How to Use Your MacBook Notch as a Teleprompter

Updated June 21, 2026 · By Siddharth Radhakrishnan

A MacBook notch teleprompter places your script beside the camera instead of lower on the screen. That small change keeps your gaze near the lens while CueNotch follows your voice and keeps private notes out of screen shares.

Why the Notch Is the Perfect Teleprompter Location

Traditional teleprompter apps place your script in a window somewhere on screen — often far from the camera. This forces you to look away while reading, breaking eye contact with your audience. The result? You look distracted, rehearsed, or worse, like you're reading.

The MacBook notch sits directly next to the FaceTime camera. When your script appears in the notch area, your eyes naturally rest right next to the lens. To your audience on Zoom, Google Meet, or any video call, it looks like you're looking straight at them.

How CueNotch Works

CueNotch is a macOS app purpose-built for the MacBook notch. Here's how it works:

1. Paste or type your script into the built-in editor. You can organize multiple scripts for different meetings or recordings.
2. Press Cmd+Shift+Space to activate the teleprompter. Your text appears in a compact overlay anchored to the notch.
3. Start speaking. CueNotch uses on-device speech recognition to follow your voice and scroll the script automatically. No internet required — everything stays private on your Mac.
4. Ghost Mode (Pro) makes the teleprompter completely invisible to screen sharing software. Zoom, Teams, Meet, Loom, OBS — none of them can capture the CueNotch overlay.

Who Uses a MacBook Notch Teleprompter?

CueNotch is used by remote workers, content creators, sales professionals, educators, and anyone who presents on video. Whether you're delivering a pitch on Zoom, recording a YouTube video, or teaching a class on Google Meet, having your talking points right next to the camera makes a noticeable difference.

Voice-Synced Scrolling vs Manual Scrolling

Most teleprompter apps use auto-scroll at a fixed speed. The problem is obvious: you speed up, the script lags behind. You pause to answer a question, the script keeps going.

CueNotch's voice-activated scrolling solves this. It listens to your speech in real-time using Apple's native speech framework and advances the script to match your pace. Pause for 30 seconds? The script waits. Speed through a section? It keeps up.

Does It Work Without a MacBook Notch?

Yes. On a MacBook with a notch, CueNotch anchors the reading area around the camera cutout. On an iMac, Mac mini display, Studio Display, or older MacBook, it uses a compact top-center overlay near the webcam. The goal is camera-level placement, not dependence on one Mac model.

What to Check Before a Real Call

• Use a short rehearsal script and confirm the text is comfortable at your normal viewing distance.
• Test voice sync with your actual microphone and speaking pace.
• Run a private screen-share test before a client call or recording.
• Keep sentences conversational so your eyes move less while reading.

This setup is different from a traditional full-screen autocue or teleprompter glass. It is designed for Mac calls, demos, interviews, presentations, and desktop recordings where the webcam is already built into the display.

Getting Started

CueNotch runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later and works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The notch integration works best on MacBook Pro 14" and 16" (2021+) and MacBook Air (2022+), but CueNotch works on any Mac — the overlay simply appears at the top-center of your screen.

Download CueNotch, sign in, and activate your 3-day free trial with full Pro features. After the trial, you can continue using the free tier (3 activations/day, 100-word limit) or upgrade to Pro for $29.99 one-time lifetime access in the U.S. App Store. Local App Store pricing may vary. See how CueNotch compares in our roundup of all 5 notch teleprompter apps, or check out the best free teleprompter options for Mac. For tips on nailing your video presence, read how to get perfect eye contact on Zoom. Learn how voice-synced scrolling works, or see how creators use CueNotch for YouTube videos, sales calls, and presentations.