Google NotebookLM: A Complete Guide (with video)

NotebookLM, where have you been all my life?

Google NotebookLM has been with us for a while-- since 2023, actually! But it's one of the lesser-known, underrated Google AI offerings. Look below to read a detailed, step-by-step guide to NotebookLM, or scroll to the bottom for a full video walkthrough.

What Is NotebookLM Used For?

This Google application is designed to help you organize, review, and better understand information. If you have a set of sources on any topic-- emails, articles, spreadsheets, etc.-- you can create a notebook that helps you summarize and review the information from those sources.

Because Google NotebookLM can generate content such as study guides, quizzes, mind maps, and even informational podcasts, teachers and trainers can also use this app to create educational content around a given topic.

A Quick Guide to NotebookLM's Key Features

NotebookLM has a very straightforward three-panel interface: a "Sources" panel on the left, a "Chat" panel in the middle, and a "Studio" panel on the right.

When you open NotebookLM, you'll immediately see a pop-up window telling you to add sources. If you don't want to add sources right away, close that window and you'll get into the three-panel view.

How to Add Sources in the Sources Panel

From the Sources panel, clicking the "Add" button brings the Sources pop-up window back up:

You can add sources by uploading files from your computer, selecting Docs or Slides files from your Google Drive, adding a website or YouTube link, or copy-pasting text. You can add and delete sources after the fact to adjust outputs from the Chat and Studio panels.

It's also possible to search the web for sources without leaving the NotebookLM site by using the "Discover Sources" button. You can describe the kind of content you're looking for. Or if you feel like discovering and exploring new topics, use the "I'm Feeling Curious" button! This button can be accessed by clicking the "Discover" button in the Sources panel, or the "Discover sources" button in the "Add sources" pop-up window.

Note that you can't upload images. NotebookLM is also hit or miss in its ability to analyze video or sound files. You'll often get an error message if you try to use those kinds of sources. NotebookLM is strongest with video content that has a strong text component. Video files should have a lot of onscreen text, and YouTube videos need to have transcripts.

Using the Chat Panel

The Chat panel is great for summary and analysis. You can ask Chat questions that will help you more fully understand your sources.

Once you've added your first source, the Chat panel will immediately generate a summary and give you the option to add notes, a mind map, or an audio summary. While the notes and audio summary functions are also available in the Studio panel, the mind map option is only launchable through the button that Chat generates. Example below:

The initial Chat summary only covers your first added source. However, the mind map will adjust as you add new sources, and you can discuss any added sources with Chat.

Chat is more of a chatbot than a full large language model. It can only answer questions related to the sources you've provided, and it lacks broader Google Gemini functions such as image generation or web search. Chat offers suggested questions based on the sources. Click a suggestion to ask that question, and use the left and right arrows to scroll through suggestions:

The Studio Panel

Here's where things get interesting! In Google NotebookLM studio, you can generate and access the following very useful learning materials:

• An "Audio Overview" podcast. NotebookLM will create a sound file that is 5-20 minutes long and takes 1-3 minutes to generate, depending on the complexity of your sources. This playable audio file is a podcast, with two virtual but surprisingly warm, engaging human-sounding voices that discuss the ideas in your sources. You can download and save this file in .WAV format.

• An interactive audio function. Google recently added a beta feature where you can actually speak to and get responses from the podcast hosts! The interactive version is not downloadable, but you can use a third party app such as Audacity or OBS to record and save your interactions.

• A study guide that includes a quiz (with answer key) on your source material.

• A briefing doc that has a very in-depth summary of source content.

• An FAQ with key questions about your source content, and thoughtful answers to those questions.

• A "Timeline" feature that's great if your sources involve a chrononology of events, communications, discoveries, etc..... If that isn't applicable and you generate a timeline anyway, you'll get something kind of vague and muddled.

• A mind map (as mentioned above, the mind map is generated from Chat, but accessed in Studio).

• Notes of your choosing, written by you.

You can delete and regenerate any of Studio's outputs. The delete/regenerate function is especially useful if you decide to add or remove sources.

Sharing Your Notebook

You can share your Notebook with anyone who has a Google email address; they'll receive a personal access link in their inbox. It's possible to share just the audio, or the whole Notebook. For collaboration you can choose to give someone full edit access; view only is also possible. Click the "Share" button to explore these options.

Daily Usage Limits

The free version of NotebookLM has limits that are probably just fine for the typical user: you can store a total of 100 notebooks with up to 50 sources each. Each day you can ask 50 chat questions and generate 3 podcasts.

More ambitious users may want to explore Google's paid NotebookLM option, which allows at least five times as much of every type of activity.

Take a Video Tour of Google NotebookLM

I made a 12 minute video where you can watch me create a full, multi-source notebook and have a conversation with the virtual podcasters. Enjoy!