Google Notebook: What Happened to It and Best Alternatives

Google Notebook was Google’s 2006 tool for clipping, organizing and sharing information from across the web. This article covers what it did, what happened to it, and the best note and web clipping apps to use in its place today.

Quick answer: Google Notebook launched in May 2006 as a browser extension and web app for saving clips from web pages. Google stopped developing it in January 2009, made it read-only in November 2011, and moved all notes to Google Docs and Drive by July 2012. Google Keep, launched in 2013, is Google’s note app today, and Evernote, OneNote and Notion are other popular choices.

What was Google Notebook?

When Google Notebook launched, it let you browse, clip and organize information from across the web in a single online location that was accessible from any computer. I wrote this when it went live in May 2006, and I was excited to collect my notes “to blog about” with it.

How it worked in 2006

• You signed in with your Google Account, agreed to the terms and installed the Google Notebook browser extension.
• After restarting the browser, a Google Notebook icon appeared in the bottom-right corner. Clicking it opened a mini Google Notebook where you could save clips without leaving the page.
• A full-page view let you organize and review notebooks, add your own notes and comments, and make notebooks public.
• On Google search results, a Note this link let you clip a result in one click.
• It worked on Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox 1.5+, but not Safari or Opera at launch.

What happened to google notebook?

Google announced on January 14, 2009 that it was stopping development of Google Notebook, though existing users could keep using it. On November 11, 2011 notebooks became read-only and their contents began moving to Google Docs. By July 2012 all Notebook data had been exported to Google Drive and the service was shut down. The old google.com/notebook address no longer works, so we have removed the link.

Best Google Notebook alternatives today

If you want to save notes, links and clips the way Google Notebook did, these apps do the job:

• Google Keep: Google’s free note app since March 2013, on the web, Android and iPhone. Use labels, checklists, reminders and shared notes, and paste links or images into a note.
• Evernote: the classic notebook app for collecting web clips, documents and notes in organized notebooks.
• Microsoft OneNote: free digital notebooks with sections and pages, good if you use Microsoft 365.
• Notion: notes, wikis and databases in one place, suited to organizing research and sharing it with others.

If all you need is to save pages to read or find later, see our guide to the fastest way to bookmark web pages. For research projects, these Google tools for better online research are also useful.

FAQ

When did Google Notebook shut down?

Google stopped development in January 2009, made notebooks read-only in November 2011, and fully shut the service down by July 2012.

Where did my Google Notebook notes go?

Google exported Notebook contents to Google Docs starting in November 2011, and by July 2012 all Notebook data had been moved to Google Drive.

What replaced Google Notebook?

Google Keep, launched on March 20, 2013, is Google’s current note-taking app.

Is Google Keep free?

Yes. Google Keep is free with a Google Account and syncs across the web, Android and iPhone.