How to Use the Instagram Teleprompter for Reels (and in the Edits App)

How to Get the Teleprompter on Instagram

1. Update Instagram. The teleprompter reached accounts gradually, so install the latest version from the App Store or Google Play first.
2. Open the Reels camera. Tap + and choose Reel, with the front camera facing you.
3. Tap the script icon. It sits with the other camera tools, such as the timer and speed controls.
4. Add your script. Paste it from your notes app or type it into the text box.
5. Set the scroll speed. Match it to your natural talking pace; a slower start is easier to correct than a fast one.
6. Record. The script scrolls just below the front camera while you film, so your eyes stay near the lens. The clip then goes into the normal Reels editor for music, captions, and a cover.

Teleprompter-Scrolling Scripts: More Control Over the Shot

The built-in tool is the quickest route for a single Reel filmed on the front camera and posted straight from Instagram. A dedicated teleprompter app is worth adding when you want more control over the shot or reuse scripts across several platforms. TikTok's in-app camera has a similar prompter, and the same trade-offs apply there, as covered in TikTok's teleprompter compared with a dedicated app.

Teleprompter-Scrolling Scripts is free to download and use on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no account and no watermark. In Camera Mode the script scrolls over the live camera preview while the app records:

• Move and resize the text area. Drag the script right under the lens and set its width and height, so your eyes barely leave the camera.
• Tune the reading. Set the font size, text and background colors, and the scroll speed in words per minute.
• Choose the camera and quality. Switch between front and back cameras, and record in 1080p, with options up to 4K on supported iPhones.
• Keep your script. It stays saved in the app, so the same hook can be re-filmed for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts. Shorts run up to 3 minutes, as covered in YouTube Shorts length limits.
• Use a second screen. Run Prompter Mode on an iPad beside your filming phone when you want to shoot with the rear camera and still read the script.

For the same workflow on other platforms, see the TikTok teleprompter guide and the guide to using a teleprompter for Instagram Live.

How to Post a Teleprompter Video to Instagram Reels

1. Paste your script into Teleprompter-Scrolling Scripts and open Camera Mode in portrait orientation.
2. Drag the text area under the lens, set the font size and speed, and tap record.
3. When the take is done, open it and choose Save to Photos.
4. In Instagram, tap +, choose Reel, and pick the clip from your gallery.
5. Trim, add music and captions, choose a cover, and share.

How to Use the Teleprompter in the Edits App

Edits is Meta's free video editor for iPhone and Android, and its teleprompter has the most documented controls. According to Instagram's own Edits tutorial:

1. Open the camera in the Edits app.
2. Tap the script icon.
3. Paste an existing script or write a new one.
4. Adjust the font size and scrolling speed to your speaking pace, and drag the teleprompter window so it sits clear of your framing.
5. Record. The script scrolls on screen as you talk.

Edits also lets you draft a script on a sticky in the Ideas tab and send it straight to the teleprompter, which is handy if you plan several Reels at once and film them later.

How to Read From the Instagram Teleprompter Naturally

• Write the way you talk. Read the script out loud once before you record and rewrite any sentence that feels stiff when spoken. Contractions and short sentences sound like conversation.
• Size the script to the Reel. At a relaxed pace of about 130–150 words per minute, a 30-second Reel holds roughly 65–75 words. The speech time calculator converts any script length into seconds.
• Keep the text near the lens. The closer the scrolling lines sit to the front camera, the smaller your eye movement looks on screen. Hold the phone at eye level on a tripod at arm's length.
• Rehearse once with the scroll running. A practice take tells you whether to nudge the speed up or down before the real one.
• Split long scripts. For a multi-part idea, record each part as its own clip and join them in the Reels editor or in Edits.

Frequently Asked Questions