How to use Cueline

Quick start

1. Open Cueline from the Start menu.
2. Add your script. Type or paste it into the editor, drag a file onto the window, or press Ctrl+O to open a .cueline, .txt, .md or PowerPoint .pptx file.
3. Choose the language you'll speak in the toolbar, next to the mode (e.g. Hindi · हिन्दी or English (India)).
4. Press Start or Ctrl+Enter. A dark bar appears at the top-centre of your screen, under your webcam on most laptops.
5. Start reading aloud. Words you've read dim, and the next word is underlined. Stop with Ctrl+Alt+S or the ✕ on the bar.

First-time setup

Cueline listens using the speech recognition built into Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (Edge comes with Windows). It's the fastest and most accurate option, and the one that understands Indian languages.

1. The first time you press Start, a small window called Cueline Speech opens.
2. Click Allow when it asks to use your microphone.
3. It shows Listening and minimises itself. From then on it opens quietly in the background whenever Cueline starts.

An internet connection is needed for this engine. Without internet you can switch to the Offline engine (English) in Settings › Guidance, or use Classic mode, which needs no microphone at all.

Choosing your language

Pick the language you will speak in the toolbar language box. It should match your script's alphabet:

If the script and language don't match, Cueline shows a reminder on the prompter. Supported languages include Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Urdu, Nepali, Sinhala, several kinds of English, and about 40 world languages.

Writing your script

Stage directions

Put anything you should do rather than say in square brackets:

Welcome back to the channel! [smile]
Today we're looking at three ways to save money. [pause]
[look at camera] Let's start with the biggest one.

Bracketed cues appear in the cue colour and are skipped while tracking your voice. Useful cues: [pause], [breathe], [smile], [slow down], [look at camera], [next slide]. They work in any language, e.g. [रुकें].

Lines and paragraphs

Each line break starts a new line on the prompter, which makes a natural pause. Turn on Settings › Reading › Show paragraph dividers for a clear gap between paragraphs.

Pages

Use Add Page in the left sidebar to split a script into sections: per slide, scene or segment. While reading, move between pages with Ctrl+Alt+PgDn / PgUp, or let Auto next page turn them for you.

Files

Write for speaking

• Short sentences, one idea each. Read it aloud once and fix every spot where you stumble.
• Write numbers the way you'll say them if tracking trips on them.
• About 150 words is one minute of speech; the status bar shows an estimate.

Guidance modes

Pick the mode in the toolbar. For Classic and Voice-Activated, set the speed with the slider: about 2.5 words/s is calm, 3 is conversational, 3.5+ is energetic.

Display modes

Choose in Settings › Teleprompter › Overlay mode:

Settings › External adds a second output on another monitor, as normal text or mirrored (horizontal, vertical or both) for teleprompter glass rigs.

Hide from screen sharing (Settings › Teleprompter) keeps the prompter out of Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS and screen recordings. It needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later.

Controls & shortcuts

These shortcuts work from any app while prompting, so you never have to leave your presentation:

In the main window: Ctrl+Enter start/stop, Esc stop, Ctrl+, settings, Ctrl+O open, Ctrl+S save.

The bar also shows a waveform (proof the microphone hears you; it fills yellow as you progress), the elapsed time, and messages such as Paused or Done.

Phone, tablet & director

Read on another device (Remote)

1. Open Settings › Remote and tick Enable remote connection.
2. On a phone, tablet or TV on the same Wi-Fi, scan the QR code or type the address shown (like http://192.168.1.20:7430/).
3. Use A−/A+ for text size and Mirror for glass rigs. Each device remembers its choice.

Let someone else run the script (Director)

1. Open Settings › Director and tick Enable Director Mode. The editor on your PC locks while it's on.
2. The director opens the address shown (port 7440) in any browser, types or pastes the script and presses Go.
3. As you read, finished text locks and the rest stays editable: names and numbers can be fixed live.

Setups for common uses

YouTube, courses and talking-head videos

• Pinned to top, Reading position: Near top, overlay width around 360–420 px.
• Turn on Hide from screen sharing so your recorder doesn't capture it.
• One page per segment; move on with Ctrl+Alt+PgDn.

Zoom, Teams and Google Meet

• Pinned to top with Hide from screen sharing on.
• For back-and-forth calls, write bullet points and pause with Ctrl+Alt+P when someone asks a question.

PowerPoint

• Write your words in each slide's speaker notes, open the .pptx in Cueline, start the slideshow, then start Cueline.
• Advance Cueline pages with Ctrl+Alt+PgDn as you change slides (they aren't linked automatically).

Stage and podium

• Fullscreen on a laptop, an external confidence monitor, or Remote on a tablet on the lectern.
• Rehearse once in the room; large halls echo, so switch to Classic if tracking struggles.

Live streaming (OBS, Streamlabs)

• Floating window under your camera with Hide from screen sharing on.
• If game or music audio is loud, use a headset microphone or Voice-Activated mode.

Teleprompter glass rigs

• Settings › External › Mirror, axis Horizontal, target the rig's monitor (click Refresh displays after plugging it in).
• Pair with Director so a producer controls the script.

Tips for a natural delivery

• Eye contact: keep the reading line close to the lens. A narrower prompter and sitting a little further back hide eye movement.
• Sound like yourself: rewrite the script in your spoken words, and use [pause] and [smile] generously.
• Ad-libbing is fine: rejoin the script and the highlight catches up.
• Clean audio, better tracking: a headset, lapel or USB mic beats a laptop mic; watch the waveform before you go live.
• Before every take: do a 10-second dry run, silence notifications (Focus assist), and check the language in the toolbar.

All settings

Reset All at the bottom of Settings restores every default. Still stuck? See Help & support.