NotebookLM
Google's AI research notebook that answers questions only from the documents you add, with citations, plus study guides and audio overviews.
What it is
NotebookLM is a tool from Google for working with your own material. You create a notebook, add sources such as PDFs, Google Docs, website links or pasted text, and then ask questions. Its answers are based on those sources and include citations that show where each point came from.
Best for
- Studying for exams from your own notes and textbooks
- Understanding long policies, manuals, circulars or reports
- Creating summaries, FAQs, study guides and timelines from documents
- Listening to an "audio overview": a podcast-style discussion of your sources
- Training material for a team, based on your company's own documents
How to start
- Open the official NotebookLM website and sign in with a Google account.
- Create a notebook and add a few related sources (for example, one product manual and its FAQ).
- Ask questions and click the citations to see the exact part of the source each answer uses.
Example prompts
Create a one-page study guide from these sources with key terms, 10 quiz
questions and their answers.
List every deadline and responsibility mentioned in these policy documents,
with the source for each.
Pricing
NotebookLM is free with a Google account, with limits on notebooks and sources. A paid tier with higher limits is available through Google's plans. Check Google's official pages for details.
Watch out for
- Answers are only as good as the sources you add. Outdated sources give outdated answers.
- Citations make checking easy, so use them for anything important.
- Follow your company's rules before uploading internal documents.
Our tip
Use one notebook per topic or project, not one giant notebook. Focused sources give sharper answers.