How to import a script into an iPhone teleprompter without losing line breaks (TXT, RTF, PDF, Word)
You wrote the script in short lines with a pause after each one, imported it, and the prompter shows a single grey wall of text. Often the breaks were never in the file the way you think. Here is what each format actually stores, how to prepare a file so the breaks survive, and what the common iPhone teleprompters do on import.
Why breaks vanish
- Plain text (.txt) stores a line-break character wherever you pressed Return. Nothing to guess, nothing to lose.
- RTF stores paragraphs and line breaks explicitly as well. Apps read it with the system text engine and get the same breaks you see in TextEdit or Pages.
- Word (.docx) has two kinds of break: a paragraph (Return) and a soft line break (Shift+Return). Many importers keep paragraphs and drop soft breaks, and spacing-before/after a paragraph is not a break at all, so a script that looked spaced out in Word collapses.
- PDF stores positioned lines, not paragraphs. Extraction puts a break after every printed line; two-column layouts interleave; scanned PDFs have no text at all without OCR.
- Copy and paste from a web page or a notes app usually keeps paragraph breaks and loses blank lines, depending on where you copied from.
Preparing a script so the breaks survive
- Write with real Returns. One line per thought, Return at the end, an empty line where you want a pause. Do not rely on paragraph spacing or indents.
- Export as .txt or .rtf. Word: File → Save As → Plain Text or Rich Text Format. Pages: File → Export To → Plain Text / RTF. Google Docs: File → Download → Plain text (.txt).
- Avoid PDF when you have the source. If a PDF is all you have, make sure it is a text PDF (you can select words in it), single column, and expect a break per printed line.
- Check the first screen. Open the imported script in the editor before you record and fix any odd breaks there.
What the apps do on import (App Store pages and help docs, Nov 2026)
| App | Formats | Line breaks |
|---|---|---|
| Teleprompter PIP (this site) | TXT, RTF, PDF from Files, iCloud Drive or any Files provider. No .docx: export it as RTF or TXT first. | TXT and RTF: breaks kept exactly as in the file. PDF: text extracted page by page, one break per printed line, a blank line between pages. |
| Teleprompter (Teleprompter Apps) | Word, PDF, TXT, RTF; up to 5 imports free | Not specific on its page |
| Teleprompter Pro | DOCX, PDF, RTF, TXT, PowerPoint | Developer guide recommends TXT for the most reliable import |
| Teleprompter.com | PDF and Word (.docx); Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud | "Preserves document formatting" per its page; editable after import |
| PromptSmart Pro | TXT, DOCX (incl. Word Online), PDF, RTF, Google Docs | Help page: use 0 pt line spacing and Return-key breaks; scanned PDFs need OCR first |
| Teleprompter for Video | DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, PDF; Files and cloud | Editable after import; not specific about breaks |
How Teleprompter PIP reads each format
A .txt file is read as text, UTF-8 first, Latin-1 as a fallback, nothing changed. An .rtf file goes through the system rich-text reader and the plain text is kept with its paragraph and line breaks. A .pdf is opened with PDFKit; the text of each page is extracted in page order and pages are joined with a blank line. Leading and trailing blank lines are trimmed; nothing inside the script is reflowed. The file name becomes the script title. Word files are not opened: export to RTF or TXT.
Questions
Which file format keeps line breaks best in a teleprompter?
Plain text (.txt) with a real line break at the end of each line, and RTF. Both store your breaks as characters. PDF stores printed lines, and Word mixes paragraph breaks with soft breaks and spacing, so apps have to guess which breaks were yours.
My PDF came in as one line per printed line. Why?
A PDF does not know what a paragraph is. It knows where each printed line sits on the page. Text extraction therefore puts a break at the end of every visual line. Import the source document as TXT or RTF instead, or accept the per-line breaks and widen the prompter font so they read naturally.
Can I import from Google Docs?
Export the document from Google Docs as plain text (File → Download → Plain text) or as RTF, save it to Files or iCloud Drive, and import that. Pasting from the Docs app usually keeps paragraph breaks too.
What Teleprompter PIP does here
Imports TXT, RTF and PDF with your line breaks preserved, from any Files provider, into a script you can still edit. Then reads it full screen, in the recorder, or in a floating Picture-in-Picture window over any camera app, with voice scroll that only moves forward. iOS 18 or later; free on your first two scripts, Pro lets you run any number of scripts.