# How to Add YouTube Videos to Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
> Add YouTube videos to NotebookLM in 4 steps, see why it reads only captioned transcripts, add a playlist or many videos at once, and fix failed imports.
By Juli · Published Oct 26, 2026 · https://www.kortex-notebooklm.com/blog/gemini-notebook-youtube
A two-hour lecture, a conference talk, a tutorial you'll never sit through twice. YouTube holds some of the best material for any project, and when you add YouTube videos to Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), you can question, cite and study them. There's a catch, though. It doesn't watch the video. It reads the transcript, and only if the video qualifies. Here's how to add videos on the web and on your phone, why imports fail, and what to do about playlists.
> **Key Takeaways**
> - Gemini Notebook imports only the transcript of public, captioned videos ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16215270?hl=en), 2026).
> - Videos uploaded less than 72 hours ago may not import.
> - There's no native playlist import, so paste links in batches.
> - Studio turns videos into flashcards, reports and overviews.
## How do you add a YouTube video to Gemini Notebook?
Paste its link into a notebook as a source. The help center lists "YouTube URLs of public videos" as a supported source type (Gemini Notebook Help, 2026), and Google's YouTube sources announcement explains how they work ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/notebooklm-audio-video-sources/), 2024). On the web, it takes four steps:
1. **Copy the link.** Open the video on YouTube and copy the URL from your address bar.
2. **Open a notebook.** Go to notebook.google.com and open a notebook you own, or create a new one.
3. **Select Add sources.** You'll find it on the left of the notebook.
4. **Paste and insert.** Choose the YouTube or website link option, paste the URL and confirm.
Subsequently, the video shows up in the sources panel. Then open it to read an auto-generated summary in the source guide. As a result, when you chat, citations link straight to the transcript, so you can check any answer against the exact words spoken (Google, 2024). First time in the app? Our [beginner's guide to Gemini Notebook](/blog/how-to-use-gemini-notebook) covers notebooks, chat and Studio.
Four steps is fine for one video, as you can see. For a project with a dozen talks, however, the copying and pasting adds up fast.
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## Does Gemini Notebook watch the video or read the transcript?
Only the words. Gemini Notebook imports the video's text transcript, built from captions the creator uploaded or YouTube generated automatically (Gemini Notebook Help, 2026). In fact, length isn't the problem, since there's no limit unless the caption file tops 500,000 words. What's on screen, such as slides, charts or code, never makes it in. Here are the rules from Google's help center:
| Rule | What Google's help center says |
|---|---|
| Visibility | Public videos only. |
| Captions | Required, uploaded or auto-generated. |
| Speech | Videos without speech aren't supported. |
| New uploads | Videos under 72 hours old may not import. |
| Length | No limit unless captions exceed 500,000 words. |
| Deleted or made private | Source auto-deleted within 30 days. |
That transcript-only rule tells you which videos are worth adding. For instance, a lecture where the speaker explains everything out loud works well. In contrast, a coding tutorial where the key line only appears on screen loses its best part, and so does a chart walkthrough that says "look at this spike". **Auto-generated captions** are a second risk. In a 2024 study, YouTube's automatic captions had a word error rate of 23.07% on the researchers' test videos ([Fathallah, Bhole and Staab](https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.00342), 2024), so a misheard term can end up in your notes. YouTube also has three visibility settings: public, unlisted and private ([YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/157177?hl=en), 2026). However, Google's support statement covers only public videos, so private ones won't work and unlisted ones aren't covered. Before you add a video, therefore, ask one question: would the audio alone teach you this?
### Why is my YouTube link not working?
Google names four common causes: an invalid link, a video flagged as potentially unsafe, no captions file, or a language that isn't supported. Check captions first, because that's the cause you can see for yourself. On YouTube, a Closed captions (CC) button at the bottom right of the player means captions exist ([YouTube Help](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/100078?hl=en), 2026). No CC button? In that case, there's nothing for Gemini Notebook to read. Next, check the upload date, because videos less than 72 hours old may not import, so give a new upload three days. Additionally, check the video's visibility, since only public videos are supported. It's a common snag: when we analyzed 1,451 Google autocomplete suggestions in October 2026, "notebooklm youtube source is empty" was one of the YouTube searches people type. In other words, enough people hit a blank source that Google suggests the phrase as they type.
