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Changelog · Updated Monthly MARCH 2026 — LATEST

Never Miss a NotebookLM Update Again — Every New Feature, Explained the Day It Ships

NotebookLM shipped 6 major updates in 6 months. Cinematic Video Overviews, Slide Revisions with PPTX export, Data Tables, Deep Research, 1M-token chat, and custom personas. This page tracks every release with what changed, why it matters, and how to use it — updated monthly. Your go-to source outside Google's own blog.

Searching for "NotebookLM update 2026" or "NotebookLM new features"? You're in the right place. The most complete update tracker outside Google's own blog.
Major updates tracked6 releases
Period coveredOct 2025 – Mar 2026
Next updateApr 2026
Last verifiedMar 31, 2026
Newest Feature — Try It Now
Generate a Cinematic Video Overview of the sources in this notebook. Focus on [SPECIFIC TOPIC]. Use a documentary narrative structure: introduce the problem, present the evidence from my sources, then synthesize the key insight. Keep it under 5 minutes.
TL;DR — 6 Months, 6 Major Updates

Mar 2026: Cinematic Video Overviews, Slide Revisions, 10 infographic styles, EPUB support, PPTX export, improved flashcards/quizzes, artifact creation in chat. Jan 2026: Custom Chat Personas, saved conversation history, 1M-token context for all plans. Dec 2025: Gemini 3 engine upgrade, Data Tables. Nov 2025: Deep Research, Word & Sheets as sources. Oct 2025: 1M-token context window, custom goals, Notebook-to-Gemini connection.

Why trust this changelog? Cross-referenced against Google Workspace Updates blog, 9to5Google, and hands-on testing across free and paid tiers. Updated within 48 hours of each major release. Independent — not affiliated with Google. We link to official sources for every update.

Quick Reference: Every Major Update at a Glance

Click any row to jump to full details

DateUpdateKey FeaturesGuide
Mar 20, 2026Studio ExpansionCinematic Video Overviews, Slide Revisions, 10 infographic styles, EPUB, PPTX export, improved flashcards/quizzes, artifact creation in chatDetails ↓
Feb 18, 2026Slide Editing + ExportPrompt-based slide editing (Pencil UI), PPTX download, Gemini 3.1 ProDetails ↓
Jan 22, 2026Smarter ChatCustom Chat Personas, saved conversation history, 1M-token context for all plans, 6× multi-turn capacityDetails ↓
Dec 19, 2025Gemini 3 + Data TablesGemini 3 engine, Data Tables, improved reasoning, Notebook → Gemini connectionDetails ↓
Nov 14, 2025Deep Research + SourcesDeep Research agent, Word (.docx) + Sheets as sources, Discover Sources (web + Drive search)Details ↓
Oct 22, 20251M Context + Goals1M-token context window, custom goals per notebook, mobile app camera, flashcards/quizzes on mobileDetails ↓

Complete Update Timeline

Newest first. Each entry includes what changed, why it matters, and links to our guides.

March 20, 2026 Latest

Studio Expansion: Cinematic Video, Slide Revisions, 10 Infographic Styles, EPUB, PPTX Export

Studio Cinematic Video Overviews

Immersive, deep-dive videos with fluid animations and rich visuals, powered by Gemini 3, Nano Banana Pro, and Veo 3. Goes beyond narrated slides to create documentary-quality visual narratives. Ultra plan required.

Studio Slide Revisions (expanded)

Revise presentation content, ask for changes, or fix issues on both desktop and mobile. Submit stylistic or factual feedback per slide; slides regenerate as a new deck in Studio. Now works on mobile.

Studio 10 New Infographic Styles

Manually choose from: Sketch Note, Kawaii, Professional, Scientific, Anime, Clay, Editorial, Instructional, Bento Grid, and Bricks. Auto-select still available by default.

Source EPUB Support

Upload EPUB files (standard eBook format) directly as sources. Interact with long-form digital books without conversion.

Export PPTX Export

Download generated slide decks as PowerPoint files (in addition to PDF). Slides are image layers inside the PPTX container — presentable as-is, but complex layout edits need external tools.

Studio Improved Flashcards & Quizzes

Progress saved across sessions. Mark cards as "Got it" or "Missed it." Shuffle decks. New results screen to rerun missed cards. Delete individual cards or questions. Works on web and mobile.

Chat Artifact Creation in Chat

Transform chat conversations into Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, reports, and more — directly from the chat panel. No need to switch to Studio.

February 18, 2026 Major

Slide Editing + PPTX Export + Gemini 3.1 Pro

Studio Prompt-Based Slide Editing (Pencil UI)

Target a specific slide with instructions like "fix slide 3" or "make slide 5 more concise." Queue multiple edits before regenerating. Only edited slides update — the rest stay intact.

Export PPTX Download

Initial launch of PowerPoint export for slide decks. Expanded and refined in March update.

Engine Gemini 3.1 Pro

Engine upgrade from Gemini 3 to 3.1 Pro. Improved slide customization and visual quality.

