KastorFlowTested and updated November 6, 2026
NotebookLM history: from Project Tailwind to Gemini Notebook
Each milestone is dated and linked to its source.
NotebookLM began in mid-2022 as a small Google Labs project, was shown at Google I/O in May 2023 as Project Tailwind, and launched on July 12, 2023 as an experiment for a few US users. Audio Overviews made it widely known in September 2024. It gained a paid tier, Video Overviews and a full Studio of outputs, and on July 16, 2026 Google renamed it Gemini Notebook, by then used by more than 30 million people. Looking for your chat history instead? It stays inside each notebook, and Delete chat history is in the notebook's top-right menu.
Gemini Notebook is NotebookLM's new name, since July 16, 2026. It's the same product.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-2022 | A small Google Labs team starts building an AI notebook grounded in your own sources | |
| May 10, 2023 | Shown at Google I/O as Project Tailwind | The Verge, via Wikipedia |
| July 12, 2023 | Launched as NotebookLM, a Google Labs experiment for a small group of US users | |
| December 2023 | Open to everyone in the US, running on Gemini Pro | Android Central |
| September 11, 2024 | Audio Overviews: sources become a spoken conversation | |
| December 13, 2024 | NotebookLM Plus for businesses | TechCrunch, via Wikipedia |
| February 10, 2025 | NotebookLM Plus for individuals | TechCrunch, via Wikipedia |
| July 29, 2025 | Video Overviews and a redesigned Studio | |
| November 2025 | Deep Research; infographics and slide decks in Studio | Wikipedia |
| December 19, 2025 | Data tables in Studio | 9to5Google, via Wikipedia |
| June 8, 2026 | Gemini 3.5 becomes the default model; sources can be built from the chat | TechCrunch |
| July 16, 2026 | Renamed Gemini Notebook; notebooks in the Gemini app; a cloud computer per notebook that runs code | Google · Searches after the rename |
| September 2, 2026 | Usage measured by compute, refreshing every 5 hours up to a weekly limit, instead of daily counts | Google Help |
| October 19, 2026 | A review step before slide decks and Video Overviews are built | PPC Land |
Newer changes are logged as they arrive: What's new in Gemini Notebook
The changes that mattered most to users
Most of the timeline is new buttons. Four changes changed how people actually use the product.
- Audio Overviews, September 2024. Before them, NotebookLM was a chat over your documents. After them, it was the tool that turns a reading list into something you can listen to. This is when it became widely known.
- The Studio, from July 2025. Video Overviews came with a redesigned Studio, then infographics, slide decks and data tables. A notebook stopped being only a place to ask questions and became a place that makes things from your sources.
- The rename, July 2026. NotebookLM became Gemini Notebook, with notebooks also inside the Gemini app. Google said it's the same product.
- Usage by compute, September 2026. Personal accounts no longer get a fixed number of chats or Audio Overviews a day. Everything draws on one allowance that refreshes every 5 hours, up to a weekly limit. Gemini Notebook's limits
Then and now
| July 2023 | November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | NotebookLM, a Labs experiment | Gemini Notebook |
| Who could use it | A small group of US users | Anyone with a Google account; 30 million+ people, 600,000+ organizations |
| What it made | Answers and summaries from your documents | Audio and Video Overviews, slide decks, mind maps, reports, flashcards, quizzes, infographics, data tables |
| Where | notebooklm.google.com | notebook.google.com, mobile apps and the Gemini app |
| Price | Free | Free, with more room on Google AI plans from $4.99 a month |
The November 2026 list of outputs is what we saw in Studio on November 6, 2026: Audio Overview, Slide Deck, Video Overview, Mind Map, Reports (marked New), Flashcards, Quiz, Infographic and Data Table. The same day, Flashcards had a new Include images option, sources could be grouped with Auto-label sources by topic, and the home page had Collections for grouping notebooks. Prices from Gemini Notebook's limits.
Your chat history in Gemini Notebook
If you came here for your chat rather than the product's past, here's what we found when we tested it on November 6, 2026.
We asked a question in a test notebook's chat, then reloaded the page. The chat was still there, with a time stamp on it. So Gemini Notebook keeps your chat between visits; you don't lose it when you close the tab.
The chat lives inside the notebook. To find an old answer, open the notebook you asked it in.
To clear it, open the notebook and click the three-dots menu at the top right (More options). It has Configure Chat, Customize notebook, Copy notebook and Delete chat history. Under that last item, Gemini Notebook says: "Chat history is private to you."
- What it's for: the chat in the notebook you have open.
- Before you delete: if an answer matters, copy it somewhere you keep. Once the chat is cleared, the answers go with it.
- Shared notebooks: the menu says your chat history is private to you. We didn't test this with a second account.
An earlier version of this page said Delete chat history was in the chat's own three-dots menu. In our test it was in the notebook's top-right menu, so we've corrected it. Save or delete chat history
What hasn't changed
From the first version to Gemini Notebook, it answers from the sources you give it. That's why the sources matter most. KastorFlow, a Chrome extension, checks a notebook's sources and fills the gaps, and works on both notebook.google.com and notebooklm.google.com.
Better sources in, better answers out. Free to install.
Add to ChromeQuestions
When did NotebookLM launch?
On July 12, 2023, as a Google Labs experiment for a small group of US users. It was shown at Google I/O in May 2023 as Project Tailwind, and work began in mid-2022.
What was NotebookLM called before?
Project Tailwind, when Google showed it at Google I/O in May 2023. Since July 16, 2026 it's called Gemini Notebook. What changed with the rename
When did NotebookLM become Gemini Notebook?
On July 16, 2026. Google said it's the same product, at notebook.google.com, with notebooks also available in the Gemini app.
How many people use NotebookLM?
More than 30 million people and over 600,000 organizations, according to Google's announcement of the rename on July 16, 2026. More numbers
Where is my NotebookLM chat history?
Inside the notebook you asked in. In our test on November 6, 2026 the chat was still there after we reloaded the notebook, with a time stamp.
How do I delete my NotebookLM chat history?
Open the notebook, click the three-dots menu (More options) at the top right, and choose Delete chat history. It's in the notebook's menu, not in the chat itself. What we found
Can people I share a notebook with see my chat?
Gemini Notebook's menu says "Chat history is private to you." We didn't test it with a second account.