Rescroll

Free text message video maker

Type a conversation and download it playing out message by message, with typing dots, bubbles and a chat header, as a 1080p MP4. For stories, skits and explainers. Free, no sign-up, no watermark.

How it works

How to make a text message video.

Four steps, about a minute, and nothing to install.

  1. 1

    Add the people

    The first person is you; add the others by name, 2 to 5 people in all. Choose Bubbles for a one-to-one thread or Group chat for a channel with avatars and names.

  2. 2

    Write the conversation

    Add up to 20 messages of 160 characters and pick who sends each one. Emoji work. Set the chat name, the line under it and the time stamp.

  3. 3

    Set the pace and the look

    Reading speed runs from 0.5× to 2×, and typing dots can be on or off. Then pick one of six looks, a dark or light thread, and your own bubble color.

  4. 4

    Download the MP4

    Press Download. The video is rendered in your browser at 1080p and saved to your device. No account, no watermark.

Ready-made versions

Start from the one you came for.

Each one opens its own maker with the settings filled in. Change anything, then download.

Chat story video

A thirteen-message story between two roommates, paced for reading, in white and grey on black at 9:16.

Group chat video

Three friends planning a weekend trip in a group chat: avatars, names and times, with who's typing shown above the message bar.

When a chat video isn’t enough

The free chat video is the starting point.

Here you get a chat on a background, played out at reading pace. In Rescroll you describe the graphic you actually want — “as I tell this story, show the texts popping up beside me, each one landing as I read it out” — and it's designed from scratch on your own video, placed around you and timed to the exact word you say. Not right yet? Ask for the change in the chat.

Free chat video

Rescroll

One chat design, in your colors

Any design you can describe, matched to your logo, fonts or a screenshot

A full-frame clip you cut into your edit

Built on your own video, placed around you

Messages paced by their length

Each message lands on the exact word you say

Change it with the settings here

Change anything by asking in the chat

Make it yours in RescrollSee AI motion graphics

Part of the Pro, Ultimate and Scale plans.

Posts and chat. Two posts slide in, then the chat answers.
Before you post. Each setting changes as she names it.

Both built in Rescroll from a description.

The basics

What is a text message video?

A text message video is a clip of a chat conversation playing out on screen, one message at a time, as if you were watching someone's phone. It's the format behind text stories, comedy skits, “when your friend…” videos and short explainers told as a conversation.

This maker draws the conversation from what you type. Each of the other person's messages is preceded by typing dots that grow into the bubble, runs of messages from the same person join up with a tail on the last one, and the thread glides up as each new message arrives. One to three emoji on their own show large, without a bubble.

You never set timings by hand: each message stays on screen in proportion to its length, so short replies snap past and long ones get time to be read. Reading speed slows the whole conversation down or speeds it up.

What you download

Price
Free. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Format
MP4 (H.264), no audio
Resolution
1080p: 1080×1920, 1920×1080, 1080×1080 or 1080×1350
Frame rate
30 or 60 fps
Conversation
2 to 5 people, up to 20 messages of 160 characters
Layouts
Bubbles (one-to-one or group) and Group chat (avatar, name and time per run)
Length
Set by the messages: each stays up in proportion to its length, at 0.5× to 2× reading speed, plus up to 5 seconds at the end
Colors
Six looks, a dark or light thread, your own bubble color and any background color
Where it runs
In your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Questions

Text message video: your questions, answered.

How do I make a text message video?

Use the maker at the top of this page: type the names, write the messages and pick who sends each one, then press Download. The conversation plays out message by message in a 1080p MP4 made in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.

Can I use this to fake a real conversation?

Please don't. Use it for stories, skits, parodies and explainers that are clearly made up, and don't pass a chat off as a real one or put words in a real person's mouth. The design is deliberately generic and isn't a copy of any messaging app.

Does it look like WhatsApp, iMessage or Discord?

No. It's a generic chat design, not a copy of any app, with no logos or app screens. Bubbles is laid out like one-to-one messaging apps, with yours on the right, and Group chat like channel-style chats, with an avatar and name on each run of messages. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

How do I choose who sends each message?

