What Is NotebookLM? How It Works and How to Use It

NotebookLM, now called Gemini Notebook, is Google's free AI research assistant. You add your own sources, such as PDFs, Google Docs, websites or YouTube videos, and it answers questions using only those sources, with a citation for each answer. It can also turn your sources into study guides, mind maps and podcast-style Audio Overviews. Google renamed it from NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026.

This guide explains what it does, how it works, how to use it step by step, and what to watch out for. Google's details were checked on 8 October 2026.

What NotebookLM is

Google describes it as "an AI-powered research assistant." The key idea is that it works from your material, not the whole internet. You collect sources for a project in a notebook, and every answer comes from those sources. Google's help pages say that if the answer isn't in your sources, it won't make one up.

The name changed in July 2026: NotebookLM became Gemini Notebook, and notebooklm.google.com now redirects to notebook.google.com. It's the same product, and existing notebooks carried over. Notebooks now also sync with the Gemini app, and Google says they're coming to AI Mode in Search. Many people still search for "NotebookLM", so you'll see both names.

What it can do

Answer questions from your sources, with inline citations. Hover over a citation to see the exact quote, and select it to jump to that spot in the source.
Read many kinds of sources: PDFs, Word and PowerPoint files, text, Markdown and CSV files, EPUB books, images, audio files, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets, web pages, public YouTube videos, and pasted text.
Make Audio Overviews: two AI hosts discuss your sources like a podcast, in formats such as Deep Dive, Brief, Critique and Debate.
Create study and work material: study guides, briefings, reports, mind maps, flashcards, quizzes, infographics and slide decks.
Make Video Overviews in Explainer and Short styles, plus a Cinematic style for adults, in English only. Long ones can take more than 30 minutes to make.
Find sources for you: Fast Research and Deep Research can search the web or your Drive and add what they find.
Run code on your sources: a new "cloud computer" can analyze spreadsheet data and make charts. Google started it on Ultra, with Pro to follow.
Work in 80+ languages, in a web browser and in apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.

How it works

When you add a file, Google keeps a copy of it in your notebook. When you ask a question, Gemini Notebook looks through that notebook's sources, picks the passages that answer it, and has one of Google's Gemini models write a reply based only on those passages. That's why answers come with citations, and why it says so when your sources don't cover a question.

Each notebook is separate. A notebook can't see the sources in your other notebooks, so put everything a project needs into one notebook.

How it differs from ChatGPT

ChatGPT and the regular Gemini app answer from what their models learned, plus web searches. Gemini Notebook answers only from the sources in one notebook, and shows where each answer came from. That makes it better for studying or checking documents, and worse for general questions your sources don't cover. It's also built around making things from your sources, like Audio Overviews and quizzes.

How to use it, step by step

1. Open it and sign in

Go to notebook.google.com and sign in with a Google account. A personal Gmail account works. Work and school accounts need their admin to turn it on.

2. Create a notebook

Choose to create a new notebook and give it a clear name, like "Thesis chapter 2" or "Acme contracts". One notebook per project or topic works best.

3. Add your sources

Upload files, or choose + Add in the Sources panel to add Google Drive files, web links or YouTube links. You can paste several web links at once, separated by spaces or new lines. On the free plan, a notebook holds up to 50 sources, and each can be up to 500,000 words or 200 MB.

4. Ask questions

Type a question in the chat, in plain words: "What does the 2025 report say about churn?" Check the numbered citations to see where each part of the answer came from. Untick a source in the Sources panel to leave it out of the next answer.

5. Turn sources into something new

Use the Studio panel to make an Audio Overview, a study guide, a mind map, flashcards, a quiz or a report. Audio Overviews are handy for listening on a walk or a commute.

6. Share if you want

Notebooks can be shared with other people or made public. Some sharing options need a paid plan.

Tips for better answers

Keep notebooks focused. A notebook about one topic gives sharper answers than one with everything in it.
Ask specific questions. "What were the three risks in the Q2 plan?" beats "summarize everything".
Click the citations. Answers are grounded, but checking the quote takes a second and catches mistakes.
Watch the source limit. If a project has more than 50 files, see our guide to working past the source limit.

Who it's for

Students use it to study course material, researchers to work through papers, writers to organize research, and teams to share knowledge from documents. It works best when your material fits in a notebook and you're happy for it to be stored in Google's cloud.

Limits to know about

It needs the internet. Only Audio Overviews downloaded in the phone app play offline. See can you use NotebookLM offline.
Your files are uploaded to Google. Google says personal accounts' content isn't used to train its models unless you give feedback, and feedback can be reviewed by people and kept up to 3 years.
Source and usage limits. 50 sources and 100 notebooks on the free plan, plus usage limits that paid plans raise. See is NotebookLM free.
Web pages and YouTube have limits. Only the text of a web page is read, and paywalled pages can't be added. YouTube videos must be public with captions, and only the transcript is used. Google Drive files stay in sync; other sources are a copy from when you added them.
No Mac or Windows app. On a computer, it runs in the browser. See is there a NotebookLM app for Mac.

If you need something different

If your files are confidential, you often work offline, or you have whole folders of documents, an app that runs on your own computer may suit you better. Citenook is a Mac app that reads your folders, PDFs, Apple Notes and Obsidian vault on your Mac and shows the exact sentence behind every answer, with nothing uploaded when you use a model on your Mac. It doesn't make Audio Overviews or quizzes. See Citenook vs Gemini Notebook.

Questions

What is NotebookLM?

Google's AI research assistant that answers questions from sources you add, with citations, and turns them into study guides, mind maps and Audio Overviews. It was renamed Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026.

What is NotebookLM used for?

Studying, research, summarizing documents, preparing for meetings, and turning reading material into audio or study aids. It answers only from the sources you add.

Is NotebookLM free?

Yes, the standard plan is free with a Google account, with 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook. Paid Google AI plans raise the limits. See is NotebookLM free.

What AI model does NotebookLM use?

Google's Gemini models. Paid plans get higher access to them, according to Google's plan comparison.

Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?

Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. Old links redirect to the new address.

Sources, checked 8 October 2026: Learn about Gemini Notebook, create a notebook, add sources, chat and citations, Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, plans and limits, privacy, the rename.

What is NotebookLM, and how do you use it?