How to use Autoprompt: illustrated guide for Mac, iPhone & iPad

01Quick start: your first take in five steps

Autoprompt is a teleprompter that listens. There is no scroll speed to set: the script moves when you speak and waits when you stop. Here is the shortest path from a blank window to a finished recording.

Open Autoprompt. On the Scripts screen click Create (top right), paste or type your script, click Save and give it a name.
Check the small round language chip above the bottom toolbar (for example EN). It must match the language you are going to speak. Click it to change language.
Pick a mode in the bottom toolbar: Listen (prompt only), Record (camera + prompt) or Record Audio.
Click the big round button in the middle of the toolbar (or press Space) and start reading. The highlighted word is the next word Autoprompt expects to hear; the text glides along as you say each word.
Click the button again (or press Space) to stop. If you were recording, the take is saved and the Recordings window opens so you can play, caption, edit and export it.

Listen mode in action. The yellow word is the next word expected; the white bar on the left is the reading line. While you speak the toolbar shrinks to just the pause button and the “Listening” status.

02Finding your way around

Every screen in Autoprompt uses the same two floating bars: a navigation bar at the top and a toolbar (the “dock”) at the bottom.

The Autoprompt main window showing the Scripts library with folders in a sidebar and scripts as tiles — The main window. Top: navigation bar. Bottom: the three tabs: Scripts, Recordings and Remote.

Top navigation bar

Cog icon: Opens Settings. On the Mac this is a separate window titled Preferences.
Plan badge (Lite / Pro / Pro Plus): Shows the plan you are on. Click it to open the plan comparison and upgrade screen.
Title: The name of the current tab, script or recording.
Create · Import: On the Scripts tab: start a new script, or bring one in from a file.
Back arrow: Appears on the left whenever you have opened something (a script, a recording, the importer). It takes you back one step.

Bottom tabs

Scripts: Your script library: the home screen.
Recordings: Every video and audio take you have recorded.
Remote: Only shown when Remote / Watch Enabled is switched on in Settings. Lets this device control Autoprompt on another device.

Dialogs in Autoprompt appear as a card in the middle of the window. The safe choice is always the highlighted button on the right; a destructive choice such as Delete is red and on the left.

03The Scripts library

The Scripts tab is where you keep, find and organise everything you read from. Click any script once to open it in the teleprompter.

Toolbar

Search scripts: Filters as you type. It matches script names and folder names, and always searches the whole library even if a folder is selected. Click the ✕ to clear.
Sync arrows: Appear while scripts are syncing with iCloud. If the icon turns red, click it to see the problem in Settings.
Sort (up/down arrows): Sort by Name, Modified, Created or Folder, Ascending or Descending. Your choice is remembered.
Grid · List · Table: Three ways to view the library. Table shows one row per script with Name, Folder and date columns: click a column heading to sort by it, click again to reverse.
Q button: Opens the Script Queue (see below). The icon is filled in when a queue is switched on.

Library sidebar

All Scripts: Everything, grouped under folder headings.
Unfiled: Scripts that are not in a folder.
Recent: Scripts you created, changed or opened in the last 30 days, newest first.
Your folders: Click to show only that folder. A folder exists for as long as it has at least one script in it: create one by moving a script into a new folder name.

Right-click menu on a script tile listing Select, Select All, Move to Folder, Duplicate, Rename, Edit Script, Export, Export Folder, Export All and Delete Script — Right-click a script for everything you can do with it.

Select / Select All: Build a selection of several scripts. With more than one selected the menu offers Export (N) and Delete (N).
Move to Folder...: Type a new folder name to create it, or pick an existing folder from the list, then click Move.
Duplicate: Makes a copy straight away, named “-copy1”, in the same folder.
Rename: The name becomes editable on the tile. Press Return to keep it, Esc to cancel.
Edit Script: Opens the script directly in edit mode.
Export · Export Folder · Export All: Saves RTF copies: of this script, of every script in its folder, or of the whole library. Light text colours are turned black so the file is readable on a white page.
Delete Script: Asks first. Deleting also removes the script from iCloud.

Move To Folder dialog with a folder name field and a list of existing folders — Move To Folder: type a new name, or choose one of your existing folders.

Selecting, dragging and dropping

Select several scripts: drag a rectangle across empty space to lasso them. Hold Shift or ⌘ to add to the selection. Click empty space to clear it.
Move a script: drag its tile onto a folder in the sidebar, or onto a folder heading in the list. Drag onto Unfiled to take it out of its folder.
Copy a script out of the app: drag a tile to the Desktop or a Finder window to get an RTF copy.
Folders: right-click a folder (in the sidebar or on its heading) for Rename Folder and Delete Folder and Scripts….

Scripts library in Table view with Name, Folder and Modified columns — Table view. Click a column heading to sort.

04Importing scripts

Autoprompt reads rich text (RTF), plain text, PDF and, on the Mac · Word documents.

On the Scripts tab click Import and choose one or more files. On a Mac you can also drag files from Finder onto the window: drop them on a folder to import straight into it.
One file: it opens in the editor so you can check the text. Click Save, confirm the name and (optionally) a folder.
Several text files at once: they are added immediately, each named after its file, and a message confirms “Imported N scripts”.
PDFs always ask how you want the text read: see below.

Import Script screen with five choices for reading a PDF: Actor, Document, High, Medium and Low — Importing a PDF: pick the option that best describes the file.

PDF import options

Document: For PDFs exported from Word, Pages, Google Docs and similar. Takes the text directly from the file: fastest and most accurate.
Actor: For typed screenplay or script pages. Reads only the dark text, ignores margin numbers and keeps paragraph breaks.
High: For scanned pages of black text. Anything pale (watermarks, grey notes) is ignored.
Medium: For scans where the text is coloured. Keeps text of any colour.
Low: Imports everything that can be recognised. Try this if the other modes miss text.

While a PDF is being read you see “page X of Y”. Password-protected PDFs cannot be imported. Pictures, audio and video files are not accepted.

05Writing and editing a script

A new script opens ready to type in. To change an existing script, open it and click Edit in the top bar.

