Complete Guide to the Key Features of Google NotebookLM
Every key NotebookLM feature explained — Fast and Deep Research, video overviews, slide decks, audio overviews, mind maps, reports, infographics, data tables, flashcards and quizzes — with a Solar System example for each.
This guide explains each key feature of NotebookLM and shows you how to use it. To make the process easier to understand, we'll use "The Solar System" as an example under every feature. You can replace the Solar System with any topic you want to research, study or present — photosynthesis, artificial intelligence, world war II, financial planning, your examination syllabus, your company's documents, or any research or college project.
1. Create a Notebook
A notebook is a dedicated workspace for a particular topic or project. You can create separate notebooks for different subjects — biology, history, artificial intelligence, marketing research, examination preparation.
Visit NotebookLM and sign in with your Google account.
Click Create new notebook and enter a name for it.
Start adding or researching sources.
For this guide, create a notebook called "Understanding the Solar System" — we'll use it to demonstrate every feature below.
2. Fast Research
Fast Research quickly finds sources and helps you understand the basics of a topic. It's useful when you don't already have study material or documents to upload — it gathers a smaller, quickly collected set of sources for you to review and choose from.
Best for: understanding a new topic quickly, finding introductory sources, short study notes, basic homework, quick revision or a fast presentation.
Open your notebook → the Sources panel → select Web.
Enter your topic or research question, then select Fast Research.
Review the suggested sources and select the ones you want to import.
Prompt
3. Deep Research
Deep Research is designed for detailed and complicated research questions. Instead of quickly recommending a few sources, it builds a research plan, searches a much larger number of websites, and generates an organised research report. Because it's more comprehensive, it may take several minutes to complete — and it can keep working in the background while you explore other parts of your notebook.
Best for: detailed school or college projects, comprehensive presentations, research reports, complicated topics, comparing multiple sources, and professional or academic research.
| Feature | Fast Research | Deep Research |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Quick understanding | Detailed investigation |
| Sources | Smaller, quickly collected set | Broader and more detailed collection |
| Time | Usually faster | May take several minutes |
| Output | Source recommendations | Research report and source recommendations |
| Best for | Basic learning and revision | Projects and detailed research |
| Research depth | Introductory | Comprehensive |
Prompt
4. Add Your Own Sources
You don't have to depend only on Fast or Deep Research. NotebookLM lets you add your own learning and research material, so its answers and generated outputs stay grounded in the sources you choose — PDFs, Word documents, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets, website links, YouTube videos, images, audio files, copied text, study notes and research reports.
Add a document
Open the Sources panel → Add source → choose the upload option → select your document → wait for it to process. For the Solar System, that could be handwritten notes, a textbook chapter, a PDF explaining the planets, a class worksheet, or a research paper about space.
Add a YouTube video
Copy a video's URL → Add source → paste the link → add it to the notebook. NotebookLM generally analyses the video's transcript. For the Solar System, try videos explaining the order of the planets, how the system formed, rotation and revolution, asteroids and comets, or rocky vs. giant planets.
Search using only a topic name
No documents or links handy? Just enter your topic name in Fast or Deep Research — for example, simply "The Solar System." NotebookLM will find relevant sources you can review and import, then use for videos, slide decks, reports and more.
5. Ask Questions About Your Sources
Once sources are added, use NotebookLM's chat to ask questions about them. It answers based on your selected sources and includes citations linking back to the supporting information — explaining a topic simply, summarising a document, comparing concepts, creating revision notes, finding important facts, identifying missing information, generating questions, or explaining diagrams.
Prompts to try
6. Video Overviews
A Video Overview transforms your notebook's information into a narrated, visual explanation — narrated slides, illustrations, diagrams, facts and statistics, images from your sources, important quotations. It's especially useful for students who learn better through visuals than long documents.
Add or research your sources.
Open the Studio panel → select Video Overview.
Open customisation options, enter instructions, choose a language or format, then generate.
Prompt
Want it shorter? Make your custom instructions more specific — for example, ask for a short visual overview focused on the Sun, the eight planets in order, and one memorable fact about each. The video's accuracy and quality will depend on the sources available inside the notebook.
7. Slide Decks and Presentations
NotebookLM can convert source material into a structured visual presentation — useful for school presentations, college projects, research presentations, training material and business decks.
Prompt
| Slide | Heading | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome to the Solar System | Introduction to our neighbourhood in space |
| 2 | The Sun | The star at the centre of the Solar System |
| 3 | Meet the Planets | All eight planets in the correct order |
| 4 | Inner Planets | Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars |
| 5 | Outer Planets | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune |
| 6 | Other Space Objects | Moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets |
| 7 | Rotation and Revolution | How planets spin and orbit |
| 8 | Test Your Knowledge | A short classroom quiz |
Always check the spelling, numbers, scientific information and visual labels before presenting an AI-generated slide deck.
