Key takeaways
- NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook; you start at notebook.google.com with Create new notebook and Upload a source.
- Free users can add up to 50 sources per notebook, each up to 500,000 words or 200 MB.
- Answers cite your own sources, and the Studio panel makes Audio Overviews, mind maps, reports, quizzes and slide decks.
To use NotebookLM, which Google now calls Gemini Notebook, you open notebook.google.com, create a notebook, upload your sources and then ask questions about them in the chat panel. Google's help center walks through the same steps. The name changed in July, and the product did not: see our article on NotebookLM becoming Gemini Notebook.
Answers come from the documents you add, not from the open web, and each one carries citations that jump to the passage it used. This guide covers the steps as Google's help pages describe them, as of October 31, 2026.
How to create a notebook in NotebookLM
A notebook is one project's worth of sources. Each notebook is independent, so Gemini Notebook cannot draw on several notebooks at once.
- Open notebook.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
- Select Create new notebook.
- In the pop-up, select Upload a source.
- Choose the files or links to add.
You can also create a notebook from inside the Gemini app, and Google says it syncs with the standalone product.
What you can add as a source
Google's sources page lists these types:
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Documents | PDF, Word, text, Markdown, CSV, PowerPoint, ePub |
| Google files | Docs, Slides (up to 100 slides), Sheets (up to 100,000 tokens) |
| Web | Web URLs and public YouTube videos |
| Media | Audio files such as MP3 and WAV, and images |
| Other | Pasted text, notes, Gemini chats, Play Books and textbooks (text only) |
Each source can hold up to 500,000 words, or 200 MB for an uploaded file. Free users can add up to 50 sources per notebook.
To add more later, select Add sources on the left, or + Add in the Sources panel. You can also type a research question into the search box to find web sources or Google Drive files. Switching on "Web" and "Deep Research" runs a deeper search, which Google limits to users over 18. With five or more sources, Gemini Notebook can label and group them by topic.
How to ask questions and get citations
After you upload sources, the Chat panel shows an automatic summary of them. Ask a question, give an instruction or pick one of the suggestions.
Google says answers are grounded in your sources and use quotes, text and images from them as citations. Hover over a citation to read the full quote, or select it to jump to the quote in context. If you ask for something outside your sources, you may see "Gemini Notebook can't answer this question." Rephrase it or ask something else.
To change how it answers, select Configure Chat, pick a style (Default, Learning Guide or Custom) and a response length, then select Save. To keep a good answer, select Save to note. Chat history is private to you, and you can clear it from the three-dots menu.
How to make an Audio Overview and other outputs
The Studio panel turns your sources into other formats. Google's help page lists notes, audio and video overviews, mind maps, reports, data tables, flashcards, quizzes, slide decks and infographics. Reports and data tables can be exported to Google Docs or Sheets, but edits in the exported file do not sync back.
For an Audio Overview:
- Open a notebook with sources. You need edit access.
- In the Studio panel, select Audio Overview. It can take a couple of minutes, and you can keep working.
- Before you start, set the language (more than 80 options), the length (Shorter, Default or Longer) and an optional prompt to steer the focus.
There are four formats. The default has two hosts discussing your sources in depth. The Brief is one speaker with takeaways in under two minutes. The Critique has two hosts evaluate something like an essay. The Debate has two hosts argue different sides. Longer audio is English only, and Google warns that audio is AI-generated and can contain errors.
Interactive mode, where you join and ask the hosts questions by voice, works in English only and on newly generated overviews.
What it costs and the usage limits
Gemini Notebook works without a paid plan. Google's usage limits page gives limits as multiples of a standard baseline, not as fixed counts:
| Plan | Limits |
|---|---|
| No plan | Standard |
| AI Plus | 2x standard |
| AI Pro | 4x standard |
| AI Ultra | 5x or 20x the AI Pro limits, depending on subscription |
Limits depend on how complex your prompts are, which models and features you use and how long the chat runs. Usage resets every 5 hours until you reach a weekly limit, and Google says the limits may change. For plan details, see is NotebookLM free.
Where to go next
Start with a small notebook of three or four documents on one topic, ask for a summary and open the citations to check it against the originals. Google's help center lists separate pages for mobile, public sharing and notebooks in Gemini, if you need them.
Frequently asked questions
Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026, and describes it as the same standalone product. Google's help center now uses only the new name.
How many sources can you add to NotebookLM?
Google's help page says free users can include up to 50 sources per notebook. Each source can hold up to 500,000 words, or 200 MB for an uploaded file.
What files does NotebookLM accept?
PDF, Word, text, Markdown, CSV, PowerPoint and ePub files, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets, audio files, images, web URLs and public YouTube videos, among others.
How do you make an Audio Overview in NotebookLM?
Open a notebook with sources, select Audio Overview in the Studio panel and optionally set the language, length and a prompt. It can take a couple of minutes to generate.