A script in edit mode with margin handles around the text, and the AI assistant and font buttons added to the bottom toolbar — Edit mode. The round handles on the edges adjust the margins; the wand and “A|” buttons on the left of the toolbar only appear while editing.

While editing

Cancel (top right): Throws away the text changes made since you clicked Edit.
Save (top right): Replaces Cancel as soon as you change something. A brand-new script asks for a name and an optional folder.
Wand button: Opens the AI Assistant to improve the script (Mac, see below).
A| button: Shows or hides the font bar.
Margin handles: Drag an edge or corner handle to change the margins. Double-click a handle to snap that margin back to zero.

The font bar above the toolbar with font family, bold, italic and colour controls — The font bar: close, font family, bold, italic and text colour.

Select some text and use the font bar to change its font, make it bold or italic, or give it a colour: useful for marking emphasis or different speakers. With nothing selected, the choice applies to what you type next. Undo with ⌘Z.

Speaker names and notes

Speaker names and notes are pieces of text that you can see but that Autoprompt does not expect you to say. It never highlights them and never waits for them, so they are ideal for “JANE:”, “(pause)” or “smile!”.

Right-click menu in the editor with Add Speaker Name, Add Note, Cut, Copy and Paste — Right-click in the text while editing.

Add Speaker Name / Add Note inserts one at the cursor. You choose the text, an optional emoji, and text and background colours.
Select existing words first and the menu offers Make Speaker Name / Make Note instead.

Script Name dialog asking for a name and an optional folder — Saving a new script: name it, and optionally type or pick a folder.

If you click the back arrow with unsaved changes, Autoprompt asks Exit without saving?: choose Stay to go back and save, or Exit to discard.

06The teleprompter screen

Click a script in the library and it opens here, ready to read.

The teleprompter showing the Bridges script with the navigation bar at the top and the toolbar at the bottom — A script open in Listen mode.

Top bar

Back arrow: Returns to the library. Warns you if there are unsaved changes.
Cog: Opens Settings.
Q: Only shown when this script belongs to a Script Queue: opens the queue.
Edit / Save / Cancel: Edit switches to edit mode. Save appears whenever something about the script has changed: text, margins, size, mode or options.

Bottom toolbar, left to right

Listen · Record · Record Audio: Chooses what the big button does: prompt only, prompt while recording video, or prompt while recording sound only.
The big round button: Start and stop. It shows a microphone in Listen mode and a record ring in the recording modes; while running it shows pause (Listen) or a red stop square (recording). A thin ring around it fills as you move through the script.
Status: Tells you what is happening: Ready, Starting, Listening, Paused, Recording, Saving, Editing or Finished.
AA and slider: Text size: see below.
••• (More): Everything else: loop, mirroring, margins, captions, stickers, opacity, extra windows and options.
Language chip (EN): Sits just above the toolbar. Shows the language Autoprompt is listening for; click to change it.

While you are being prompted the toolbar shrinks to the big button and the status, and the top bar hides, so nothing distracts you. Move the pointer over the toolbar to bring it all back.

Drag the slider to resize the text. The script re-flows as you drag.
Click the AA icon to switch between two behaviours: font size makes all text one size (20–300 pt); magnification scales everything in proportion (0.25×–4×), so headings stay bigger than body text.
Right-click the AA icon (or the slider) to type an exact value.

Choosing the spoken language

Spoken Language card listing languages with English (United States) selected and marked AI on Device — Click the language chip to choose the language you will speak.

Pick the language (and region) that you are about to speak. If that language is not yet on your Mac it downloads automatically; a progress ring shows on the chip and you can start once it finishes. The label at the top (AI on Device, Dictation on Device…) tells you how that language is recognised.

More menu listing Loop, Mirror horizontally, Mirror vertically, Adjust margins, Captions, Stickers, Background opacity, Duplicate prompter, Screen Mirror and Teleprompter options — The More menu in Listen mode. In Record mode it also offers Filters and Camera background.

Loop: When the script ends, start again from the top. Also available by right-clicking the big button.
Mirror horizontally: Flips the text left-to-right so it reads correctly in the glass of a beam-splitter teleprompter.
Mirror vertically: Flips the text top-to-bottom, for rigs that reflect the screen from above or below.
Adjust margins: Shows draggable guides around the text: see below.
Captions · Stickers: What gets added to your video while recording: see Recording.
Background opacity: Mac only. Makes the window see-through: see below.
Duplicate prompter: Mac only. Opens a second, live copy of the prompter on another display.
Screen Mirror: Mac only. Mirrors an entire display onto another display.
Teleprompter options: Margins by number and a few per-script behaviours: see below.

Margins

Teleprompter with margin guides pulled in from the left and right so the text column is narrower — Adjust margins: a narrow column keeps your eyes from travelling side to side.

Choose More → Adjust margins, then drag a side or corner handle. Drag the outline itself to move the whole text area; double-click a handle to reset that margin to zero. Choose Adjust margins again to hide the guides. Margins are saved with the script.

Teleprompter options

View Options sheet with margin percentages, Hide navigation on play, Collapse controls direction, Flip text and Video Captions — More → Teleprompter options. These settings belong to this script.

Margin Left / Right / Top / Bottom %: The same margins as the draggable guides, as numbers (0–90).
Hide navigation on play: Hides the top bar while prompting. On by default.
Collapse controls direction: Where the shrunken toolbar sits while you read: Center, Left, Right, or None to hide it completely (move the pointer over the window to get it back).
Flip text horizontally / vertically: The same as the two Mirror commands in the More menu.
Video Captions: Opens the caption settings used while recording.

See-through window (Mac)

Teleprompter window with its black background made partly transparent so the desktop shows through behind the text — Background opacity lowered to 38%: whatever is behind the window shows through.

More → Background opacity fades the window’s black background so you can see another app behind your script: ideal for video calls. Put the call window behind Autoprompt, place the text just under your webcam, and read while you look at the people you are talking to. Combine it with Settings → Advanced → Teleprompt always in front so the prompter stays on top.

Autoprompt floating transparently over a video meeting window — Reading a script over a video call.

A second screen (Mac)

More → Duplicate prompter opens a live copy of the teleprompter on another display, and Screen Mirror sends a whole display to another one: both are covered in their own sections, next.

