NotebookLM Is Now Gemini Notebook: What Changed, What's New, and What to Do

TL;DR. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Your notebooks are untouched, existing links redirect, and no pricing changed. August 8 update: Workspace Business/Enterprise users can build automated workflows that add sources (Drive files, web URLs, YouTube) to notebooks via Workspace Studio — rollout is now complete. August 31 update: Expert Intelligence is live — import eligible Google Play ebooks you own as grounded notebook sources, with quiz, audio, and infographic generation grounded in the book's actual text. Over 100,000 titles qualify (O'Reilly, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and others); no extra tier required. Also new since launch: native code execution (live for AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra/Expanded Access; rolling to Pro web users soon) and Google Search integration (coming soon). The name change is Google consolidating its AI products under one brand — same move it made with Bard and Duet AI.

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If you opened NotebookLM this week and got a new logo or an in-app banner, you didn't imagine it. Google officially renamed the product to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. The confusion is real — Forbes ran a headline that said "I'm Confused" in the title — so here's a clear breakdown of what changed, what's actually new, and whether you need to do anything.

The name changed. Nothing else broke.

The short version: NotebookLM is Gemini Notebook now. Same product, same notebooks, same audio overviews, same shared links. Google set up automatic redirects so any bookmarked URL or link you've shared continues to work. Mobile users may need an app update to see the new branding, but the underlying data doesn't move.

Google's announcement confirmed the product "remains a standalone research tool" — it's not being folded into the main Gemini chat interface. If you're used to opening a separate NotebookLM tab, Gemini Notebook is still a separate tool at its own URL.

What's actually new

The rebrand came with real capability additions, though they're rolling out by tier:

Code execution. Gemini Notebook can now write and run code natively to analyze data from your sources. Instead of reading a spreadsheet or data table and describing it in text, you can ask Gemini Notebook to do the math, generate a chart, or compute a summary — and it runs the code in the session to produce the output. This is a meaningful upgrade for researchers and analysts who pull structured data into their notebooks.

Secure cloud container. Each notebook now has its own sandboxed cloud environment to run that code. The computation happens in an isolated container, not on a shared server, which matters if you're working with client files or proprietary data.

Cross-app sync. Your notebooks now appear in the Gemini app, so you can access them without opening a separate tab. Google also confirmed that access through AI Mode in Google Search is coming — when that ships, you'll be able to pull up a notebook directly from a Search result.

Who gets the new features, and when

The rebrand (name and logo) applies to everyone — free accounts, Workspace users, and paid subscribers all get the visual update.

The code execution and cloud container features have a tiered rollout:

• Now: Google AI Ultra subscribers and Google Workspace customers with AI Ultra Access or Expanded Access
• Coming weeks: Pro-tier web users
• Not yet announced: Free-tier access to code execution

If you're on a paid Pro or Ultra plan, check your notebooks — the feature may already be visible. If you're on a free personal account, the advanced analysis features aren't there yet, but the rebrand itself (and the Gemini app sync) is active.

Why Google changed the name

This is the third major AI-product rebrand in Google's recent history. Bard became Gemini. Duet AI (the AI assistant inside Google Workspace) became Gemini for Workspace. Now NotebookLM becomes Gemini Notebook.

The pattern is consistent: Google incubates AI products under experimental names, then folds them under the Gemini umbrella once they hit mainstream adoption. At 30 million users and more than 600,000 organizations, NotebookLM had clearly crossed that threshold.

The "LM" in NotebookLM stood for "Language Model" — a piece of technical jargon that made sense in 2023 when the product was a research experiment. It never made sense as a consumer product name. "Gemini Notebook" is plainer, and it signals the product's direction: deeper integration with Gemini's Search, app, and Workspace features over time.

This also reflects a broader Google strategy: rather than maintaining a sprawling portfolio of AI brand names, consolidate everything under Gemini so users know where to find things and what to expect from Google's AI products.

August 2026 update: automated source workflows (Workspace only)

On August 6, 2026, Google added a new step to Workspace Studio — the workflow-automation tool at studio.workspace.google.com — that addresses one of Gemini Notebook's friction points: manually adding sources.

The new step is called "Add a source to Gemini Notebook." It lets you build a recurring automated workflow that feeds sources into a notebook without opening it. Supported source types:

• Text content
• Links to Google Drive files
• YouTube URLs
• Generic web URLs

Practical example: If your team maintains a competitive-intelligence notebook and adds new industry articles weekly, you can now wire up a workflow that automatically imports those articles as sources. The notebook stays current without someone manually opening it each time.

