How to Create a Podcast in NotebookLM

You drop a few research papers into a notebook, click one button, and minutes later two AI hosts are chatting about your sources like a real podcast. That’s the magic of NotebookLM’s Audio Overview, and it’s become the feature people talk about most. But there’s far more under the hood than the default two-host “Deep Dive.” This guide walks through every step: generating your first podcast, picking the right format, steering the conversation, switching languages, and saving the audio for later.

Key Takeaways

• NotebookLM’s Audio Overview turns your sources into an AI podcast in four formats: Deep Dive, Brief, Critique, and Debate, per Google NotebookLM Help (2025).
• You can generate audio in 80+ languages, and non-English overviews now match the depth of the English version.
• The free plan allows 3 Audio Overviews per day; Plus allows 6 and Pro allows 20, per Google (2026).
• Interactive mode lets you join the conversation and ask hosts questions by voice during playback.
• NotebookLM has no native export button on desktop, so a browser tool helps you download and archive your podcast files.

What is a NotebookLM podcast and how does it work?

A NotebookLM podcast is an AI-generated audio conversation built from your uploaded sources. The original Audio Overview launched September 11, 2024, generating a “deep dive” between two AI hosts, per Google (2024). The model reads your documents, then produces a natural, spoken discussion that explains and connects the key ideas.

The hosts don’t just summarize. They riff, ask each other questions, and surface tensions between sources, which makes dense material easier to absorb. Think of it as having two smart friends pre-read your stack of PDFs and talk you through it on a commute.

Citation capsule: NotebookLM’s Audio Overview first launched on September 11, 2024, generating a “deep dive” discussion between two AI hosts. At launch, the hosts spoke only English and could not be interrupted, according to Google’s official blog (2024).

When we first tested it on a 40-page market report, the hosts caught a contradiction between two sources that we’d skimmed right past. That single moment sold us on the format. Want to know which sources work best? Documents with clear structure tend to produce sharper conversations. For more ways to get the most out of the tool, see our NotebookLM tips and tricks guide.

How do you create a podcast in NotebookLM step by step?

Creating your first Audio Overview takes minutes, not hours. The feature lives in the Studio panel of any notebook, and the free Standard plan lets you generate 3 per day, per Google’s upgrade page (2026). You’ll need at least one source uploaded before the button activates.

The basic generation steps

Here’s the short version. First, open a notebook and add your sources: PDFs, Google Docs, pasted text, URLs, or YouTube links. Second, find the Studio panel on the right. Third, click “Audio Overview” and pick a format. Fourth, wait a few minutes while it generates. Large notebooks take longer, so don’t panic if it isn’t instant.

Choosing your sources wisely

Source quality drives output quality. The free plan caps you at 50 sources per notebook, while Plus allows 100 and Pro allows 300, per Google NotebookLM Help (2026). You don’t need to max that out. We’ve found that 3 to 8 focused, high-quality sources produce a tighter, more coherent podcast than 30 loosely related ones.

For research-heavy notebooks, pairing the right prompts with the right sources matters. See our guide to the best NotebookLM prompts for research before you generate.

What are the four NotebookLM podcast formats?

NotebookLM offers four distinct Audio Overview formats, and picking the right one changes everything. Deep Dive is the default two-host conversation; Brief delivers key takeaways in under two minutes with a single host; Critique gives constructive feedback; and Debate stages a back-and-forth on different perspectives, per Google NotebookLM Help (2025).

Citation capsule: NotebookLM’s Audio Overview offers four formats: Deep Dive (two hosts in conversation), Brief (one host, key takeaways under two minutes), Critique (two hosts giving constructive feedback), and Debate (two hosts on different perspectives), according to Google NotebookLM Help (2025).

Deep Dive vs Brief

Deep Dive is your go-to for understanding a topic in depth. Two hosts explore connections, ask follow-ups, and build a narrative. Brief is the opposite: a single host delivers the core ideas fast. Reach for Brief when you need a quick refresher before a meeting and don’t have ten minutes to spare.

Critique and Debate

These two are newer and underused. The Brief, Critique, and Debate formats were announced September 8, 2025, with Critique described as two hosts reviewing your material and Debate as two hosts discussing different perspectives, per Google (2025).

Critique is quietly the most valuable format for writers. Feed it your own essay or design doc, and the hosts poke at weak arguments before a human reviewer ever does. We treat it as a free first-pass editor.

How do you customize and steer the audio hosts?

You’re not stuck with whatever the hosts decide to discuss. You can customize the length by choosing Shorter, Default, or Longer, and you can enter a custom prompt to focus the hosts on specific topics or adjust the expertise level, per Google NotebookLM Help (2025). One caveat: the length control is English-only.

The custom prompt box is where the real control lives. Want the hosts to assume your audience are beginners? Tell them. Want them to spend the whole episode on chapter three? Say so. Want them to skip the small talk and get straight to the data? That works too.

Practical steering prompts

Try prompts like “Focus only on the methodology and results, and assume the listener is a graduate student.” Or “Explain this as if teaching a curious 12-year-old.” We’ve found that naming the audience and the scope in one sentence gives the cleanest results. Vague prompts produce vague podcasts.

If you want format-specific prompt patterns for coursework and revision, our guide on how to study with NotebookLM goes deeper.

Can you make a NotebookLM podcast in other languages?