Autoprompt on iPhone in Listen mode with the highlighted word and the collapsed toolbar — Listening on iPhone.

07Duplicate prompter: the script on a second screen

A duplicate prompter is a second, live copy of your teleprompter in its own window. Put it on the monitor behind your teleprompter glass, on a display facing the presenter, or on a confidence monitor: while you keep controlling everything from your own screen.

Open a duplicate

Open your script in the teleprompter.
Click ••• in the toolbar and choose Duplicate prompter.
Pick the display it should appear on. A window called Teleprompter – <script name> opens there, and a small Duplicate Controls window opens on your own display.
Start prompting as usual. The copy follows in real time: scrolling, the highlighted word, the reading line, the countdown and the stopwatch.

Destination Screen card listing the connected displays: Built-in Retina Display, C27F591 and LU28R55, with a Cancel button — Choose the display for the copy. Every connected display is listed by name.

The duplicate prompter window showing the same script as the main window, with a small bar of five buttons at the bottom — The duplicate window. Move the pointer over it to show its bar; the bar hides again after a few seconds.

The duplicate window’s bar, left to right

Cog: Opens Settings.
Flip left ↔ right: Mirrors the copy horizontally: what you need behind beam-splitter teleprompter glass. Your own window stays readable.
Flip top ↕ bottom: Turns the copy upside down, for rigs that reflect the screen from above or below.
Half circle: Background opacity for this window only, so a duplicate can float transparently over something else.
Window with +: Opens another duplicate: you can have as many as you have displays.

The duplicate prompter window with its text mirrored left to right — Mirrored for teleprompter glass. Flipping a duplicate never affects the main window.

The copy is display-only: the toolbar, menus and dialogs of the main window never appear in it, and clicking the copy does not move the script. Each duplicate remembers its own flips and opacity, starting from the flip defaults in Settings → Advanced → Text Display. When the camera is on, the copy shows your self-view too: drag it around, or hover and click the expand arrows to fill the window with it.

The Duplicate Controls window

Duplicate Controls window with a row of buttons and a map of three displays; the duplicate window is drawn as a red rectangle with move and resize handles — Duplicate Controls: everything about the copy, without leaving your own screen.

Button bar: The same cog, two flips and opacity as the copy’s own bar, plus full screen (the arrows) to make the copy fill its display: the usual choice for a teleprompter monitor. Click again to exit full screen. With the camera on, an extra button expands the self-view to full background.
Display map: Every display drawn to scale; the copy’s display is highlighted and the copy itself is the red rectangle. Drag the ⤧ handle at its top-left to move the window, even onto another display; drag the ⤡ handle at its bottom-right to resize it.

Keyboard shortcuts keep working while a duplicate window is in front, so you can drive the prompter from whichever window is active.

08Screen Mirror: send a whole display to teleprompter glass

Screen Mirror copies one entire display onto another, flipped if you like, at 30 frames per second. Unlike a duplicate prompter it mirrors everything on that display (Autoprompt, a slide deck, notes, anything) so it suits rigs where the presenter needs to see more than the script.

Set it up

Connect the second display as an extended desktop, not as a system-mirrored one (System Settings → Displays).
Choose ScreenMirror → Start in the menu bar, or click ••• → Screen Mirror in the teleprompter.
The first time, macOS asks for Screen Recording permission. Click Open System Settings, switch on Autoprompt under Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, then come back and click Already Done.
Source Display: click the display you want to copy: the one you will work on.
With exactly two displays the mirror starts immediately on the other one. With three or more, a second step asks for the Destination Display.
All of Autoprompt’s windows move to the source display, and a full-screen Screen Mirror window opens on the destination.

Screen Recording Access screen asking for permission to mirror the screen, with Open Settings and Already Done buttons — Seen once: macOS needs Screen Recording permission before a display can be mirrored. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

ScreenMirror menu

Start: Opens the display chooser.
Close: Stops mirroring and closes the mirror window.
Flip: Turns the mirrored picture upside down.
Mirror: Flips the mirrored picture left to right: the setting for beam-splitter glass.
Full Screen / Exit Full Screen: The mirror window normally fills its display; use this if you have taken it out of full screen.

Settings → Advanced → ScreenMirror Defaults

Always create Teleprompt: Also bring up the Scripts window on the source display when the mirror starts.
Flip screen horizontally / vertically: How every new mirror starts out. Left-to-right mirroring is on by default, because that is what teleprompter glass needs. Changes apply to a running mirror straight away.

The mirror includes the pointer and clicks, so the presenter sees exactly what you see.
Move the pointer over the mirror window and it shows a “not allowed” cursor: there is nothing to click there.
Unplugging either display closes the mirror automatically.
One display only? The chooser says No External Display until you connect a monitor or TV.

09Floating prompter: the script over other apps (iPhone & iPad)

On iPhone and iPad the script can float in a small window on top of whatever else you are doing (your video-call app, a camera app, your notes) and keep following your voice. It uses the system’s Picture in Picture window, so it behaves like a floating video.

An iPhone Home Screen with the Autoprompt script floating in a small Picture-in-Picture window at the top, the next word highlighted in yellow — The floating prompter over the Home Screen. It follows your voice exactly as the full-screen prompter does.

Float the script

Open your script and choose Listen or Record Audio in the toolbar. (Floating is not available in Record mode: the camera cannot run in the background.)
Touch and hold the big round button and choose Play Floating.
Prompting starts straight away (no countdown) and the status shows Floating for a moment while the window is prepared.
Switch to any other app, or go to the Home Screen. The script keeps scrolling in its floating window as you speak.
Come back to Autoprompt whenever you like: the prompter is still running in the app.

Using the floating window

Drag: Move the window to any corner of the screen.
Pinch: Make it larger or smaller.
Tap: Shows the window’s controls: play / pause the prompter, and skip back / forward, which move the highlight one word at a time.
Swipe to the edge: Tucks the window off-screen with a tab to pull it back: the script keeps running.
Return-to-app button: Jumps back to Autoprompt and ends floating.
✕: Closes the floating window. Prompting carries on inside Autoprompt.