## How do you add YouTube videos on Android or iPhone?
Use your phone's share sheet. The Gemini Notebook app has sharing built in ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/notebooklm-app/), 2025). In practice, you tap the share icon on a website, PDF or YouTube video, pick the app, and it's added as a new source. The app needs iOS 17 or Android 10 and up, so older phones can't use it. From the YouTube app, it takes three taps:
1. In the YouTube app, open the video and tap **Share**.
2. Pick **Gemini Notebook** from the list of apps.
3. Choose the existing notebook the video should join.
Alternatively, add it from inside the app, where adding a source offers PDF, Website, YouTube, Audio File or Copied Text ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16296687?hl=en), 2026). Can't see Gemini Notebook in the share list? Accordingly, install the app and sign in first, since the share option comes from the app itself.
## How do you add a YouTube playlist or multiple videos?
Not in one click. Google documents YouTube support as public video links and never mentions playlists (Gemini Notebook Help, 2026). Consequently, the native workaround is a batch paste. XDA Developers found that several video links separated by spaces or new lines import in one go ([XDA Developers](https://www.xda-developers.com/notebooklm-bulk-url-feature/), 2025). In XDA's test, the dedicated YouTube button took one video at a time, while the URL field took many. Here's the routine:
1. Open the playlist and copy each video's link into a note, one per line.
2. In your notebook, select **Add sources** and pick the URL option for websites.
3. Paste the whole list and insert it.
Check the source cap before you paste. Each video is one source, and a free notebook holds 50 ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16213268?hl=en), 2026). For example, a 12-week course with three lectures a week is 36 videos, which leaves 14 slots for slides and readings. On the other hand, a 100-video channel archive won't fit on the free tier. It fills a Plus notebook exactly. In contrast, Pro allows 300, so a big archive fits there. Source space is, in addition, a real worry for heavy users. We analyzed 776 answers to the Kortex MCP waitlist survey (Sep-Oct 2026), and 38 people asked for an easier way to bring in web pages and YouTube, 61% of them on Kortex Pro. One asked to "Auto combine transcript from multiple YT videos to save more source real estate."
Why copy links one at a time when a tool can grab the whole list? Several extensions import a full playlist in one click, and our roundup of the [best Gemini Notebook extensions](/blog/best-gemini-notebook-extensions) compares them. Importantly, demand for them is plain: of the 32 YouTube searches we found in that autocomplete data, 11 asked for an extension.
## How do you summarize a YouTube video in Gemini Notebook?
Once a video is a source, Studio treats it like any document. In other words, every Studio output works on it. Audio Overviews come in 4 formats ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16212820?hl=en), 2026). They range from a Deep Dive between two hosts to The Brief, where one speaker covers the key points in under two minutes. Similarly, flashcards, reports and Video Overviews work the same way:
| Goal | Studio output | Setting to try |
|---|---|---|
| Revise a lecture | Flashcards or Quizzes | Easy, medium or hard. |
| Summarize a talk | Reports | Study guide, briefing document or FAQ. |
| Listen on the go | Audio Overview | The Brief or Deep Dive. |
| Watch a recap | Video Overview | Short (about 60 seconds) or Explainer. |
| See the structure | Mind Map | The Mind Map chip in chat. |
**Video Overviews** are narrated videos built from your sources, and they come in Cinematic, Explainer and Short formats, with Short running about 60 seconds ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16454555?hl=en), 2026). Flashcards also download as a CSV file. Our [Video Overviews guide](/blog/gemini-notebook-video-overviews) covers the options, and [making a podcast in Gemini Notebook](/blog/notebooklm-podcast) goes deeper on audio.
Meanwhile, transcripts reward specific prompts. Notably, Google pitched YouTube sources as a way to compare perspectives across multiple sources (Google, 2024). Three prompts worth saving, each one ready to paste into the chat.
