Can Microsoft Word Scroll Like a Teleprompter

I’ve covered how to turn a computer into a teleprompter in a separate article, but many people have asked me, can Microsoft Word scroll text like a teleprompter? Well, yes it can.

You can control the speed of the scrolling text by the amount you move the mouse down, or toward you. If you want to reverse the scroll direction of the text, so it moves down the screen, push the mouse forward, or away from you. When you want to stop the text scrolling, all you need do is click the scroll wheel again or click with either the left or right mouse buttons.

If you need a mouse with a scroll wheel or just a new mouse, I’ve found three good examples from HP and Logitech that I think would be a good purchase.

Last update on 2024-10-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Is it just Microsoft Word that will scroll like a teleprompter

Microsoft Word isn’t the only app that can be made to scroll like a teleprompter on your PC.

Windows 10 and 11 ship with Notepad, a simple text editor, and WordPad, a basic word processor that’s been part of Windows since Windows 95. Both can display a script that can be made to scroll up the screen by using the scroll wheel of your mouse.

But the list of apps that you can use the scroll wheel of your mouse doesn’t stop there because you can scroll through more than text documents. If you open Microsoft Excel, you’ll find you can make your spreadsheets scroll too. It also works in internet browsers.

How to make Word a free teleprompter on your computer

Although you now know how to make Microsoft Word scroll like a teleprompter, does that mean you can go ahead and start recording videos?

Well, not quite. You need to address a few issues first.

You don’t want your eyes wandering around the screen as you read the script. Instead, you should always be looking approximately at the same region of the screen, an area called the gaze region. To achieve this, the left and right margins need to be in the middle third of the screen, and you must ensure the text at the start and end of the script can scroll past the camera.

Step 1 – Add a little headroom to the script

Ideally, you’ll want to lower your webcam or camera, so it’s close to the text you’re reading. That means adding some space above the first line of text.
Place the cursor at the start of the script and hit the Enter key a few times until the first line of text is about halfway down the screen. This way the first line of your script will scroll up and be revealed just above your camera. The other benefit is that the line won’t immediately scroll off the screen.

Step 2 – Ensuring the end of the script scrolls all the way up

Word will stop scrolling your script when the bottom of the last page appears on the screen. This can be a problem if the end of the script is close to the bottom of the page since the last line will never scroll up to the area of the screen where you are reading.

To put this right, place your cursor at the end of the script and hit the Enter key a few times until the last line of text is above the gaze region of the screen. This will ensure your script does not stop scrolling until you’ve finished reading.

Step 3 – Avoiding the gap between pages

When using Microsoft Word, you’ll probably be in the Print Layout view. This means that there is a gap between pages and that each page has a header and footer. The result is a large gap between the text at the bottom of one page and the text at the top of the next page. So that you don’t need to wait for the text on the next page to appear in the gaze region, you need to remove the gap.

Step 4 – Change the font size

Whilst in Immersive Reader view, click on Home in the menu bar. Select all the text with the keyboard shortcut of CTRL+A, then in the font section choose a font and font size that will make your script easy to read.

Step 5 – Exiting Immersive Reader view

When you have finished recording your script click on Immersive Reader in the menu bar (it should be blue). When the menu ribbon changes click on Close Immersive Reader, which has a red cross in a red box above it.

Get your webcam beside your text with a PlexiCam camera holder

To enhance the effect of appearing to look at your viewer you also need to place your webcam or camera as close to the text you are reading as possible. This way your gaze will be very close to the camera lens and your eyes won’t appear to move from side to side as you read the script. An efficient way of doing this is with a PlexiCam camera holder.

There are various PlexiCam models to choose from, whether you’re working in your office, home, or hotel room while on the road. Made from clear acrylic, the Plexicam hangs from the top of your computer screen without obscuring the text on the screen. A shelf that holds your webcam or mirrorless camera is slid onto the hanger and is held securely in place.

Depending on your choice of model, a second shelf can be included to hold an LED video light. This can make a big difference in improving the quality of your video.

You can see the full PlexiCam range and accessories, including a portable LED video light, on the PlexiCam website.

Summary

As I have explained, Microsoft Word can scroll your script like a teleprompter, and it can be used to help you record piece-to-camera videos. You just need to make sure you have a mouse with a scroll wheel.