The window shows the lines around the reading line, so what you see is always the next thing to say. Changes you make in the app (text size, margins) show up in the floating window straight away. To stop floating from inside the app, touch and hold the big button and choose Stop Floating.

Picture in Picture must be allowed for the device: Settings → General → Picture in Picture → Start PiP Automatically. If it is off you will see “Floating window unavailable”.
iOS can pause microphone access to apps in the background in some situations. If that happens the window keeps scrolling at a steady pace instead of following your voice, and Autoprompt tells you when you return to the app.
The floating window works on iPhone and iPad. On the Mac the equivalent is a see-through window: see Background opacity in “The teleprompter screen”.

10How Autoprompt follows your voice

Understanding four simple rules makes Autoprompt feel effortless.

One word is highlighted: the next word you are expected to say. Say it and the highlight moves on, and the line glides up to the reading line (the white marker at the edge).
It waits for you. Stop talking, take a breath, answer a question, ad-lib a whole story: the script stays where it is until it hears the highlighted word (or one of the next few words).
Skipped a bit? Autoprompt looks a few words ahead, so dropping or fumbling a word or two does not matter. If you jump further than that, click the word you want to continue from.
It never jumps backwards by itself. To repeat a passage, click where you want to restart.

Moving around without speaking

Default keys (paused or while listening)

Space: Start / pause (also cancels a countdown)
→ / ←: Next / previous word
↓ / ↑: Next / previous line
Q / A: Jump to the top / bottom
Click a word: Continue from that word
Scroll: Look ahead or back freely: the next word you say snaps the text back into place

All of these keys can be changed, and a presenter clicker or foot pedal can be used instead: see Settings → Keyboard & remotes.

When you reach the end

Autoprompt stops by itself. With Loop on it starts again from the top; if the script belongs to an active Script Queue the next script loads and carries on. When recording video you can have the camera keep rolling for a few seconds after the last word (Settings → Advanced → Recording → Continue recording (secs)).

Fine-tuning recognition

Settings → Advanced → Speech and Text Display

Forward Looking: How far ahead Autoprompt searches if it misses the current word: Low (1 word), Medium (3) or High (5). Raise it if you often skip words; lower it if your script repeats the same words close together.
Recognition Accuracy: How exactly a heard word must match the script: Exact, High, Medium or Low. Lower is more forgiving of accents and unusual names; higher avoids false matches.
Scroll Speed: How quickly the text glides to each new word: High (snappy), Medium or Low (gentle).

11Recording video and audio

Choose Record in the toolbar and your camera appears on top of the script. Choose Record Audio to capture sound only.

A take in progress. The status turns red and the big button becomes a stop square.

Record a take

Choose your Camera, Microphone and Video Quality (480p to 8K) once, in Settings → General.
Open your script and click Record in the toolbar.
Drag the camera picture where you want it; drag a corner dot to resize it.
Click the big button (or press Space). If you have switched on a countdown, wait for it. Start speaking.
Click the red stop button (or press Space). A Saving message appears, then the Recordings window opens with your new take, named after the script.

Record mode with the camera self-view and a row of six small buttons above it — Move the pointer over the camera picture to show its buttons.

Camera picture buttons, left to right

Expand arrows: Fills the whole window with the camera, with your script over the top. Click again to shrink it back.
Portrait frame: Shows guide lines for the part of the picture that survives a vertical (9: 16) crop: handy when you plan to post to TikTok, Reels or Shorts.
Person and layers: Camera background: replace or blur what is behind you.
Three circles: Filters: colour looks for the camera.
Speech bubble: Captions: add your script as subtitles while recording.
Picture with +: Stickers: add an image or emoji to the video.

Camera filling the entire window with the script text laid over it — Camera as full background: you see yourself behind the words. Buttons move to the top right.

Camera background

None: Your real background.
Blur: Softens everything behind you.
Colour: A flat colour of your choice.
Image: Any picture file.
Video (speaker on / speaker off): A moving background, with or without its sound.
Quality · Edge · Smoothness: Trade speed for a cleaner cut-out. Fast helps older Macs keep up; High looks best.

Filters

Filter picker with twelve looks: None, B & W, Noir, Sepia, Soft Focus, Vivid, Warm, Cool, Fade, Chrome, Instant and Comic — Twelve looks. With a background active you can filter the background separately.

Captions while you record

Captions sheet with None, Native and Custom, a preview, and font, size, colour and background options — Captions settings. Drag the caption in the preview to position it.

None: No captions on the video. (You can still add them later: Autoprompt always remembers the timing.)
Native: Captions are stored as a subtitle track. Viewers can switch them on or off in their video player.
Custom: Captions are drawn into the picture, so they always show, everywhere. You control Font, Size, Text color, Background, Background color, Background opacity, Round corners and Outline / shadow.

Because Autoprompt knows exactly when you said each word, the captions are timed from your script: they are word-perfect, with no transcription mistakes. A small speech-bubble icon in the status shows that captions are switched on for this script.

Stickers

Click Add sticker and choose from the Emoji tab, or Import your own image (animated GIFs play). Imported stickers are kept in your sticker library for other scripts.

Useful recording settings

Settings → Advanced

Perform Countdown · Countdown seconds: A big on-screen countdown before each start. Click the big button (now ✕) to cancel.
Show StopWatch: Shows elapsed time at the top right.
Audio Quality · Audio Channels · Noise Reduction: From Good to Lossless; Mono or Stereo; Light or Strong noise reduction (Strong records in mono).
Flashing Record Light: A flashing red dot on the camera picture while recording.
Continue recording (secs): Keep the camera rolling this long after the last word, so you can hold your smile.
Default View: Whether scripts open with No Camera, Inset Self View, Background Self View or Audio Only.
Self view mirrored: Shows your preview like a mirror. The recording itself is not mirrored.

Pausing always ends the take: a paused recording is a finished recording. Camera background, filters, captions and stickers are remembered for each script separately.

Autoprompt on iPhone with the camera self-view below the script and a two-row toolbar — Record mode on iPhone.

12The Recordings library

Every take lands here, named after its script (a number is added for second and later takes). It works just like the Scripts library: search, sort, Grid / List / Table views, and the same folders sidebar.