Every message has a From list next to it with the names of everyone in the chat. The first person is you: in Bubbles your messages sit on the right in your color, and everyone else's on the left. A new message starts out from whoever didn't send the one before it.

How long does each message stay on screen?

As long as it takes to read: a short reply moves on quickly and a long message gets more time. Reading speed changes the pace of the whole conversation, from 0.5× to 2×, and Rest at the end holds the finished chat for 0.5 to 5 seconds.

Can I turn off the typing dots?

Yes. Turn off “Show typing dots before their messages” and the other people's messages arrive straight away, which also makes the video shorter. Your own messages never show typing dots.

Can I use emoji in the messages?

Yes, anywhere in a message. A message of one to three emoji and nothing else is shown large, without a bubble, the way chat apps show them.

Can I change the bubble colors?

Yes. Your color sets your bubbles (and your avatar in a group chat), and Thread switches the chat between dark and light. Each of the six looks has its own colors to start from, and the other person's bubbles follow the thread.

Can I change the name, the status and the time?

Yes. Chat name replaces the names at the top (up to 28 characters), the line under it can say anything up to 24 characters, and the time stamp up to 20. Clear the line or the time stamp to leave it out; an empty chat name shows the other people's names. In Bubbles you can also change or remove “Delivered” under your last message.

What's the best size for a text message video?

9:16 (1080×1920) for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, which is what the maker starts on. For a YouTube video choose 16:9; for a feed post, 1:1 or 4:5. The chat card is laid out for each shape rather than squeezed.

Is the text message video maker free?

Yes. It's free to use and free to download, with no account, no email address and no watermark on the video. There's no limit on how many you make.

What format and resolution is the video?

An MP4 with H.264 video, at 1080p in the shape you choose: 1080×1920 (9:16) for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, 1920×1080 (16:9) for YouTube, 1080×1080 (1:1), or 1080×1350 (4:5) for the Instagram feed. You can export at 30 or 60 frames per second.

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The chat video is drawn and encoded on your own device, using your browser's built-in video encoder. Nothing is sent to a server and there's no render queue.

Which browsers does it work in?

It needs a browser that can encode video with the WebCodecs API: current versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and Firefox on a computer. If your browser can't, the page tells you before you start.

Can I use the chat video in client work, ads or monetized videos?

Yes. The video you download is yours to use in personal and commercial projects, with no attribution needed.

Can I match my brand, add my logo or change the design?

Not in the free maker, which is deliberately simple. That's what Rescroll's AI motion graphics are for: describe the graphic you want in plain English, attach your logo, fonts or a screenshot of your style, and it's designed from scratch on your own video, placed around you and timed to the word you say. Ask for any change in the chat. It's part of the Pro, Ultimate and Scale plans.

More free tools

Other graphics you can make here.

All free, all made in your browser, all without a watermark. See every free tool.

Subscribe button

A pointer presses Subscribe, the button turns to Subscribed and a bell rings beside it. Alone, or in a bar with your channel's name.

Follow button

A profile chip with your username and initials. A fingertip taps Follow and the button turns to Following with a tick. As a pill, or a card with a follower count.

Comment reply overlay

The “replying to a comment” sticker as a clip: a speech bubble with an avatar, a small line and the comment, which pops in and holds.

Notification animation

Three phone notifications stacking up one after another on glass cards, each with its own app tile, title and message.

Social post animation

A post card with an avatar, name, handle and text, then a heart that pops while the like count ticks up.

Incoming call

A call screen that rings for three seconds, then gets answered: the buttons change and a call timer starts.

Keep reading

Where to go next.

AI motion graphics

Counters, charts, app screens and maps designed from a description, on your own video and timed to your words.

AI video editor

The whole edit from a sentence: silences and bad takes cut, captions, color, zooms and graphics.

Rescroll vs After Effects

When to keyframe a graphic yourself, and when to describe it instead.

Rescroll vs CapCut

Preset text animations against graphics designed for each moment. Often used together.

Your next video,
edited like the top 1%.

Drop it in. Say what should appear. Read the plan, press Build, and export the finished video — no After Effects, no editor, no template.

Make your first graphic

Part of Pro, Ultimate and Scale · Export is free · Failed builds are refunded