> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://google-40.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Notebooks: your research workspaces in NotebookLM

> Notebooks are the core organizational unit in NotebookLM. Learn how they work, how to create and name them, and how to manage multiple notebooks.

A notebook is a self-contained workspace that pairs your sources with a dedicated AI assistant. Everything you add to a notebook—documents, links, notes—stays together, and the AI you chat with in that notebook reads only those sources. This means you can maintain separate, focused research spaces for different projects without sources from one bleeding into another.

## What's inside a notebook

Each notebook contains two main things:

* **Sources** — the documents, files, and URLs you've added (up to 50 per notebook)
* **AI chat** — a conversational assistant that reads and reasons over only those sources

The AI chat is specific to the notebook. Ask it a question and it searches your sources, synthesizes an answer, and links back to the exact passages it used.

## Create a notebook

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open NotebookLM">
    Go to [notebooklm.google.com](https://notebooklm.google.com) and sign in with your Google account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click New notebook">
    On the home screen, select **New notebook**. A blank notebook opens immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your notebook">
    Click the default title at the top of the page and type a descriptive name. A clear name helps you find the right notebook later, especially when you have several.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Rename or delete a notebook

To **rename** a notebook, click the notebook title anywhere it appears and type a new name.

To **delete** a notebook, open the notebook, select the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner, and choose **Delete notebook**. Deletion is permanent and removes all sources and conversation history inside it.

## Navigate between notebooks

All your notebooks appear on the NotebookLM home screen. Select any notebook card to open it. The home screen shows the notebook name, the number of sources it contains, and when it was last updated, so you can orient yourself quickly.

## Limits

| Item                 | Limit |
| -------------------- | ----- |
| Sources per notebook | 50    |

For details on source types and sizes, see [Sources](/concepts/sources) and [Supported formats](/sources/supported-formats).

## Best practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One topic per notebook" icon="folder" href="/concepts/sources">
    Keep each notebook focused on a single project or research question. The more focused your sources, the more precise the AI's answers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use descriptive names" icon="pencil" href="/features/chat">
    Names like "Q3 Competitive Analysis" or "Thesis — Chapter 2 Sources" are easier to find than "Research 1" or "New notebook."
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add sources before asking" icon="upload" href="/sources/adding-sources">
    The AI can only answer from what's in the notebook. Add all relevant sources before starting a research session.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Separate unrelated topics" icon="layout-grid" href="/guides/research-workflow">
    If you're working on two unrelated projects, use two notebooks. Mixing sources leads to less relevant answers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Keep each notebook focused on a single topic or project. A notebook about climate policy and one about quarterly earnings will each give you sharper, more relevant answers than a single notebook that combines both.
</Tip>