Recordings library showing one folder selected and a recording thumbnail with a play button — Recordings inherit the folder of the script they were recorded from. Click a recording to open it.

Right-click menu on a recording with Get Info, Select, Move to Folder, Edit Recording, Captions, Remove Background, Stitch, Export and Delete Recording — Right-click a recording.

Get Info: Resolution, frame rate, codecs, duration, file size and dates.
Select / Select All: Select several recordings. The menu then offers Edit Recording (N), Stitch (N), Export (N) and Delete (N).
Move to Folder...: File the recording in a new or existing folder. (You can also drag it onto a folder.)
Edit Recording: Opens the recording in the player with its editing tools.
Captions...: Opens the Captions editor directly. Create there makes a captioned copy of the video.
Remove Background...: Replace or blur the background of a video you have already recorded.
Stitch: With two or more recordings selected, joins them end to end in the editor.
Export · Export Folder · Export All: Save copies to disk: see Export below.
Rename Folder · Delete Folder and Recordings…: Act on the folder the recording is in.
Delete Recording: Asks first. Deleting is permanent: the file is not moved to the Trash.

Long jobs (exports, caption rendering, background removal, Studio renders) show as a progress strip at the top of this screen. Click it to see each job; the grey ✕ cancels one. You can keep working while they run.

13Playing, quick fixes and exporting

Click a recording to open it. While it is paused a row of tools floats over the picture.

A recording open in the player with a floating row of eight round tool buttons — The player’s tools. They hide while the video plays.

Tools, left to right

Play / Pause: The standard macOS playback bar (scrubber, skip, speed) also appears when you move the pointer over the video.
Clapperboard: Studio: Opens the full multi-track editor (next section but one).
Person and layers: Remove background: Choose Blur, Colour, Image or Video, fine-tune Quality, Edge and Smoothness, drag yourself into position on the preview, then click Process. Change background over time… lets different parts of the video use different backgrounds.
Speech bubble: Captions: Opens the Captions editor (next section). Greyed out for recordings that were not made from a script.
Scissors: Trim: Drag the two handles on the filmstrip to keep only the part between them, then click ✓. Click ✕ to cancel.
Three circles: Filters: Apply one of the twelve colour looks to the whole video.
Camera with waves: Stabilize: Steadies shaky footage. The picture is zoomed in slightly to do so.
+: Add Clips: Join other recordings (or imported videos) after this one. A clip strip appears where you can reorder, trim and add transitions.

Trim bar with a filmstrip, two drag handles, a cancel button and an apply button — Trimming: drag the ends of the filmstrip, then click the tick.

After any change a Save button appears in the top bar. Saving never touches your original: it creates a new recording (for example “Bridges-1”, or “Bridges-captioned” when captions are included).

Exporting

Export Video sheet with Current and social media presets; TikTok is selected and the preview shows the vertical crop — Pick a destination and Autoprompt sets shape, size and format for you. The preview shows what will be kept.

Click Export (top right of the player), or right-click a recording → Export.
Choose Current to export the video exactly as it is, a social preset (TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, Snapchat and more), a size preset such as Small or Tiny for email, or Custom.
Click Export and choose where to save.

Custom export

Landscape · Portrait: The orientation of the exported video.
Export aspect ratio: 1:1, 1.24:1, 5:4, 16:9 or your own W : H. The video is cropped around its centre; the preview highlights what is kept.
Export size: From 4K down to small sizes, each with an estimated file size. Original marks the size you recorded at; Upscaled marks sizes larger than that.
Target file size, format and codec: Further down: set a size limit, choose MOV or MP4, and H.264 (most compatible) or HEVC (smaller files).

14The Captions editor

Autoprompt saves caption timing with every recording made from a script (even when captions were switched off) so you can add or restyle captions at any time.

Captions editor with the caption text and timing on the left, the video preview with a selected caption, and a timeline of caption blocks underneath — Left: the selected caption. Right: preview. Bottom: the timeline of captions.

Bottom bar

Native · Custom · Off: Native stores captions as a switchable subtitle track. Custom draws them into the picture with your styling. Off removes them.
Sentence · Word: Show a sentence at a time, or one word at a time for a punchy social-media look.
Cancel · Save (or Create): From the player, Save returns to the player and the captions are rendered when you save the video. From the Recordings menu the button is Create, which makes a “-captioned” copy straight away.

Timeline buttons (above the filmstrip, right)

+: Adds a new caption at the playhead.
Picture with +: Adds a sticker (image or emoji) that appears for a chosen time.
Circular arrow: Reloads the captions from the original script, discarding your edits.
Waveform: Creates captions by transcribing the audio, for videos where you went off script.
Bin: Deletes the selected caption.
Magnifiers: Zoom the timeline in and out.

Caption panel

Text box: Edit the words of the selected caption.
Appears · Disappears: Fine-tune timing in steps of a tenth of a second, or simply drag the ends of the caption’s block in the timeline.
Appear effect · Disappear effect: Animate the caption in and out: Fade, Pop, Drop or Slide.
Word Pop · Word Highlight: In Sentence mode, emphasise each word as it is spoken, by popping it or by colouring it.
Style: Font, size, colours, background, corners and outline. Drag the caption in the preview to move it; use its handles to resize and rotate.

15The Studio: a full video editor

Open a recording, pause it, and click the clapperboard. The Studio puts everything on one timeline: clips, captions, stickers, backgrounds, filters, picture-in-picture overlays and music. Your original recordings are never changed.

Studio window with the preview top left, inspector on the right and a multi-row timeline underneath — Preview (top left), inspector for the selected item (right) and the timeline (bottom).

Top bar

Cancel: Closes the Studio. If you made changes you are asked whether to Keep Draft & Close, Discard Changes or Keep Editing.
Undo · Redo: Step back and forward. Click and hold Undo for a list of recent steps you can jump back to. ⌘Z also works.
Save Draft (tray icon): Saves your edit so far. Drafts also save themselves as you work and reopen next time you open the Studio on this recording.
Process: Renders the finished video. Enabled once you have changed something.

