Why a tab isn't the best place for your notes
Because Google Meet runs in a browser tab, it's tempting to open a free web prompter in another tab. Web prompters have real drawbacks for calls, though. They live inside the browser, they show up when you present your screen, and they usually don't offer voice scrolling. They also end up wherever the browser window is, not under the camera.
Lenslines works at the Windows level instead. Your script appears in a black notch at the top center of the screen, right under the webcam, and it stays there while you move between Meet, your slides, your email and anything else. It doesn't matter which tab is in front.
Works the same in Chrome, Edge and other browsers
Since Lenslines isn't tied to a browser, there's nothing to configure for Meet, no account to create and nothing to sign in to. Open the prompter with Ctrl+Alt+P, join your call, and start reading. The shortcuts work from any app, so Ctrl+Alt+Space plays and pauses even while your browser has focus. Clicking the notch doesn't take focus away from the browser either, so you won't accidentally type into the wrong window.
Because it runs separately, Lenslines isn't affected if you reload the Meet tab or rejoin a call. The prompter stays open and your place in the script stays put. If you close it, it can resume where you left off next time.
Hidden when you present in Google Meet
When you present in Meet, you can share your entire screen, a window or a tab. Lenslines uses Windows' screen-capture exclusion, so when you share your entire screen, the notch isn't included. When you share a single window or tab, it was never part of that view anyway. Either way, people on the call see your content, not your notes.
This works with apps that use Windows' standard screen capture, which is nearly all of them, and Google Meet is one of them. There's more on how it works, and its limits, on the invisible teleprompter page.
Setting it up for a Meet call
- Write or paste your talking points into a Lenslines script, with a # cue line for each topic.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+P. The notch opens on the screen your webcam is on.
- Open Meet in your browser and join the call.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Space to start scrolling, or Ctrl+Alt+V to let your voice drive it.
- If you lose your place, scroll over the notch with the mouse wheel or trackpad to rewind or skip ahead.
- When you're done, press Ctrl+Alt+P again and the notch slides away.
Tips for Google Meet
- Check the screen. Lenslines puts the notch under your webcam: on the laptop screen for a built-in camera, on the main display for an external one. If your camera sits on another monitor, drag the notch there. Move under camera, in the tray menu, sends it back.
- Use voice scrolling for longer updates. Press Ctrl+Alt+V to turn it on. The text moves while you speak and waits when you pause.
- Watch for speaker echo. Without headphones, voices from the call can reach your microphone. Lower the sensitivity until only your own voice crosses the trigger line on the level meter.
- Bring notes in from Google Docs. Paste your talking points into the Lenslines library and the Google Docs formatting is cleaned up for you. For a quick one-off, copy the text and choose Prompt from clipboard in the tray.
- Set a countdown. A 3, 5 or 10 second countdown gives you a moment to settle and look at the camera before the text starts moving.
- Make it easy to read at a glance. Raise the text size and line spacing until you can read comfortably from where you sit. The live preview in settings shows each change as you make it.
Good fits for Meet calls
Lenslines helps on Meet calls where the wording matters: a teacher's lesson introduction, a founder's investor update, a customer success review, or a team announcement. If English isn't your first language, having the exact phrasing under the lens can take a lot of pressure off, and voice scrolling lets you go at your own pace.
It's also light. Lenslines uses about 2 to 8 MB of memory while it waits in the tray, and scrolling uses a few percent of one CPU core, so it won't compete with your browser for resources during a call.
For a broader look at camera presence, read how to keep eye contact on video calls, and see teleprompter settings for webcam for text size and speed.