Adding Sources to NotebookLM
Sources are the foundation of every NotebookLM notebook. The quality and relevance of your sources directly impacts the quality of responses.
Supported Source Types
| Type | Best For | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Google Docs | Your own writing, lesson plans | 500,000 words |
| PDFs | Research papers, textbooks | 500,000 words |
| URLs | Articles, documentation | Varies |
| YouTube | Video content | Transcript extracted |
| Text | Quick additions | 500,000 words |
Best Practices
Be Selective
More sources isn't always better. NotebookLM works best with focused, relevant materials.
Organize Before Uploading
Clean up your documents first. Remove irrelevant sections, fix formatting issues, ensure text is selectable in PDFs.
Mix Source Types
Combine different perspectives — primary sources, secondary analysis, multimedia — for richer responses.
Adding Sources Step-by-Step
Content coming soon
Troubleshooting
PDF Won't Upload
- Check file size (under 200MB)
- Ensure text is selectable, not scanned images
- Try converting to Google Doc first
Website Not Loading
- Some sites block scraping
- Try copying the text directly instead
- Check for paywalls
Next Steps
Learn how to ask better questions in Prompting Basics.