# NotebookLM Renamed: Is Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) the Same?
> NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. It's the same tool, and notebooks, sources and links carried over. See what changed and what to do.
By Juli · Published Sep 27, 2026 · Updated Oct 2, 2026 · https://www.kortex-notebooklm.com/blog/notebooklm-renamed-gemini-notebook
If NotebookLM greeted you this summer with a new logo and a new name, you didn't install the wrong thing. Google renamed it **Gemini Notebook**. Your notebooks are the same, and so are the Audio Overviews. However, the address moved, a couple of real features shipped alongside the name, and the usage limits changed a few weeks later. Here's what matters and what you can ignore.
> **Key Takeaways**
> - Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026 ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-notebook/notebooklm-gemini-notebook/), 2026).
> - The app moved to notebook.google.com, and old links redirect.
> - The cloud computer that runs code on your sources, launched for Ultra in June, is reaching Pro.
> - Usage limits switched to five-hour windows on September 2, 2026.
## Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026 and described it as the same standalone research product (Google, 2026). At the time, more than 30 million people and over 600,000 organizations were using it. **Gemini Notebook** is still the source-grounded tool you know. You add sources, it answers from those sources with inline citations, and the Studio panel turns them into overviews, quizzes and slide decks. That design has research behind it: retrieval-augmented models, which look up passages before they write, produced more specific and factual text than models answering from memory alone ([Lewis et al., arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.11401), 2020). The product started life as "Project Tailwind" at Google I/O 2023. So why a new name now? NC State's IT office summed it up as "closer branding and integration with the Google ecosystem". In other words, it now sits next to the Gemini app, Gems and AI Mode in Search.
## When did NotebookLM become Gemini Notebook?
Google announced the new name on July 16, 2026, and university IT teams were briefing their users the next day ([NC State OIT](https://oit.ncsu.edu/2026/07/17/notebooklm-changes-name-to-gemini-notebook/), 2026). The switch reached further than the app. Likewise, Google's help center moved: when we checked on September 27, 2026, old support.google.com/notebooklm articles redirected to their new /gemininotebook pages.
People are still catching up. We pulled Google's autocomplete suggestions on September 27, 2026, and they included "notebooklm renamed to gemini notebook", "is notebooklm the same as gemini notebook" and "notebooklm changed to gemini notebook". Then, in October, we analyzed 1,451 autocomplete suggestions across Gemini Notebook topics. We found "notebooklm renamed", "gemini notebook renamed" and "gemini notebook new name" among them. Meanwhile, people still typed "notebooklm" about twice as often as "gemini notebook": 901 suggestions came back for "notebooklm" seeds against 460 for "gemini notebook". Two months on, the rename is clearly still news to plenty of people searching for it. That's why this post, like most of the web, still says "formerly NotebookLM" after the new name, at least for now.
## What changed when NotebookLM was renamed?
Four things changed around the rename, and two are real features. Notably, the biggest is a secure cloud computer that writes and runs code on your sources. It first launched on June 8, 2026 for Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Expanded Access ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/notebooklm/better-research-notebooklm/), 2026), and the rename post then extended it to Pro.
| What | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Name | NotebookLM | Gemini Notebook. |
| Web address | notebooklm.google.com | notebook.google.com (the old address redirects). |
| Running code on your sources | Ultra only, from June 8 | Rolling out to Pro subscribers too. |
| Where notebooks show up | The NotebookLM app | The app and the Gemini app, with AI Mode in Search announced. |
### What is the new web address?
The app now lives at **notebook.google.com**. When we tested it on September 27, 2026, notebooklm.google.com returned a permanent (301) redirect to the new host. As a result, bookmarks, shared links and links in old documents still land in the right place. Did anything break? Not for links. Still, updating your bookmark saves a hop.
### A cloud computer that runs code
Specifically, the cloud computer lets a notebook write and run code for data analysis that stays grounded in your sources. That's useful for spreadsheets such as survey answers or financial exports, where you want numbers computed rather than guessed. Accordingly, when Google announced the rename, it said Pro users would get it on the web "over the coming weeks".
### Notebooks show up in more places
Your notebooks now sync with the Gemini app, and Google says AI Mode in Search is coming. This builds on Notebooks in Gemini. **Notebooks in Gemini** is a section of the Gemini chat app that arrived on April 8, 2026 and syncs sources both ways ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/notebooks-gemini-notebooklm/), 2026). We compare the two in Gemini Notebook vs Notebooks in Gemini.
## What stayed the same?
Almost everything you use day to day stayed put; in fact, the core loop is untouched. You still upload the same file types, such as PDFs, Google Docs, web pages and YouTube links, and Audio Overviews still come in more than 80 languages. The free tier still gives you 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook, with up to 500,000 words or 200MB per uploaded source ([Gemini Notebook Help](https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16269187?hl=en), 2026). Old notebook links still work, too, because the former address redirects. Is it still free? Yes. The rename didn't add a price, and paid tiers still come bundled with Google's AI subscriptions. Our [Gemini Notebook pricing guide](/blog/is-notebooklm-free) covers the plans. In short, the rename changed the label, not the deal.
- **The Studio.** Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, Mind Maps, Reports, Flashcards, Quizzes, Infographics and Slide Decks are all where they were.
- **Citations.** Answers are still grounded in your sources. That's the main reason to pick it over a general chatbot such as ChatGPT.
