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Heads up: NotebookLM is now called Gemini Notebook.

Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. It is the same standalone tool, with the same features, the same notebooks, and the same login. What changed is the name, the logo, and how much it can do. It now works across more of the Google ecosystem, and every notebook has been upgraded with a secure cloud computer.

What is a "secure cloud computer"? It is a private workspace that lets Gemini Notebook write and run code on your files. In plain terms, it can now do real math and real data work on your documents instead of only reading them and describing what they say. That is what powers the newer features you will see in this guide, like building charts and downloadable Excel or PDF files from your own sources.

You may still see "NotebookLM" in some menus and help pages while the change rolls out. This guide uses both names so nothing feels confusing.

Bookmark this page so you can return to it easily anytime.

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Why Gemini Notebook Is Different

Most AI tools pull answers from the entire internet—which is exactly why they sometimes make things up. Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) works the opposite way: it only uses the sources you give it. Your PDFs, Google Docs, transcripts, YouTube videos, and notes become its entire universe.

That one design decision changes everything:

• Grounded — every answer comes from your actual content, not the internet's average opinion
• Cited — every claim links back to the exact passage in your sources, so you can verify anything in one click
• Curated by you — YOU decide whose knowledge it draws from. Fill a notebook with the best material in your field, and you've essentially built your own expert.

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The real unlock: once answers are grounded in sources you hand-picked, a notebook stops being a filing cabinet and starts being a brain you assembled on purpose. That's what the use cases below are all about.

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Clever Use Cases

Before the step-by-step, here's what this tool actually makes possible. Every feature mentioned here—Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, custom personas—is explained in "The Ins and Outs" section below.

🧠 Use Case 1: Build Your Own Trusted Advisory Board

The move: assemble the collected knowledge of the best people in your field, then get their feedback on YOUR work.

Pick five or six of the smartest people who have ever worked in your field—say, the greatest sales copywriters of all time. Gather their knowledge: digital editions of their books, plus their blog posts, interviews, YouTube talks, and podcast transcripts. Load it all into one notebook.

You now have an advisory board made up of the best copywriters in the world—and every answer it gives is grounded in their actual words, with citations.

Now upload your own work—a sales page, an email sequence, a webinar script—as a source, and ask the board for feedback:

• "Review my sales page the way the authors in these sources would. What would each of them change first?"
• "Which of my headlines violate the principles taught in these books?"