How to use Google NotebookLM

Find new information fast. Use the Discover Sources option to explore trusted web content related to any topic. You can even click “I’m feeling curious” to have NotebookLM automatically build a random notebook.

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Click the Discover Sources icon in the top-right of the Sources section to explore new topics

Make the AI fit your study style. Under Chat Settings, choose between Guided Learning, Default, or Custom response modes — and set replies to be shorter or longer depending on how detailed you want explanations to be.
💡 Pro Tip: Using Guided Learning is ideal for studying or understanding new material. Use Customize to personalize how NotebookLM responds (e.g, “Explain this like I’m new to the topic”)

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Click the Configure Chat icon at the top-right of the chat panel to adjust your conversational style and response length.

Save your favorite chat responses or add your own written notes right inside a notebook. You can even convert your saved notes into a new source, so NotebookLM treats your own writing as material it can summarize or connect to other readings.
💡 Pro Tip: Use the 👍 or 👎 icons under NotebookLM’s responses to give quick feedback. This helps the system refine future answers and better match your study style.

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Find the Add note button at the bottom of the Studio panel to create new notes or save key takeaways from your research.

NotebookLM can automatically generate an audio overview of your notebook’s content. Perfect for quick listening before class or while walking between buildings.
💡 Pro Tip: Go into Interactive mode and ask A.I podcaster questions through your microphone.

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Create an AI-generated podcast based on your notebook’s sources by selecting Audio Overview in the Studio panel.

Turn your sources into an AI-generated podcast. Choose between formats like Deep Dive, Brief, or Debate to hear your material explained conversationally.
Use Case: Create a quick audio summary to review readings while walking to class or before an exam.

Generate a short video summarizing your notebook’s key ideas. Each style highlights main themes or visuals from your sources.
Use Case: Use this to make class presentations more engaging or share visual overviews with group members.

Visualize how concepts, themes, or case findings connect across your sources.
Use Case: Perfect for brainstorming essays, identifying relationships between leadership theories, or mapping business strategy frameworks.

Compile your notebook’s main ideas into a structured written summary or briefing document.
Use Case: Ideal for summarizing multiple readings or generating a one-page report for a research project or consulting case.

Automatically turn notes or responses into flashcards for review.
Use Case: Great for memorizing definitions, frameworks, or key takeaways before tests or presentations.

Let NotebookLM test your understanding with custom quiz questions based on your notebook content.
Use Case: Use this to check comprehension after uploading class readings or before a group discussion.

Source types supported by NotebookLM are:

• Google Workspace Files: You can import Google Docs and Google Slides.

• Document Formats: Supported document file types include Text files, Markdown documents, and PDF files. NotebookLM has limited support for image-only PDFs.

• Web Content: You can use Web URLs and Copy and pasted text.

  • When importing a Web URL, only the visible text content of the HTML webpage is scraped for use; images, embedded videos, or nested webpages are not imported.

  • Paywalled webpages are not supported.

• Multimedia: NotebookLM supports Audio files and YouTube URLs of public videos.

  • For YouTube, only public videos with captions (user-uploaded or auto-generated) are supported, and only the text transcript is imported as the source. Videos without speech are not supported.

  • Local audio files (such as MP3 and WAV, among others) are transcribed at the time of import, and the resulting text is saved as the source. Audio imports may fail if the audio is of low quality or does not contain speech.

NotebookLM places strict technical limitations on both the overall number of sources per notebook and the size of each individual source.

Limits for Standard Users

1. Source Count Limit: You can include up to 50 sources per notebook.

2. File Size Limits per Source: Each individual source has two primary capacity restrictions:

   1. Word Count: Up to 500,000 words per source.

   2. File Size (for uploads): Up to 200MB for local uploaded files.

 Yes, NotebookLM supports sharing and collaboration, although there are restrictions based on your account type.

• Sharing Study Aids: You can create study sets like flashcards and quizzes from your documents and share these with friends or colleagues using a simple link.

• Notebook Sharing Restrictions: The notebooks can only be shared within Syracuse University's domain.

• Real-time Collaboration: When a notebook is shared, collaborators who have "editor" permissions can work together, and edits to notes within that shared notebook appear in real-time.

• Advanced Features: Advanced sharing features may be available with premium editions.

NotebookLM is covered by the Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service. These terms include enterprise-grade security and privacy controls.

Specifically, under these terms:

• Your uploaded files, chats, and model outputs will not be reviewed by human reviewers.

• They will not be used to improve generative AI models.

• The service also supports compliance with industry regulations like FERPA and COPPA.