AutoCue Reader Manual

1. Overview

AutoCue Reader is a teleprompter application for Windows. It's split into two windows: the Control window, where you write and format your script and control playback, and the Output window, a borderless fullscreen display on a second monitor that's what your presenter actually reads from.

Scripts are written in a rich-text editor — color, bold, italic, underline, and alignment are all supported and carry through to both the live preview and the Output window.

2. Installation & Activation

System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Disk: 200 MB free space
• Display: a second monitor is recommended for the presenter-facing output, but not required

Installing

1. Download AutoCueReader-Setup.exe from the AutoCue Reader product page.
2. Run the installer. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning — click More info → Run anyway to proceed.
3. Follow the installer prompts. AutoCue Reader installs to Program Files\CueCongress\AutoCue Reader by default.
4. Launch AutoCue Reader from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.

License Activation

1. On first launch, the license activation window appears. Enter your license key and click Activate.
2. AutoCue Reader connects to the CueCongress license server to verify your key. An internet connection is required for the first activation.
3. Once activated, the app works offline for up to 7 days between checks. Your license is tied to the current device.

Deactivating (Moving to Another Device)

Open the About dialog (click the AutoCue Reader logo in the top-left corner) and click Deactivate License. This frees the license so you can activate on a different machine.

Opening the App Twice

AutoCue Reader only ever runs one instance at a time. If you try to launch it while it's already running, the existing window is simply brought to the front instead of opening a duplicate — nothing to worry about mid-show.

3. Interface Overview

Toolbar

Editor Toolbar

A second row above the script editor holds text formatting: color swatches (plus a custom color picker), Bold/Italic/Underline, and paragraph alignment (left/center/right/justify).

4. Script Editor & Formatting

Type or paste your script directly into the editor. It updates the prompter preview live as you type.

Coloring Text

1. Select the text you want to color.
2. Click one of the preset color swatches, or click + to pick a custom color.
3. Click the first (white/red) swatch to clear color back to the default.

Bold, Italic, Underline

Select text and click B, I, or U — or use Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+U while typing.

Alignment

Click into a line and use the Align buttons to set that paragraph to left, center, right, or justified.

5. Playback & Speed

Speed Slider

Speed is a single signed value from -10 to +10. Positive values scroll forward; negative values scroll backward (reverse). The closer to zero, the slower the crawl.

Starting Playback

Click Play (or press Space). If a countdown is set (the CD field), a 3-2-1 style countdown appears on both the Control preview and the Output window before scrolling begins.

Reverse Playback

Starting a reverse read from a fresh stop begins at the end of your actual script text — not the padded blank space added at the bottom for forward-scrolling. If you pause partway through a reverse read and press Play again, it resumes from where you left off instead of jumping back to the end.

Manual Position Control

Use Page Up / Page Down to jump the position manually, or scroll the mouse wheel over the prompter preview to jog it directly — this works whether or not auto-scroll is currently playing.

6. Output Window

The Output window is what your presenter or speaker actually reads from. It always opens fullscreen and borderless on whichever display you pick from the Display selector — no need to drag it into place before a show.

Opening It

1. Connect your second monitor.
2. Choose it from the Display dropdown in the toolbar.
3. Click Output. The window opens fullscreen on that display immediately.

Switching Displays Mid-Show

Changing the Display dropdown while the Output window is already open moves it live to the new display — no need to close and reopen it.

Closing It

Click Output again in the Control window, or press Escape while the Output window itself has focus — useful as a safety valve if it ever opens on the wrong screen, since the window has no title bar to close manually.

7. Remote Control (Bluetooth Clicker / Mouse)

AutoCue Reader supports two common types of presentation remote, and both work directly — no internet connection or pairing inside the app required, since a paired Bluetooth remote just shows up as ordinary keyboard or mouse input to Windows.

Keyboard-Style Clickers

Most presentation remotes emulate keyboard keys. These work from the Output window itself (since that's the screen your presenter is looking at):

Mouse-Style Clickers

Remotes sold specifically as "teleprompter remotes" are usually a small Bluetooth mouse in disguise — scroll wheel plus a click button. AutoCue Reader supports these directly on the Output window:

• Scroll wheel — jogs the script position directly, forward or backward.
• Click — toggles Play/Pause.

8. Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts that would interfere with typing (like Space and the arrow keys) are automatically disabled while your cursor is in the script editor or a text field.

9. Save & Load Scripts

Click Save to write your script to disk. By default it saves as an AutoCue script file, which preserves all color/bold/italic/underline/alignment formatting. You can also save as plain .txt, which strips formatting down to plain text.

Click Open to load a previously saved script. Opening a new script always resets playback to the top.

10. Troubleshooting

Output window shows a blank screen

• Give it a second — the Output window syncs its content once it finishes loading, which can take a brief moment the very first time it opens.
• Try clicking Output to close and reopen it.
• Confirm the correct display is selected in the Display dropdown.

Reverse playback starts on blank space

• This shouldn't happen — reverse playback is designed to start at the end of your actual script text, not the blank padding added below it. If you see this, make sure you're running the latest version via Search for Updates in the About dialog.

Bluetooth clicker doesn't do anything

• Confirm the remote is paired with Windows first (Settings → Bluetooth & devices) — AutoCue Reader just reads it as ordinary keyboard/mouse input, it doesn't pair devices itself.
• Make sure the Output window (not the Control window) has focus, since that's the window your presenter is looking at and where the remote's input should land.

App not starting / installer warning

• Windows SmartScreen may warn about software from a new publisher. Click More info → Run anyway.
• Try running the installer as Administrator if installation fails.
• Ensure Windows 10 or later (64-bit) is installed.

License activation fails

• Ensure an active internet connection is available during first activation.
• Check that you are entering the license key exactly as received — with dashes, no extra spaces.
• If your license is already active on another device, deactivate it there first via the About dialog, then activate on the new device.
• Contact support@cuecongress.com if activation continues to fail.