Google gives Gemini a productivity boost with synced ‘Notebooks’

If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling back through weeks of chat history to find that one specific research insight, Google just fixed a major headache. The Gemini app has recently introduced a new “Notebooks” feature that transforms it from a simple chatbot into a legitimate project management tool. By bridging the gap between Gemini and NotebookLM, Google is creating a “personal knowledge base” that follows you across apps.

Stay organized in a dedicated space

The core of this update is about organization. Instead of a linear list of random chats, you can now create a “New notebook” from the Gemini side panel. Inside these notebooks, you can:

• Move past chats: Organize existing conversations by topic.
• Upload sources: Add PDFs, documents, and files to give Gemini specific context for its responses.
• Set Custom Instructions: Give Gemini a specific “persona” or set of rules for that particular project.

The power of sync

The real magic here is the bidirectional sync with NotebookLM. If you start a project in Gemini by gathering web info and uploading documents, that same notebook will automatically appear in NotebookLM.

This allows you to move fluidly between the two apps depending on what you need. You can use the Gemini app for brainstorming and web-connected drafting, then jump over to NotebookLM to generate a Cinematic Video Overview or an Infographic based on those same sources.

Rollout schedule

The rollout for Notebooks in Gemini is happening now on the web for subscribers of Google AI Ultra, Google AI Pro, and Google AI Plus.

Google has confirmed that access will expand to mobile users and free accounts in the coming weeks. If you’ve been looking for a reason to move your heavy-lifting research projects into Gemini, this is it.