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Gemini Notebook: what it is good at, and what it is not

AIooze Editorial

In one minute

  • Gemini Notebook (called NotebookLM until July 2026) is Google’s free tool for asking questions about documents you give it.
  • You need a Google account and the files you want to understand.
  • Setting up a first notebook takes about five minutes.
  • Its strength is staying close to your sources. Its weakness is anything beyond them.

What it is

Gemini Notebook is a notebook where you upload your own material, such as PDFs, web pages or YouTube videos, and then chat with an AI that answers from that material, with citations. Google’s Learn about Gemini Notebook page says it gives “grounded information based on your sources with clear in-line citations”. Grounded means the answer is built from the files you supplied rather than from the open web.

What it is good at

  • Long or dull documents. According to Google’s sources help page, each source can hold up to 500,000 words or 200MB, and free users can add up to 50 sources per notebook (as of 4 Nov 2026).
  • Checking where an answer came from. The citations let you click back to the passage, so you can read it yourself.
  • Turning material into other formats. Google says it can produce study guides, briefings, Audio Overviews (a podcast-style spoken summary) and mind maps.
  • Sharing. Google’s create a notebook page says you can give another person Viewer or Editor access by email.

A worked example

Say you have just had a new boiler fitted and you have a 60-page installation manual plus a 12-page warranty booklet. Create a notebook, upload both PDFs, then ask: “What do I have to do each year to keep the warranty valid, and what would void it?” The answer should point to specific pages. Click each citation and read the original lines before you rely on them, then ask a follow-up such as “List the error codes that mean I should call an engineer.”

What it is not good at

  • Questions your files do not answer. Google says it is “designed to answer questions based on the information provided in your uploaded sources”. For news or general research, a search tool fits better.
  • Being always right. Google’s own page says it “can make mistakes” and advises consulting a qualified professional for medical, legal or financial advice.
  • Heavy daily use on the free plan. Since September 2026, Google’s blog and usage limits page say limits are compute-based and refresh every five hours until you reach a weekly limit.

Free and paid plans

According to Google’s plans help page, as of 4 Nov 2026, the free Standard plan allows 100 notebooks with 50 sources each. Paid access comes through Google AI Plus (200 notebooks, 100 sources), Google AI Pro (500 notebooks, 300 sources) and Google AI Ultra (500 notebooks, 500 or 600 sources). Google’s usage page says AI Plus doubles the standard usage limits and AI Pro gives four times. Google’s help pages do not list prices, which vary by country, so check Google’s own subscription page before paying.

Privacy settings that matter

  • Google’s help page says your data “is not used to train Gemini Notebook unless you provide feedback”.
  • Thumbs up or thumbs down counts as feedback. Google’s privacy page says it then collects the related prompts, sources and outputs, people may review them (disconnected from your account) and they are kept for up to 3 years. If a notebook holds anything sensitive, do not rate its answers.
  • Google says work and school (Workspace) accounts are not reviewed by humans or used for training, even with feedback.
  • Do not upload ID documents, bank statements or other people’s personal details to a personal account. Before you share a notebook, check what is in it.

Alternatives

  • Perplexity: better when you need answers from the open web, with links to sources.
  • Elicit: built for finding and summarising academic research papers.

Go deeper

Sources

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