an app.

School and work Chromebooks

A managed Chromebook follows the rules its administrator sets. If something doesn't work:

• The site doesn't open. Ask your school or company IT to allow studio.easyprompter.app.
• The camera or the microphone is blocked. Start camera, recording and Auto need them. The teleprompter itself works without.
• Installing is turned off. Use EasyPrompter in a Chrome tab instead; everything else works the same.

For a class, students can each open the free teleprompter with no account, which suits a presentation day or a video project.

Frequently asked questions