- **The gaps.** There's still no public API, and no way to export one notebook's sources or chats in a single step. Assistants like Claude can reach your notebooks anyway through Kortex MCP, a private beta for invited Kortex Pro members, as our guide to [asking Gemini Notebook from Claude or ChatGPT](/blog/gemini-notebook-in-claude) shows.
Of the gaps, the missing export is the one to close first, because a backup only helps if it exists before you need it.
Get your notes out before you need them
Kortex adds the export Gemini Notebook leaves out: sources, notes and chats as PDF, Markdown or text, and whole notebooks as a ZIP. Free on Chrome.
Add Kortex to Chrome, freeSee export formats
## What changed after the rename?
The follow-up changes caused more questions than the name did. On September 2, 2026, fixed daily caps gave way to compute-based limits that refresh every five hours until you reach a weekly cap ([Google](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-notebook/new-flexible-usage-limits/), 2026). Subsequently, from September 15, a batch of study features reached the apps. The limits change is the one you'll notice. It replaced fixed counts, for example 3 Audio Overviews a day on the free tier. Now your allowance depends on how much work each request takes, such as the length of a chat or the number of sources. As a result, a long Video Overview uses more than a quick question. Our [Gemini Notebook usage limits guide](/blog/gemini-notebook-usage-limits), in particular, explains the new system and how to stretch it.
The study features start with an audio recorder in the mobile app for lectures. In addition, there are real-time voice conversations with a notebook in nearly 100 languages, new quiz formats and roughly 60-second Video Overviews ([Google Workspace Updates](https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/09/new-back-to-school-features-and-learning-tools-available-in-Gemini-Notebook.html), 2026). Thus if you revise with it, [how to study with Gemini Notebook](/blog/notebooklm-for-studying) now has more tools to lean on.
## What should you do now?
Very little. That said, one task is worth ten minutes: backing up the notes you care about. Importantly, Google's help center says there's currently no way to recover deleted notes (Gemini Notebook Help, 2026). Similarly, a rename is a good reminder that products change under you.
1. **Update your bookmark** to notebook.google.com.
2. **Update the mobile app.** After all, the September features need the current version.
3. **Watch the usage line** under the chat box, now that limits reset every five hours.
4. **Keep a copy of important notes.** Gemini Notebook can send a single note to Google Docs, and an extension can export the rest.
5. **Tidy the list.** A library full of "Untitled notebook" is easier to fix now, and our system for [organizing 50+ Gemini notebooks](/blog/organize-notebooklm-notebooks) still works.
## How does Kortex work with Gemini Notebook?
**Kortex** is a free Chrome extension for Gemini Notebook, used by 130,000+ people ([Kortex](/), 2026). We built it, and it added support for notebook.google.com on July 28, 2026 while keeping the old address working. Consequently, nothing broke during Google's migration, and every Kortex button appears on either host. It also adds the useful pieces the rename didn't bring. There's one-click import from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and any web page, plus collections, tags and search across every notebook. It also brings automation rules and export of sources, notes and chats to PDF, Markdown, text or ZIP. Therefore, if a button looks missing, update the extension and reload the tab. New to it? Start with [getting started with Kortex](/blog/getting-started-with-kortex).
New name, same notebooks, and the same export gap. Kortex, however, closes it, and adds import and organizing on top.
Same notebooks, fewer gaps
Kortex works on notebook.google.com and the old address, with one-click import, collections and search across every notebook, and export to PDF, Markdown, text or ZIP. Free on Chrome.
Add Kortex to Chrome, freeSee collections and search
## Frequently asked questions
### Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Gemini Notebook is NotebookLM with a new name. Google announced the rename on July 16, 2026 and called it the same standalone research product. More than 30 million people were using it at the time, and because it's the same product, existing notebooks, sources and notes are still there under the new name.
### When did NotebookLM become Gemini Notebook?
Google announced the change on July 16, 2026, in a post by Josh Woodward, VP of Google Labs. University IT teams were telling their users the next day, and Google's help center now redirects its old /notebooklm/ articles to the matching Gemini Notebook pages.
### Why did Google rename NotebookLM?
Google says the new name reflects how the tool will now do more across the Google ecosystem, including inside the Gemini app and Google Search. It's still a standalone research product. NC State's IT office summed it up as closer branding and integration with the Google ecosystem.
### What is the new Gemini Notebook URL?
The app now lives at notebook.google.com. When we checked on September 27, 2026, the old notebooklm.google.com address returned a permanent 301 redirect to the new one, so bookmarks, shared notebook links and links in old documents all still work without any changes.
### Do I need to move my notebooks or re-upload sources?
No. Nothing needs exporting or re-importing because of the rename: it's the same product at a new address, and the old address redirects. It's still worth keeping your own copy of important notes, because Google's help center says there's currently no way to recover a note once it's been deleted.
### Is Gemini Notebook still free?
Yes. The rename didn't add a price. The free tier still includes 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook. What changed separately, on September 2, 2026, is how daily usage is counted: fixed caps became compute-based limits that refresh every five hours until a weekly cap.
### Is Gemini Notebook the same as Notebooks in Gemini?
No. Gemini Notebook is the standalone app formerly called NotebookLM. Notebooks in Gemini is a section of the Gemini chat app that launched on April 8, 2026. The two sync sources both ways, but Studio tools like Video Overviews and Infographics live in the standalone app.
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*Editorial note: fact-checked against the official help pages and docs linked above on October 2, 2026. Spotted something out of date? [Contact us](/support) and we will fix it, or read more [about Kortex](/about).*