Yes, and this is one of the most powerful upgrades. Audio Overviews now generate in 80+ languages, and sources in any supported language, including mixed-language notebooks, can be turned into audio in the language you set under Output Language, per Google NotebookLM Help (2025). That’s a huge leap from the English-only launch.

The quality caught up too. Audio Overviews in 80+ languages were upgraded August 25, 2025, from short-form to full-length, so non-English overviews now mirror the depth, structure, and nuance of the English version, per Google (2025). Earlier, support reached 50+ languages on April 29, 2025.

Citation capsule: NotebookLM Audio Overviews can be generated in 80+ languages, and as of August 25, 2025, non-English overviews were upgraded from short-form to full-length to mirror the depth and nuance of the English version, according to Google (2025).

To switch languages, open your notebook settings and set Output Language before generating. The hosts will speak fluently in your chosen language even when your sources are mixed.

How does interactive mode work?

Interactive mode turns a passive listen into a two-way conversation. It lets you tap “Join” and ask the AI hosts questions by voice during playback. It began rolling out December 13, 2024, stays labeled experimental, and works only on newly generated Audio Overviews, per Google (2024).

Here’s how it plays out. You’re listening, a host mentions something you don’t follow, so you tap Join and simply ask. The hosts pause, answer your question using your sources, then return to their flow. It feels less like a podcast and more like sitting in on office hours.

Interactive mode quietly changes how you should prepare sources. Because you can interrupt and dig deeper, you no longer need every detail in the first generation. We now generate a lean Deep Dive, then mine the gaps live with questions.

One limitation worth remembering: interactive mode launched English-only, so it won’t yet pair with every language option above.

How do you download and export your NotebookLM podcast?

Saving your audio is where most people hit a wall. NotebookLM has no native export button on desktop, which is its biggest gap for content creators. The official mobile app, launched May 19, 2025, lets you download Audio Overviews for offline playback and play them in the background while multitasking, per Google (2025).

So the mobile app covers offline listening. But if you want the actual audio file on your computer, to upload elsewhere, edit, or archive, the desktop experience leaves you stuck. That missing export is exactly the friction many workflows run into.

How does Kortex help you save and export podcasts?

Kortex is a free Chrome extension that adds the export NotebookLM doesn’t ship natively. It enhances NotebookLM rather than replacing it. With Kortex, you can save your Audio Overview file from the desktop browser, alongside exporting notes, reports, and other notebook content into formats you control.

That matters when you’re producing a real podcast series or repurposing audio across platforms. Pair it with a saved prompt library so your steering prompts stay consistent across episodes. Our Kortex automation workflows guide shows how to chain these steps, and getting started with Kortex covers setup in minutes.

Which plan do you need for serious podcasting?

For light use, the free plan is plenty, but volume creators hit limits fast. The free Standard plan allows 3 Audio Overviews per day, Plus allows 6, and Pro allows 20, per Google’s upgrade page (2026). NotebookLM Plus was introduced December 13, 2024, roughly doubling the daily audio, source, and notebook limits of the free version.

Citation capsule: Daily Audio Overview limits are 3 per day on the free Standard plan, 6 per day on NotebookLM Plus, and 20 per day on Pro, according to Google NotebookLM Help (2026).

So how do you choose? If you generate a podcast or two a day to study or summarize reports, free works fine. If you’re producing episodes at scale, testing formats, and iterating, the higher daily ceilings on Plus or Pro pay off. For a fuller breakdown of where each tier fits, compare the best NotebookLM alternatives on price and output.

Source: Google NotebookLM Help (2026).

Frequently asked questions

Is the NotebookLM podcast feature free?

Yes. Audio Overview is free on the Standard plan, with a limit of 3 generations per day. NotebookLM Plus raises that to 6 per day and Pro to 20 per day, per Google’s official upgrade page (2026).

How long can a NotebookLM Audio Overview be?

You can choose Shorter, Default, or Longer length, though this control is English-only. The Brief format runs under two minutes with a single host, while Deep Dive conversations can stretch much longer depending on your sources, per Google NotebookLM Help (2025).

Can I make a NotebookLM podcast in another language?

Yes. Audio Overviews now generate in 80+ languages. Set your preferred language under Output Language, and even mixed-language notebooks produce audio in your chosen language, according to Google NotebookLM Help (2025).

What is interactive mode in NotebookLM?

Interactive mode lets you tap “Join” and ask the AI hosts questions by voice during playback. It began rolling out December 13, 2024, remains labeled experimental, and works only on newly generated Audio Overviews, per Google (2024).

Can I download a NotebookLM podcast?

Yes. The NotebookLM mobile app, launched May 19, 2025, lets you download Audio Overviews for offline playback, per Google (2025). On desktop, a browser tool like Kortex helps you save and organize the file.

What are the four NotebookLM podcast formats?

NotebookLM offers Deep Dive (two hosts in conversation), Brief (one host, key takeaways under two minutes), Critique (two hosts giving feedback), and Debate (two hosts arguing perspectives), per Google NotebookLM Help (2025).

Ready to turn your research into a polished AI podcast? Start with a focused notebook, pick the format that fits your goal, and steer the hosts with a clear custom prompt. When you want to save those episodes, archive them, or repurpose the audio beyond NotebookLM’s native limits, Kortex adds the export and prompt-library tools that make a real workflow possible. Install Kortex →