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Google NotebookLM is an AI tool like no other, so it makes sense that you might need some quick instructions to get started. Follow these easy steps to begin creating notebooks and making the most of how it processes information for several use cases.
Not all AI applications are created equal, so before you start, determine whether NotebookLM is the right tool for the job. Play to the strengths of this AI assistant and you'll be on your way to accumulating a bookcase of virtual notebooks.
NotebookLM doesn't fabricate or assume, but rather interpolates information and data from the resources you upload. If you are concerned with extracting accurate research gems from your materials, NotebookLM is the right choice.
Information comes in all different mediums. If you are dealing with a bunch of documents, videos and podcasts, a notebook collates that and cross-references it. Google handles all your reference materials, even when you have different files types floating around.
Relevant points may be scattered in documents that are lengthy. The processing power of AI digs through everything and delivers succinct ideas. Not matter how fragmented the subject, it boils it down into simple terms for easy study guides.
Sources let NotebookLM base its responses on the information that matters most to you.
Documents from your computer or Google Drive (Google Docs, Google Slides, PDF, .txt, markdown, mp3 and other audio/video files.
Link to YouTubes videos: Only the text transcript is used and the video must be public.
Link to websites
Paste your own notes
Add a title so that you can identify it later by clicking on the top left text next to the logo. You don't want a ton of untitled notebooks on your home screen dashboard, so nip this in the bud.
Confirm settings like output language, dark mode, Notebook Pro
Collapse or expand panels for studio and sources to give you room to work
Here are all the actions you can take with your sources:
Add new sources
Discover new sources by explaining the topic. Or, use "I'm feeling curious" to explore a brand new inquiry.
Toggle selected sources on or off
Remove and rename sources
Take note of your source limit, which is a maximum of 50
Audio Overviews are lively “deep dive” discussions that summarize the key topics in your sources. This is an experimental feature and below are some notes to help you get started:
Audio Overviews (including the voices) are AI-generated, so there might be inaccuracies and audio glitches.
Audio Overviews are not a comprehensive or objective view of a topic, but simply a reflection of your sources.
Audio Overviews will be in the output language you have selected in your Notebook Settings.
It can take several minutes to generate an Audio Overview (feel free to do other things while generation is in progress).
You need edit access to a notebook in order to generate or delete an Audio Overview.
You can share your feedback on an Audio Overview using the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons.
Notes can be converted to sources should you so desire. You can also delete individual or all notes at once. Notes options are:
Add note using rich HTML including links, formatting and bullet points.
Create a study guide
Generate FAQ
Mock up a timeline
Write a briefing doc
This is similar to working with an AI agent like Gemini. Prompts for chatting with NotebookLM include:
An abstract and summary overview
Audio overview
Mind Maps
Notes
Sample suggestions and questions will be formulated in the chat bar
Refresh to clear chat history
Check source citations as references
Source-Grounded AI: NotebookLM's responses are based only on the sources you upload, which significantly reduces the risk of AI "hallucination" or making things up.
Multi-Format Source Integration: It can process a wide variety of sources including PDFs, Google Docs, slides, text files, and even YouTube video transcripts.
Automatic Summarization: Upon uploading, NotebookLM automatically generates a summary and identifies key topics for each source, providing a quick overview of complex material.
Interactive Chat Interface: Users can ask questions and get answers derived from all selected sources. Inline citations link directly back to the specific part of the source material.
Use the "Notebook Guide": This feature offers a quick start with summaries of all sources, pre-made templates (like FAQs and briefing docs), and suggested questions to help users begin their analysis.
Saving Outputs: Important or useful responses can be saved as "notes." These notes can then be combined and converted into a new, standalone source document.
Audio Overviews: It can generate personalized podcast-like audio summaries based on your sources and specific instructions.
This involves using NotebookLM to quickly find specific information within a set of documents. An example would be querying user manuals for electronic equipment, asking questions about personal tax documents and financial reports, or preparing for job interviews by analyzing a candidate's resume and HR guidelines.
This is ideal for managing projects by consolidating all relevant materials into one place. Project managers can upload meeting notes, project plans, and past project documents to create briefing docs for leaders, generate project timelines, build FAQ documents, and identify learnings from past campaigns.
This involves synthesizing information from various expert sources to understand complex topics and identify trends. You could use Notebook for analyzing tech company earnings reports and analyst articles to understand and compare different AI monetization strategies.
Creativity vs. Accuracy: While NotebookLM excels at accuracy, it is less creative than other AI models like Gemini. For a more creative final product, you can take NotebookLM's factual output and refine it with another AI tool.
Massive Capacity: A single notebook can handle approximately 25 million words, far exceeding the capacity of many other AI chatbots. While there's a 50-source limit per notebook, you can combine multiple documents into one file to work around this.
Source Quality is Crucial: The quality of the output is directly dependent on the quality of the sources you provide. High-quality, reliable sources lead to better results.
Save Your Work: Outputs in the chat interface are not saved automatically. You must explicitly save them as a "note" if you want to refer back to them later.
Syncing Google Docs/Slides: When using Google Docs or Slides as a source, you can resync the file to ensure NotebookLM is always working with the most up-to-date information.
