Getting Started with NotebookLM

NotebookLM is Google's AI-powered research assistant that works with your own sources. Unlike general chatbots, it grounds all responses in documents you provide.

What Makes NotebookLM Different

Traditional AI chatbots pull from their training data. NotebookLM only references your uploaded sources, meaning:

Responses are grounded in your materials
You can trace every answer back to a source
No hallucinations from external information

Creating Your First Notebook

Step 1: Access NotebookLM

Go to notebooklm.google.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in with your Google account.

Step 2: Create a New Notebook

Click New Notebook and give it a descriptive name. Think of notebooks as projects — one per topic or unit works well.

Step 3: Add Your First Source

Click Add Source and choose from:

Google Docs — Pull directly from your Drive
PDF Upload — Research papers, textbooks, handouts
Website URL — Articles, blog posts, documentation
Copy/Paste Text — Quick additions
YouTube — Video transcripts

Step 4: Start Asking Questions

Once sources are added, type questions in the chat. NotebookLM will respond using only your sources, with citations you can click to verify.

Tips for Educators

Create one notebook per unit or topic
Upload your lesson materials, not just student readings
Use the Audio Overview feature to create podcast-style summaries
Share notebooks with students for guided research

Next Steps

Ready to add more sources? Continue to Adding Sources.

Overview Adding Sources