Sources Intermediate

Sources are the foundation of NotebookLM. Everything the AI knows comes from the sources you upload. Learn how to add different types of sources, manage them effectively, and understand the limits and best practices for source management.

Supported Source Types

Source Type	How to Add	Best For	Limits
PDF files	Upload from your computer	Research papers, textbooks, reports, manuals	Up to 500,000 words per source
Google Docs	Connect from Google Drive	Lecture notes, drafts, meeting notes	Up to 500,000 words per source
Google Slides	Connect from Google Drive	Presentations, lecture slides	Text content extracted from slides
Websites	Paste URL	Articles, blog posts, documentation	Public pages only, text content extracted
YouTube videos	Paste YouTube URL	Lectures, tutorials, interviews, talks	Requires available transcript/captions
Audio files	Upload MP3, WAV, etc.	Podcasts, interviews, recorded lectures	Transcribed automatically by Google
Pasted text	Copy and paste text directly	Excerpts, notes, custom content	Up to 500,000 words

Adding Sources

1. Click "Add Source" in the Sources panel

   The Sources panel is on the left side of the workspace. Click the "+" button or "Add Source."

2. Choose the source type

   Select from: Upload file, Google Drive, Website URL, YouTube URL, or Paste text.

3. Upload or link your content

   Follow the prompts to upload a file, connect a Google Doc, or paste a URL. NotebookLM will process the source.

4. Wait for processing

   NotebookLM indexes the content so the AI can search and reference it. This usually takes a few seconds to a minute depending on source size.

Source Limits

Managing Sources

Once sources are added, you can manage them in several ways:

• Toggle sources: Check or uncheck sources to include/exclude them from AI queries. This lets you focus on specific documents.
• View source content: Click a source to see its full content in a reader view with the original formatting preserved.
• Source summaries: Each source shows an AI-generated summary to help you quickly identify its content.
• Delete sources: Remove sources you no longer need. This cannot be undone.
• Source guides: Click a source to see auto-generated key topics, questions, and a study guide specific to that source.

YouTube Video Sources

YouTube sources are especially powerful for learning from video content:

1. Paste a YouTube URL

   Copy the video URL from YouTube and paste it as a new source.

2. NotebookLM extracts the transcript

   The video's captions/transcript are extracted and indexed. The AI can then answer questions about the video content.

3. Ask questions about the video

   "What were the three main arguments in this lecture?" or "Summarize the key takeaways from this talk."