What's the idea behind Gemini Notebook?
Imagine your sources are no longer files sitting unused on your device. Gather them in one place, ask questions and get answers from the content itself, then turn them into a podcast, video, presentation, quiz, or another output that suits you.
You create a Notebook, and the sources you add are what the tool works with. When you ask a question, the answer includes Citations that take you back to the source and the location of the information.
That's what makes it useful for books, research papers, lectures, and courses. You don't have to trust an answer without knowing where it came from.
The tool was known as NotebookLM. You'll hear me use NotebookLM in some parts of the guide and Gemini Notebook in others. In this series, both names refer to the same tool.
What can you add as a source?
A Source is any content you want the notebook to rely on. It doesn't have to be a PDF, and you don't need all your sources ready before you start.
- Files from your device: PDFs, Word documents, images, audio files, and other supported formats.
- Google Drive: Add files you already have directly, without downloading and uploading them again.
- Website: Add the link to an article or page whose content you want in the notebook.
- YouTube: Add the video's own link. This is especially useful for courses and playlists.
- Copied Text: If you only have text, paste it as a source and start working with it.
Source counts and usage limits vary by plan and tool updates. What matters most is to treat the notebook as a space for a topic or project, rather than one file you ask a couple of questions about.
No sources yet? Search from inside the tool
If you have lots of files and can't remember where one is, search Google Drive using keywords.
You can also search the web: use quick search for direct results, or Deep Research for a broader search that gives you a report and a set of sources to choose from.
You can start with just a topic title. Gather suitable sources, review them, and add the worthwhile ones to your notebook.
Make sure you don't treat a search result as a definitive source just because it appeared. Check who published it, what it contains, and whether it's relevant to your goal.
Organize multiple notebooks with Collections
On the home page, you'll find your notebooks, notebooks shared with you, and ready-made examples to explore. Your number of notebooks will grow over time, and that's when Collections help.
Think of a Collection as a Folder gathering Notebooks in one field. You could create a Collection for a subject you teach, one for your work, and one for courses you're learning from.
Each course has its own Notebook, but they stay grouped under a clear field instead of becoming a long, unorganized list.
Organize sources with Labels
Next to each Source is an option that determines whether it's included in the current question. If you're asking about the first lecture, you don't need fifty files contributing to the answer. Select only that lecture's recording, PDF, and booklet. You decide where the answer comes from.
As sources grow, use Labels. Group all files for the first lecture under one Label, or create one Label for content creation and another for research. A source can have more than one Label if it relates to multiple topics.
- Auto Label: Lets the tool suggest groups of related sources.
- Add New Label: Create the groups yourself and name them in a way that suits you.
- Reorganize: When you add new sources, reorganize those without a Label instead of starting from scratch.
The goal is to make source selection quick. When asking about a lecture or Module, select the group once instead of remembering each file name.
Turn an entire Playlist into a Notebook
If you have a YouTube course with dozens of videos, adding every link by hand takes unnecessary time. The YouTube to NotebookLM extension lets you start from the Playlist itself.
Use it to create a new Notebook or add videos to an existing one. Then the entire course becomes sources you can ask questions about and organize.
If the course isn't on YouTube, you can record the Tab's audio while watching, if you're allowed to use the content that way, and save the session as an audio file to upload later. I use this with online courses so a lecture doesn't remain just a video I've finished watching.
A huge book or large video file?
Not every large file needs to be added in its original form. Choose the method that fits your use:
- Split PDF: If the book is long and you want each chapter as a separate Source you can select when asking questions.
- Compress PDF: If file size is the problem, compress it with a trusted tool and check the quality afterward.
- Video to Audio: If the visuals don't matter and all the content is spoken, convert the video to audio and upload the lighter file.
On a computer, use VLC: choose Media, then Convert, select Audio as the output, and save it locally without uploading the video to an external website. There are also many conversion apps for phones.
The tool's name isn't the point. What matters is to avoid burdening yourself with a video file hundreds of megabytes in size if all you need is the spoken content.
Create your first Notebook
- Choose a real topic you'll need to return to soon.
- Add 3 to 5 varied sources and give each a clear name.
- If your sources cover different parts, create a Label for each group.
- Ask a general question, then repeat it with only one Source or Label selected and notice the difference.
- Open at least one Citation and make sure you can return to the information in its original location.
After that, you're ready for the next lecture. We'll put Chat to work and see how a notebook becomes something we return to for learning and work, beyond just a place to store files.