Studio Banner Images (testing)

Ability to add custom banner images for notebook customization. Observed in testing; not yet fully rolled out.

January 22, 2026 Major

Custom Chat Personas + Saved History + 1M-Token Context for All Plans

Chat Custom Chat Personas (Goals)

Set a specific goal, voice, or role for each notebook. Tell NotebookLM to act as a teacher, game master, executive coach, or any persona. The AI adapts its responses to match.

Chat Saved Conversation History

Conversations are now automatically saved and kept private. Close a session, resume later without losing context. Delete history at any time. In shared notebooks, your chat is visible only to you.

Engine 1M-Token Context for All Plans

Full 1 million token context window of Gemini enabled across all plans (free included). Multi-turn conversation capacity increased 6×. 50% improvement in user satisfaction with large source collections.

Chat Deeper Source Insights

NotebookLM now automatically explores sources from multiple angles, going beyond your initial prompt to synthesize findings into a single, more nuanced response.

December 19, 2025 Major

Gemini 3 Engine Upgrade + Data Tables + Notebook → Gemini Connection

Engine Gemini 3 Upgrade

The "brain" behind NotebookLM changed. Significantly improved reasoning, multimodal understanding, and less hallucination. Better at connecting disparate dots across complex texts.

Studio Data Tables

Scan uploaded documents and synthesize variables into structured tables. Convert qualitative text into quantitative grids. Export to Google Sheets with one click. Ideal for competitive analysis, curriculum mapping, and literature reviews.

Engine Notebook → Gemini Connection

Add NotebookLM notebooks as a source directly inside the Gemini app. Gemini answers questions grounded in your notebook's content — building a "second brain" that Google's most powerful AI can access.

November 14, 2025 Major

Deep Research + Word & Sheets Sources + Discover Sources

Source Deep Research

An autonomous research agent. Give it a topic — it creates a research plan, searches hundreds of quality web sources, and compiles a citation-backed report you can import as a notebook source. Free: 10 sessions/month.

Source Word (.docx) & Sheets as Sources

Upload Microsoft Word documents and Google Sheets directly. No more converting to PDF first. Sheets bring structured numerical data alongside unstructured text.

Source Discover Sources (Web + Drive Search)

Fast Research: search the web for relevant sources to add. Deep Research: automated synthesis. Drive search: find existing documents without leaving NotebookLM.

Studio Mobile App Expansion

Flashcards and quizzes added to mobile app. Audio Overviews with offline playback. Camera for quick image-to-source upload.

October 22, 2025 Major

1M-Token Context Window + Custom Goals + New Pricing Tiers

Engine 1M-Token Context Window

Massively expanded processing capacity. Analyze entire book-length document collections in a single conversation. Foundation for all subsequent upgrades.

Chat Custom Goals per Notebook

Early version of what became Custom Chat Personas in January. Set notebook-level goals that orient all AI responses toward your specific project needs.

Engine Four-Tier Pricing

New structure: Free ($0), Plus (~$14/mo), Pro ($19.99/mo), Ultra ($249.99/mo). Student discount: $9.99/mo. Enterprise: $9/license/mo.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the latest NotebookLM updates in 2026?

Six major updates from Oct 2025 to Mar 2026: 1M-token context (Oct), Deep Research + Word/Sheets (Nov), Gemini 3 + Data Tables (Dec), Custom Personas + saved history (Jan), Slide Revisions + PPTX (Feb), and Cinematic Video + 10 infographic styles + EPUB (Mar). See the full timeline above.

Does NotebookLM support slide editing now?

Yes. Since February 2026, you can revise individual slides without regenerating the entire deck. Submit stylistic or factual feedback per slide. Also available on mobile since March 2026. See our Pencil UI & Revisions guide.

What are Cinematic Video Overviews?

Launched March 2026, these are immersive deep-dive videos with fluid animations and rich visuals, powered by Gemini 3, Nano Banana Pro, and Veo 3. They go beyond narrated slides to create documentary-quality visual narratives. Requires the Ultra plan ($249.99/mo). Standard Video Overviews remain available on all plans.

Can NotebookLM do Deep Research?

Yes, since November 2025. Deep Research acts as an autonomous agent: give it a topic, it searches hundreds of web sources, compiles a citation-backed report, and lets you import findings as notebook sources. Free tier: 10 sessions/month.

How often is this changelog updated?

Within 48 hours of each major Google release. We cross-reference the official Google Workspace Updates blog, 9to5Google, and hands-on testing. Minor updates are batched monthly. Bookmark this page and check back after any Google announcement.

What is NotebookLM pricing in 2026?

Free ($0, 100 notebooks, 50 sources, 50 chats/day), Plus (~$14/mo), Pro ($19.99/mo, 300 sources), Ultra ($249.99/mo, Cinematic Video, watermark-free). Student: $9.99/mo. Enterprise: $9/license/mo. Full breakdown on our Pricing & Limits page.

Does Google use my NotebookLM content to train AI?

No. Google's privacy policy states that personal data and uploaded content are not used to train AI models. Your notebooks remain private.

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