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NotebookLM ยท Cheat Codes

NotebookLM Cheat Codes (2026): Sources, Audio Overviews & Studio

NotebookLM is grounded in your uploaded sources. These shortcuts help you shape what it retrieves and how it presents it โ€” including Audio Overview customisation.

Updated 2026-07-28

๐Ÿ“ฅ Sources

Cheat CodeUseExample
Google DocsPaste doc linkAdd โ†’ Google Docs
SlidesPaste deck linkAdd โ†’ Google Slides
PDF uploadUp to 200MB per fileAdd โ†’ PDF
Website URLFetch a pageAdd โ†’ Website
YouTube URLVideo transcriptAdd โ†’ YouTube
Pasted textAd-hoc snippetAdd โ†’ Copied text

๐ŸŽง Audio Overview โ€” customise

In 'Customise' before generating, paste a specific brief.

Cheat CodeUseExample
Audience:Set listenerAudience: non-technical executives
Focus on:Narrow scopeFocus on financial risks only
Skip:Exclude topicsSkip: history, biographies
Length:Target minutesLength: 8โ€“10 minutes
Tone:Style of hostsTone: skeptical, ask hard questions
Language:Output languageLanguage: Hindi

๐Ÿ““ Studio outputs

Cheat CodeUseExample
Briefing docExec summaryGenerate โ†’ Briefing
Study guideQ&A + key termsGenerate โ†’ Study guide
FAQQ&A from sourcesGenerate โ†’ FAQ
TimelineChronological viewGenerate โ†’ Timeline
Table of contentsSource indexGenerate โ†’ ToC
Mind mapVisual map (beta)Generate โ†’ Mind map

๐Ÿ’ฌ Chat prompts that work

Cheat CodeUseExample
'Cite sources'Force citations'Answer with inline citations only'
'Only from sources'Block outside knowledge'Do not use external knowledge'
'Contradictions'Find conflicts'List contradictions between sources'
'Coverage gaps'What's missing'What would strengthen this notebook?'
'Steelman'Best counter-view'Steelman the opposing case'

Frequently asked questions

Can I upload confidential files?

Google states NotebookLM does not train on your uploads. Still, follow your org's data-classification rules before uploading sensitive material.

Why is the Audio Overview generic?

You didn't customise it. The 'Customise' field before generation is what turns a bland summary into a targeted briefing.