{"id":67936,"date":"2026-10-23T17:14:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=67936"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:44:28","slug":"how-to-use-notebooklm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use NotebookLM (Now Gemini Notebook): Google&#8217;s AI Research Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here is how to use NotebookLM, Google&#8217;s AI research notebook, which Google renamed <strong>Gemini Notebook<\/strong> in July 2026: sign in with your Google Account, create a notebook, add your sources (PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs or Slides), then ask questions. The answers come only from your sources, with citations you can click, and you can turn the same material into study guides, Audio Overviews, mind maps, flashcards and more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-67935\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm.webp\" alt=\"How to use NotebookLM: a stack of books for research\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-use-notebooklm-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/notebooklm.google\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notebooklm.google<\/a>, sign in, create a new notebook and add your sources. Ask questions in the chat and click the citation numbers to see where each answer came from. Use the output options to create a study guide, briefing, Audio Overview or mind map from your sources.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adb6bfa1f67f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adb6bfa1f67f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#NotebookLM_Is_Now_Gemini_Notebook\" >NotebookLM Is Now Gemini Notebook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Who_Can_Use_It\" >Who Can Use It<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#How_to_Use_NotebookLM_Step_by_Step\" >How to Use NotebookLM Step by Step<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#1_Create_a_notebook\" >1. Create a notebook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#2_Add_your_sources\" >2. Add your sources<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#3_Ask_questions\" >3. Ask questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#4_Create_study_guides_Audio_Overviews_and_more\" >4. Create study guides, Audio Overviews and more<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Smart_Ways_to_Use_It\" >Smart Ways to Use It<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Gemini_Notebook_vs_ChatGPT\" >Gemini Notebook vs ChatGPT<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Is_NotebookLM_the_same_as_Gemini_Notebook\" >Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#What_files_can_I_add_to_NotebookLM\" >What files can I add to NotebookLM?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Can_I_trust_NotebookLMs_answers\" >Can I trust NotebookLM&#8217;s answers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-notebooklm\/#Is_there_an_age_limit\" >Is there an age limit?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"NotebookLM_Is_Now_Gemini_Notebook\"><\/span>NotebookLM Is Now Gemini Notebook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On 16 July 2026 Google announced it was <a href=\"https:\/\/workspaceupdates.googleblog.com\/2026\/07\/notebooklm-now-gemini-notebook.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook<\/a>. Google says it stays a standalone research tool, existing notebooks and shared links keep working through automatic redirects, and the new name and logo roll out over several weeks. So if you see either name, it&#8217;s the same tool. Mobile users may need to update the app to see the change.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_Can_Use_It\"><\/span>Who Can Use It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>According to Google&#8217;s help pages, you need to be signed in to a Google Account, and you must be above the age of consent in your country (Google asks you to verify your age). Users under 18 get stricter content rules and may not see every feature. Most work and school accounts have access, but an admin may have to switch it on. It supports more than 80 languages. Google also has a help page on usage limits, so heavy use can hit a cap.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Use_NotebookLM_Step_by_Step\"><\/span>How to Use NotebookLM Step by Step<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Create_a_notebook\"><\/span>1. Create a notebook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/notebooklm.google\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notebooklm.google<\/a> in your browser and sign in.<\/li>\n<li>Click to create a new notebook. Give it a name for the topic, such as &#8220;Biology exam&#8221; or &#8220;Trip to Japan&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Add_your_sources\"><\/span>2. Add your sources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google lists these source types:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>PDF files<\/li>\n<li>Websites (paste a link)<\/li>\n<li>YouTube videos<\/li>\n<li>Audio files<\/li>\n<li>Google Docs and Google Slides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also use the discover option to find new sources on a topic. Only add material you have the right to use, and avoid uploading private documents you wouldn&#8217;t want stored in your Google Account.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Ask_questions\"><\/span>3. Ask questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Type a question in the chat, for example &#8220;Summarise chapter 3 in five bullet points&#8221; or &#8220;What are the main arguments for and against?&#8221;. Answers are based on your sources and include inline citations. Click a citation to jump to the exact passage, which makes it easy to check the AI didn&#8217;t get something wrong.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Create_study_guides_Audio_Overviews_and_more\"><\/span>4. Create study guides, Audio Overviews and more<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google&#8217;s help pages list several outputs you can generate from your sources:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Output<\/th>\n<th>Good for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Study guide<\/td>\n<td>Key terms and questions to revise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Briefing \/ report<\/td>\n<td>A written summary of all your sources<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Audio Overview<\/td>\n<td>A spoken, podcast-style discussion you can listen to<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Video Overview<\/td>\n<td>A narrated visual summary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mind map<\/td>\n<td>Seeing how topics connect<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Flashcards and quizzes<\/td>\n<td>Testing yourself before an exam<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Infographic and slide deck<\/td>\n<td>Presenting the material<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Smart_Ways_to_Use_It\"><\/span>Smart Ways to Use It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Students:<\/strong> add lecture slides and readings, then make flashcards and a quiz the night before a test. Our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2023\/03\/ai-detector-tools\/\">AI detector tools<\/a> explains why you should still write assignments yourself.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bloggers and writers:<\/strong> add research articles and ask for a briefing, then check every fact against the cited source before you publish.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Work:<\/strong> add meeting notes and project documents, and ask for action items.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Travel planning:<\/strong> add guide pages and videos, then ask for a day-by-day plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gemini_Notebook_vs_ChatGPT\"><\/span>Gemini Notebook vs ChatGPT<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>ChatGPT and the Gemini app answer from their general knowledge and the web. Gemini Notebook is different: it works from the sources you add, and shows citations for its answers. That makes it better for studying a fixed set of material, and less likely to wander off topic. For general questions, see our guides on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-use-chatgpt\/\">how to use ChatGPT<\/a> and the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/free-chatgpt-alternatives\/\">free ChatGPT alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_NotebookLM_the_same_as_Gemini_Notebook\"><\/span>Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. Existing notebooks and shared links keep working.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_files_can_I_add_to_NotebookLM\"><\/span>What files can I add to NotebookLM?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google lists PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs and Google Slides.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_trust_NotebookLMs_answers\"><\/span>Can I trust NotebookLM&#8217;s answers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Answers are based on your sources and include citations, so click them to check. AI can still misread a source, so verify anything important.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_an_age_limit\"><\/span>Is there an age limit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You must be above the age of consent in your country and verify your age in your Google Account. Users under 18 get stricter content rules, and Workspace for Education users can use it at any age if their school allows it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is how to use NotebookLM, Google&#8217;s AI research notebook, which Google renamed Gemini Notebook in July 2026: sign in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67955,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67936\/revisions\/67955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}