Under the preview, left to right

Play · frame back · frame forward: Space plays and pauses; ← and → step one frame.
Time: Click it and type a time to jump there.
Loop: Repeats playback.
Canvas: The shape of the finished video: Original, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 and more. Blur Bars fills empty space with a blurred copy of the picture.
Crop: Crop the selected clip, or animate a slow zoom with Ken Burns (see below).
Microphone: Records a voice-over onto the Music row while the video plays silently.
Scissors: Splits the clip at the playhead.
Expand arrows: Hides the timeline and inspector for a big preview.

Working in the timeline

Each row has a + button: Video (add clips), Captions, Stickers, Background, Filters, Overlay (picture-in-picture) and Music.
Click an item to select it: its settings appear in the inspector. Drag an item to move it; drag its ends to trim or resize it. Things snap to the playhead and to each other.
Drag a video clip sideways to reorder clips.
Right-click any item for more: Split at Playhead, Duplicate, Mute, Speed Ramp, Freeze Frame, Reverse, Volume, Remove…
Press Delete to remove the selected item, ⌘D to duplicate it.
Click or drag in the time ruler to move the playhead. The magnifier buttons at the bottom right zoom the timeline; the middle one fits everything.

A clip split in two with the round transition button between the pieces selected and the Transition card in the inspector — Click the round button on a cut to choose a transition, or to **Join Clips** back together.

Inspector cards

Clip: Volume and mute, rotate left/right, and Stabilize. Volume over time lets you add points to fade the sound up and down.
Speed: From 0.25× to 4×. Captions are re-timed to match.
Adjust: Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Warmth.
Transition: Cross-dissolve, fades, pushes, wipes and a set of glitch effects, lasting 0.25–2 seconds.
Background: Blur, colour, image or video behind you, for all or part of a clip.
Filter: One of the twelve looks for a stretch of time. Overlapping filters combine.
Overlay: A second video shown picture-in-picture. Drag it on the preview, or use the corner presets.
Music: Volume, fade in/out, and Duck under video, which lowers the music whenever someone is speaking.

Studio with the captions track switched to Custom and the Themes card showing Classic, Bold Pop, Lower Third, Minimal, Red Pop and Red Highlight — Captions in the Studio, with ready-made themes. Save your own look with **Save Current as Theme…**

Click the Captions row to switch captions Off, Native or Custom, reload them from the script, or create them from the audio. Pick a Theme for a complete look; Apply to Existing restyles captions already on the timeline.

Crop mode in the Studio with a crop rectangle over the preview and Free, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5, Ken Burns, Reset, Cancel and Apply buttons — Crop mode. Turn on **Ken Burns** and set a Start and End frame for a slow zoom or pan.

Finishing: Process

Click Process. The Studio closes and you return to Recordings.
A progress strip shows the render, with time remaining and a ✕ to cancel. You can carry on working.
The finished video appears as a new recording named “…-edited” (or “…-captioned”). Your originals are untouched.
Want to change something later? Open the Studio from the finished video: the whole editable timeline comes back.

Close the Studio dialog with Keep Draft and Close, Discard Changes and Keep Editing buttons — Leaving without processing: your work can be kept as a draft.

16The Script Queue: play scripts back to back

A queue is a playlist of scripts. When one script ends, the next loads and carries on automatically: perfect for a running order, a news bulletin or a day of shooting.

Script Queue window with available scripts and folders on the left and a queue of three scripts on the right with loop and on/off switches — Left: everything you can add. Right: the queue, in playing order.

On the Scripts tab click the Q button. The first time, name your queue and click Create.
Click + beside each script or folder to add it, or drag it into the queue. Adding a folder plays every script in it, including ones you add to the folder later.
Drag the cards into the order you want. The bin removes a card.
Click the loop button if the queue should start again after the last script.
Flip the switch on. The Q button in the library turns solid to show a queue is active.
Click ▶ on the first card. The script opens and starts by itself. Right-click ▶ and choose Record to record it instead.

You can keep several queues (create, rename and delete them from the ••• menu) but only one is active at a time. The queue cannot be changed while a script is running.

17The AI Assistant

The AI Assistant is a writing coach for your script. It runs on Apple Intelligence, on your Mac: your script is not sent to a cloud service.

AI Assistant window showing an improved version of the script with Copy and Teleprompt buttons and an Ask anything field — The assistant starts working on your script as soon as it opens.

Open a script, click Edit, then click the wand button at the left of the toolbar.
The assistant immediately rewrites your script to be clearer and more engaging, and lists what it changed. (With an empty script it offers help writing one.)
Type follow-ups in Ask anything (“make it shorter”, “friendlier tone”, “add a call to action”) and press Return. The stop button interrupts a long answer.
Click Teleprompt on the result (or answer yes when asked) to put the new text into your script. Copy puts it on the clipboard instead.
Back in the teleprompter, click Save to keep the new version, or Cancel to return to your original.

Requirements: macOS 26 or later on a Mac that supports Apple Intelligence, with Apple Intelligence switched on in System Settings. The AI Assistant switch in Settings → General shows whether it is available, and hides the wand button when switched off.

18Remote control and Apple Watch

Control the teleprompter from across the room: use an iPhone, iPad or another Mac running Autoprompt as a remote, an Apple Watch, or a presenter clicker.

Use another device as a remote

On both devices open Settings → General → Software Remote Control and switch on Remote / Watch Enabled. Allow local-network access if asked. Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
On the device you will hold, open the new Remote tab and choose the other device from the list.
Choose a script: it opens on the teleprompter device.
Press the big microphone button to start and pause. Use Record, Record Audio or View at the top to change mode.

Remote tab showing Waiting for Teleprompts while it looks for other devices — The Remote tab looks for other devices running Autoprompt with remote control enabled.

iPhone acting as a remote, showing a live copy of the script, a large microphone button and Top, End, Page, Word, Font Size, Mag, Flip and Opacity controls — An iPhone controlling Autoprompt on a Mac.