8. Audio Overviews
NotebookLM's podcast-style feature is officially called Audio Overview. It converts your sources into an audio discussion — depending on the format, AI hosts may summarise the topic, discuss important concepts, connect information across sources, explain complicated ideas, or even debate different perspectives.
Prompt
Audio Overviews are great for learning while travelling, walking, exercising, or revising without looking at a screen. Just remember: the generated conversation reflects only the sources added to the notebook, so it may not be a complete or fully objective explanation.
9. Mind Maps
A mind map visually shows how different ideas connect — useful for understanding a topic's structure, seeing relationships between concepts, and revising before an exam. Open the Studio panel → select Mind Map → generate it → open individual branches to explore.
Solar System mind map: Sun (star, gravity, heat and light) · Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) · Outer Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) · Smaller Objects (dwarf planets, asteroids, comets) · Movement (rotation, revolution, orbits).
10. Reports
NotebookLM can transform sources into organised written reports — study guides, briefing documents, FAQs, timelines, blog posts, comparison reports and custom documents.
Prompt
11. Infographics
An infographic transforms information into a visual summary — great for quick explanations, revision material, social sharing, and classroom material. Open the Studio panel → select Infographic → choose a style, add instructions, then generate.
Prompt
AI-generated infographics can contain spelling errors or inaccurate visual labels — review them carefully before publishing.
12. Data Tables
Data Tables collect information scattered across your sources and organise it into rows and columns — useful for comparing information, preparing for exams, analysing multiple documents, and exporting to Google Sheets.
Prompt
| Planet | Order | Type | Approx. year length | Memorable fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 1 | Rocky planet | 88 Earth days | Closest planet to the Sun |
| Venus | 2 | Rocky planet | 225 Earth days | Hottest planet |
| Earth | 3 | Rocky planet | 365 days | Known to support life |
| Mars | 4 | Rocky planet | 687 Earth days | Called the Red Planet |
| Jupiter | 5 | Gas giant | About 12 Earth years | Largest planet |
| Saturn | 6 | Gas giant | About 29 Earth years | Famous for its rings |
| Uranus | 7 | Ice giant | About 84 Earth years | Rotates on its side |
| Neptune | 8 | Ice giant | About 165 Earth years | Has extremely fast winds |
Some information, such as the number of known moons, can change as scientists make new discoveries — always check time-sensitive facts against a recent scientific source.
13. Flashcards
Flashcards help you memorise definitions, facts and concepts through active recall. Open the Studio panel → select Flashcards → choose topic and difficulty → generate. Use the explanation option when an answer isn't obvious.
Prompt
Front: Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
Back: Mars, because iron minerals on its surface give it a reddish appearance.
14. Quizzes
Quizzes help you test whether you actually understand and remember the material. NotebookLM can generate different question formats and difficulty levels.
Prompt
Which is the largest planet in the Solar System?
A. Earth B. Saturn C. Jupiter D. Neptune
Correct answer: C. Jupiter
Recommended NotebookLM Workflow
You don't have to use every feature every time — choose the ones that match your goal. A complete workflow could look like this:
- Create a notebook and enter your topic.
- Use Fast Research for a quick introduction, then Deep Research for detail.
- Review and add reliable sources, plus your own documents and video links.
- Ask questions about the sources.
- Generate a report or study guide, a Video Overview, a slide deck and an Audio Overview.
- Explore the topic through a mind map and an infographic.
- Organise facts in a data table, then revise using flashcards and quizzes.
We demonstrated this workflow using the Solar System — follow the same process for any topic by swapping it in for your own subject or project.
Tips for better results
Use reliable sources — government organisations, universities, reputable educational platforms, textbooks and research publications.
Give clear instructions — mention the topic, audience, format, length, important sections, tone and what to exclude. "Create something about the Solar System" is weak; "Create an eight-slide presentation explaining how the Solar System works to Grade 7 students…" is much better.
Review AI-generated content — check names, spellings, numbers, citations, dates, scientific definitions and anything time-sensitive.
Select only relevant sources — more sources don't automatically produce better results.
Customise outputs for your audience — a fifth-grader, a college student, a working professional and a subject expert all need it presented differently.
Research → Understand → Create → Revise
NotebookLM can support the complete journey from researching a topic to understanding, presenting and revising it. We used the Solar System only as an example — repeat the same process with any topic, document or subject relevant to you.