- List the five main claims in this talk and quote the line behind each.
- Where do these two videos disagree, and who gives more evidence?
- Turn this lecture into an outline and define every key term.
Mixing talks with papers? Our guide to [using Gemini Notebook for research](/blog/notebooklm-for-research) shows how to structure that notebook. If you work in Claude or ChatGPT, Kortex MCP, included with Kortex Pro and Lifetime, can [make those flashcards and Audio Overviews from the chat](/blog/gemini-notebook-studio-from-chat).
## How does Kortex speed up YouTube imports?
**Kortex** is a free Chrome extension that adds import tools around Gemini Notebook, and its users have run 105,000+ imports ([Kortex](/), 2026). We built it for exactly this kind of busywork. YouTube videos count toward social imports, and the free plan includes 5 a day. Pro, at $9.99 a month or $4.92 a month billed yearly, handles the batch jobs Gemini Notebook leaves to you ([Kortex pricing](/#pricing), 2026). Specifically, it adds four tools.
- **Bulk import (Pro).** Paste a list of links, or send every open tab to a notebook at once.
- **Domain Router (Pro).** Send every youtube.com link to a notebook you choose, like a Watch Later notebook.
- **YouTube source filter.** Show only the video sources in a crowded notebook.
- **Search everything.** Press / to find a video source across all your notebooks.
Likewise, Kortex works on notebook.google.com and the old notebooklm.google.com address, in Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers.
Check for captions, paste links in batches and let Studio turn the transcripts into something you can study. Kortex handles the importing around it.
Get more of YouTube into your notebooks
Kortex adds one-click YouTube imports, Pro bulk imports and a Domain Router for youtube.com links, plus a filter that finds every video source later. Free on Chrome.
Add Kortex to Chrome, freeSee every import option
## Frequently asked questions
### Can Gemini Notebook watch YouTube videos?
No. Google's help center says Gemini Notebook imports only a video's text transcript, built from uploaded or auto-generated captions. It never sees slides, charts or on-screen code, and chat answers cite the transcript. A video with no speech or no captions file won't import at all.
### Why won't my YouTube video import into Gemini Notebook?
Google lists four common causes: an invalid link, a video flagged as potentially unsafe, a missing captions file and an unsupported language. Videos uploaded less than 72 hours ago may not be available, and only public videos are supported, so check the video's visibility and look for the CC button before trying again.
### Can I add a YouTube playlist to Gemini Notebook?
Not natively. Gemini Notebook accepts individual public video links, so each video becomes one source. You can paste several links at once, separated by spaces or new lines, or use an extension that imports a whole playlist. Watch the cap: a free notebook holds 50 sources, Plus 100 and Pro 300.
### Can Gemini Notebook summarize YouTube videos?
Yes. Once a public, captioned video is a source, the source guide shows an auto-generated summary, and chat answers cite the transcript. Studio can also turn it into a study guide or briefing document, flashcards, an Audio Overview or a Video Overview. It summarizes what is said, not what appears on screen.
### Can I add a whole YouTube channel to Gemini Notebook?
Not natively. Google documents YouTube support as single public video links, with no channel or playlist import, so each video becomes one source. Paste links in batches or use an extension. Mind the cap: a free notebook holds 50 sources, Plus 100 and Pro 300, so a big channel archive may need several notebooks.
### Is there a length limit for YouTube videos in Gemini Notebook?
Not in minutes. Google says there's no limit on video length unless the caption file contains more than 500,000 words, the same word cap every source has (Gemini Notebook Help, 2026). So a long lecture or podcast episode can work, as long as the video is public, has captions and stays under that word count.
### What happens if a YouTube video is deleted or made private?
Gemini Notebook removes it for you. Google's help center says sources from deleted or newly private videos are auto-deleted from your notebook within 30 days. If a video matters to your project, save its key points as a note or export them somewhere else before the source disappears.
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*Editorial note: fact-checked against the official help pages and docs linked above on October 26, 2026. Spotted something out of date? [Contact us](/support) and we will fix it, or read more [about Kortex](/about).*