Remote controls

Live picture: Shows exactly what the teleprompter shows. The Text (eye) button hides it, which also saves battery.
Big button: Start / pause listening, or start / stop recording. Shows the countdown if one is set.
Top · End: Jump to the start or end of the script.
Page Up · Page Dn · Word ‹ ›: Move the reading position by a line or a single word: perfect for an operator nudging the script for a presenter.
Font Size · Mag: Change the text size on the teleprompter as it runs.
Flip H · Flip V · Opacity: Mirror the text, or (for a Mac teleprompter) change its window transparency.
Grid button (top left): Switch between Scripts, Recordings and Settings on the other device. You can play back recordings and change its main settings from here.
✕ (top right): Disconnects.

Apple Watch

Open Autoprompt on your watch. It finds your iPhone, and any Mac or iPad on the network with Remote / Watch Enabled on.
Swipe through your scripts and tap one to open it.
Tap the microphone to start and again to pause. Tap the left edge of the screen to jump to the top, the right edge to jump to the end.
While stopped, the small icons at the bottom switch between listening, video recording and audio recording.
Swipe right to close the script.

Presenter clickers, pedals and keyboards

Any clicker, pedal or keyboard that sends ordinary keys works straight away with the default keys (Space, arrows, Q, A), and remotes with media buttons can be taught too: see the next section, “Hardware remotes”.

19Hardware remotes: clickers, pedals and keyboards

Any presenter clicker, foot pedal, Bluetooth keyboard or media remote can drive Autoprompt. Most work with no setup at all; the rest take a minute to teach.

How it works

Autoprompt listens for keys while a script is open. Seven actions each have a key: press it on the built-in keyboard, a Bluetooth keyboard, or any remote that types keys, and the action happens. A typical presenter clicker sends Page Down / Page Up or the arrow keys; a foot pedal is usually programmed to send a key of your choice.

Default keys

Space: Play: start and pause listening (or start and stop a recording)
↓ / ↑: Page Down / Page Up: move to the next or previous line
→ / ←: Skip Forward / Skip Backward: move one word
Q / A: Skip Top / Skip Bottom: jump to the start or end of the script

Keys are ignored while you are editing text or typing in a field, and while another window such as Settings or the Studio is in front, so nothing happens by accident. A duplicate prompter window does pass keys through.

Getting a remote up and running

Pair the remote with your Mac (Bluetooth) or plug in its USB receiver. It does not need any Autoprompt-specific mode.
Open a script in Autoprompt and press the remote’s buttons. If they already move the script, you are done.
If not, open Settings → Advanced → Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping.
Click the coloured key button beside the action you want the remote to trigger, for example Play.
In the Map Keyboard panel, press the button on the remote. Autoprompt recognises the key it sends and highlights it. (You can also click any key in the grid.)
Click Done. Repeat for the other actions. None clears an action; Cancel leaves it unchanged.

Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping card listing Play, Page Down, Page Up, Skip Forward, Skip Backward, Skip Top and Skip Bottom with their keys — Each action and the key that triggers it. (This Mac has its own mapping: yours will show the defaults.)

Map Keyboard panel asking to press a button to map to Play, showing remote media buttons and navigation keys — Press the remote’s button and it lights up here. The Remote Media Buttons row only appears when media buttons are enabled.

A key can only do one thing. Giving a key to a new action takes it away from the old one.
Keys that never reach apps (⌘, Shift, Option, Control, Caps Lock, the volume keys) cannot be used on their own.
Mappings are shared by every script.

Remotes with media buttons

The Use media buttons on hardware remote toggle with its information text open — Use media buttons on hardware remote, and what it changes.

Some remotes (headset-style controllers and many “media” clickers) do not type keys at all. They send the same Play/Pause, Next, Previous, Fast Forward and Rewind signals a pair of headphones sends. To use one of these:

In Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping, switch on Use media buttons on hardware remote.
Click the key button beside an action. The Map Keyboard panel now starts with a Remote Media Buttons row: Play/Pause, Next, Previous, Fast Forward and Rewind.
Press the button on the remote (or click it in the row) and click Done. The action now shows, for example, Remote Next.

macOS delivers media buttons only to the app that is “playing”. While a script is open, Autoprompt takes that role: the remote’s buttons will not control Music, Spotify or a browser video for that time, and Autoprompt appears in Control Centre as the current media app.
Fast Forward and Rewind must be held down: a quick tap of those buttons arrives as Next and Previous.
Switching the setting off returns every action that used a media button to its normal key.

20Settings

Click the cog. Settings has two tabs (General and Advanced) and changes apply immediately. Click Done to close.

General

Product: Your plan, Upgrade, Restore Purchases (after reinstalling or on a new device) and Product Features, which lists what each plan includes.
Display Language: The language of Autoprompt’s menus and buttons.
Spoken Language: The language you will read aloud. Icons show whether it is downloaded, downloading or needs the internet.
Speech Recognition: Shows how the chosen language is recognised. AI on Device and Dictation on Device work offline.
Speech Languages: Download languages in advance, or remove ones you no longer need.
Show Language on Teleprompter: Shows or hides the round language chip above the toolbar.
Use Legacy Recognition: Adds extra languages that are recognised over the internet. Leave off to keep recognition on your device.
Theme: Auto, Dark or Light. The teleprompter itself always stays dark.
AI Assistant: Switch the writing assistant on or off.
Camera · Video Quality · Microphone: What you record with, and at what resolution (480p–8K).
Software Remote Control: Remote / Watch Enabled and Show Script Text: see Remote control.
Support: Go to FAQ and Support, and your app version.

Speech Languages sheet listing downloaded languages and how each is recognised — Speech Languages: what is on your device, and what can be downloaded.

Advanced

The Advanced tab is long, so it starts with a Search settings box. Type a word (“countdown”, “pointer”, “margin”) and Settings jumps to it and highlights the matches. Return moves to the next match.