Who gets it: Business (Starter, Standard, Plus), Enterprise (Standard, Plus), and Education (Fundamentals, Standard, Plus) tiers. Add-on plans with AI Expanded Access also qualify. Personal Google accounts are not supported. The rollout started August 6 and takes up to 15 business days to reach all eligible accounts.

Admin note: The step is enabled by default for accounts where admins have allowed "Gemini for Google Workspace steps." No new admin action is required unless your organization has disabled Workspace automation steps.

What this doesn't change: Automated source addition handles the logistics — getting content into the notebook. Gemini Notebook's AI analysis, Q&A, and audio overview generation work exactly the same on those sources. This is a workflow improvement, not a change to how the underlying AI works.

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August 31, 2026 update: Expert Intelligence — analyze ebooks you own

On August 27, 2026, Google launched Expert Intelligence, a new initiative that lets you import eligible ebooks you've purchased from Google Play Books directly into Gemini Notebook as grounded sources.

The key difference from a regular web search: instead of asking Gemini to describe what it knows about a book from training, Expert Intelligence queries the exact text of the book you own, citing back to the actual pages. The answers are grounded in what that author wrote — not a paraphrase from pretraining.

How to add a book

1. Open your ebook in Google Play Books
2. Tap the "Tools" menu under the title
3. Look for the Gemini Notebook badge — eligible titles display it
4. Tap to add it directly to your notebook's sources list

What you can generate once the book is added

• Audio Overviews that narrate key concepts from the text
• Interactive study quizzes for comprehension testing
• Mind Maps visualizing how the book's ideas connect
• Visual infographics grounded in the book's content

You can also mix the book with your own files. For example: pair a leadership book with your team's strategy doc to see where the author's framework applies to your actual situation. Or add an O'Reilly technical book alongside your project notes for inline Q&A.

Which books are eligible

At launch, Expert Intelligence covers more than 100,000 titles from six publisher partners:

• Macmillan Publishers
• Penguin Random House
• Bloomsbury
• O'Reilly Media
• De Gruyter Brill
• Johns Hopkins University Press

To check any specific title: open it in Google Play Books, tap Tools, and look for the Gemini Notebook badge. If it's there, you can add it.

Cost and access

No separate tier is required beyond owning the book. Standard Google Play Books purchase pricing applies. U.S. users can claim one free eligible ebook to test the feature — look for the offer in Google Play Books.

Collaboration note: If you share a notebook that contains an ebook source, collaborators who haven't purchased the book will see it listed but won't be able to query it. They'll be prompted to purchase their own copy.

What's coming next: Google plans to expand Expert Intelligence to the Gemini app and AI Mode in Google Search, and says future content types will include subscriptions, business research reports, and textbooks.

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What to do now

If you use NotebookLM already: nothing urgent. Your notebooks are intact, your links work, and no settings changed. Check the app on mobile for an update if you haven't already.

If you're on AI Ultra or Workspace AI Ultra/Expanded Access: look for the code execution option in your notebook sidebar. It may already be enabled.

If you're on Pro tier: the code execution rollout is "coming weeks" — no action needed, but it's worth checking back.

If you're on a Workspace Business or Enterprise plan: go to studio.workspace.google.com and look for the "Add a source to Gemini Notebook" step. The rollout is now complete (25+ business days since August 6).

If you're on a free account: the Gemini app sync is available now. The source automation and advanced code execution features require a Workspace plan.

If you have ebooks on Google Play Books: open any title, tap Tools, and look for the Gemini Notebook badge. If it appears, you can add the book as a source today. U.S. users get one free eligible title — look for the offer in the app.

If you've mentioned NotebookLM in any internal guides or documentation: update the name to Gemini Notebook and note that the URL redirects automatically.

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Sources

• Google Blog — NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook (official announcement)
• Google Workspace Updates — NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook
• TechCrunch — Google continues its renaming streak by turning NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook
• 9to5Google — Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook
• Engadget — Google's NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook
• Forbes — NotebookLM Is Now Gemini Notebook. I'm Confused

August 8, 2026 update sources:

• Google Workspace Updates — Automatically add sources to your Gemini Notebooks in Workspace Studio (official, Aug 6 2026)
• Android Authority — Google is making it easier to add new sources to Gemini Notebook

August 31, 2026 update sources (Expert Intelligence):

• 9to5Google — Google announces 'Expert Intelligence' to let you add Play Books in Gemini Notebook (Aug 27 2026)
• Chrome Unboxed — You can now load full Google Play Books into Gemini Notebook with 'Expert Intelligence' (Aug 27 2026)
• Digital Trends — Gemini Notebook now lets you reference books and turn them into different formats
• Library Journal infoDOCKET — Google Announces Launch of 'Expert Intelligence' Feature For Gemini Notebook (Aug 27 2026)