Advanced, card by card

Speech: Forward Looking and Recognition Accuracy: see “Following your voice”.
Text Display: Scroll Speed, Show scroll bar, the default flip settings for mirror rigs, and Mirror Controls, which decides whether the toolbar is mirrored along with the text.
Playback: Start from top on play, Start from top on edit, Perform Countdown, Countdown seconds and Show StopWatch.
Pointer: The reading-line marker: show or hide it, left or right side, Triangle or Rectangle, how far down the window it sits (Pointer vertical offset %), and an optional Box or Letterbox that frames the line you are reading.
Camera & Self View: Default View, Self view mirrored, and the default camera background and filter for new scripts.
Teleprompt Window (Mac): Teleprompt always in front and Duplicate Teleprompt always in front keep the prompter above other apps.
Recording: Audio quality, channels, noise reduction, Flashing Record Light and Continue recording (secs).
Studio Defaults: The caption theme new Studio projects start with.
Text Formatting: Dyslexic Mode (a softer background and text colours of your choice), Highlight Word Color, Fix colors on paste (keeps pasted dark text readable), default Font Size, and paragraph alignment, spacing and indents.
iCloud Script Sync: Keeps your scripts in step across your Mac, iPhone and iPad. Any problem is reported here.
Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping: See below.
Caption Defaults: Whether new scripts record with captions, and their type and style.
Dock Buttons: Promote items from the More menu to toolbar buttons of their own.
ScreenMirror Defaults (Mac): How a mirrored display starts out: flipped, mirrored, and whether the Scripts window opens alongside it.
Teleprompt Defaults: Margins, Hide navigation on play and Collapse controls direction for new scripts. Each script can override these in its own Teleprompter options.

Keyboard & remotes

Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping is where you change the keys that drive the prompter and teach Autoprompt a clicker, pedal or media remote. It has its own section: “Hardware remotes: clickers, pedals and keyboards”.

21Plans: Lite, Pro and Pro Plus

Click the plan badge beside the cog at any time to see exactly what your plan includes and to upgrade.

Plan comparison listing features for Lite, Pro and Pro Plus — The plan screen is always the definitive list for your version of the app.

Lite (free): Try everything: one script, one recording, up to 60 seconds at a time, and the first page of PDFs. Voice following, the AI Assistant, iCloud sync and text mirroring are included.
Pro (one-time purchase): Unlimited scripts, unlimited recording and full PDF import, on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Pro Plus (subscription): Everything, including captions and stickers, camera backgrounds and filters, the Studio’s editing tools, remote control, duplicate prompter windows and Screen Mirror.

When you use something your plan does not include, Autoprompt shows an Upgrade to… card: Yes opens the plan screen, No carries on without it. Bought on another device? Settings → General → Restore Purchases. Subscriptions are managed in your App Store account.

22iPhone and iPad at a glance

The same app, adapted for touch. Here are all the differences in one place.

To do this…	On the Mac	On iPhone / iPad
Open a script or recording	Click	Tap
Show the menu for an item	Right-click	Touch and hold
Select several items	Drag a rectangle; Shift/⌘ to add	Touch and hold → Select, then tap others
Move an item to a folder	Drag it	Touch and hold, then drag
Get files out	Export, or drag to Finder	Share (share sheet)
Import Word documents	Yes	No: use PDF, RTF or text
See tooltips	Hover over a button	:
Show camera buttons	Hover over the camera picture	Tap the camera picture
Resize the camera picture	Drag a corner	Pinch, or drag a corner
Bring back the hidden toolbar	Move the pointer over it	Tap the screen
Prompter over other apps	Background opacity + always in front	Play Floating (Picture in Picture)
Second screen	Duplicate prompter, Screen Mirror	System screen mirroring / AirPlay
Mirrored text	Text flips; toolbar optional	Whole screen flips
Settings, Queue, Studio, Captions…	Separate windows	Screens that slide in (windows on recent iPads)
AI Assistant	Yes (macOS 26+, Apple Intelligence)	Not available
Recording orientation	Landscape	Follows how you hold the device
Default bottom margin	0%	60%: text sits in the top of the screen, near the camera

23If something is not working

The text does not move when I speak: Check the language chip matches the language you are speaking, and that the right Microphone is chosen in Settings → General. Make sure Autoprompt is allowed under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Speech Recognition. Then say the highlighted word: Autoprompt waits for that word (or the next few).
“Download in Progress”: The language you picked is still downloading. Watch the progress in Settings → General → Speech Recognition and start when it finishes.
It jumps ahead on repeated phrases: Lower Forward Looking and raise Recognition Accuracy (Settings → Advanced → Speech).
It gets stuck on names or unusual words: Lower Recognition Accuracy, or press → to step over the word. You can also turn a hard-to-recognise word into a Note so it is never expected.
“Microphone Selection” or “Camera Selection”: No device is chosen. Click Preferences in the message and pick one.
“Camera is already in use”: Another app has the camera. Close it, or choose a different camera.
My remote’s keys do nothing: Key mapping is part of remote control: check your plan, then re-teach the button in Settings → Advanced → Hardware Remote and Keyboard Mapping. Keys are ignored while you are editing text.
The Remote tab is missing: Switch on Remote / Watch Enabled in Settings → General, on both devices, and allow local-network access.
I cannot press Process in the Studio: Process wakes up once you have changed something. If a previous render of this video is still running, wait for it in Recordings.

How to use Autoprompt

Top navigation bar

Bottom tabs

Toolbar

Library sidebar

The right-click menu

Selecting, dragging and dropping

PDF import options

While editing

Speaker names and notes

Top bar

Bottom toolbar, left to right

Text size

Choosing the spoken language

The More (•••) menu

Margins

Teleprompter options

See-through window (Mac)

A second screen (Mac)

Open a duplicate

The duplicate window’s bar, left to right

The Duplicate Controls window

Set it up

ScreenMirror menu

Settings → Advanced → ScreenMirror Defaults

Float the script

Using the floating window

Moving around without speaking

Default keys (paused or while listening)

When you reach the end

Fine-tuning recognition

Settings → Advanced → Speech and Text Display

Record a take

Camera picture buttons, left to right

Camera background

Filters

Captions while you record

Stickers

Useful recording settings

Settings → Advanced

Tools, left to right

Exporting

Custom export

Bottom bar

Timeline buttons (above the filmstrip, right)

Caption panel

Top bar

Under the preview, left to right

Working in the timeline

Inspector cards

Finishing: Process

Use another device as a remote

Remote controls

Apple Watch

Presenter clickers, pedals and keyboards

How it works

Default keys

Getting a remote up and running

Remotes with media buttons

General

Advanced

Advanced, card by card

Keyboard & remotes

Still stuck?