NotebookLM Slide Decks in Gemini Notebook: What's New, How It Works, and Alternatives (2026)
NotebookLM slide decks now have a review step. On October 19, 2026, Google said Gemini Notebook, the product formerly called NotebookLM, can walk you through a slide deck before it renders. You pick a focus, set the format and style, then review and edit the outline. The deck is generated only after you approve it.
This guide covers what Google announced and what was already there before. It also covers who can use the new flow, how to co-create a deck, and how editing and export work. The last sections cover limits and the main alternatives. Facts were read from Google's blog, the Gemini Notebook Help Center, and Gemini Notebook's official X account on October 20, 2026.
What Google announced on October 19
Google's post is titled "How to shape your slides and videos with Gemini Notebook." It says "Gemini Notebook now offers more creative control from start to finish on two of our popular outputs: Slide Decks and Video Overviews."
The change is about the steps before a deck exists. Google says the tool no longer has to jump "from an initial prompt straight to a final output." Instead, it can "walk you through the creation flow in a quick process based directly on your sources."
The post describes three parts of the new flow.
Steer the content. You start in chat and ask for slides. Google says "Based on your sources, Notebook will suggest topics to be included in your artifact." You then guide the visual style and format.
Review the plan. A new Review toggle lets you open "Review outline notes" for slides before anything renders. Google gives examples of feedback, "like asking to include an executive summary at the beginning."
Proceed. Once the outline looks right, you select Proceed to produce the final deck.
You can still skip all of this. Google says you can "skip the review toggle and have Notebook generate the artifacts, as usual."
What was already there before
NotebookLM slide decks were not new on October 19. Google's post calls them one of "our popular outputs," and the Help Center describes the standard flow separately from the new one. What changed is that you can now shape the outline first.
Three earlier changes explain the setting:
July 16: NotebookLM became Gemini Notebook. Google's post that day says "Today, we're renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook." It adds that the tool "remains a standalone product focused on being your premier research tool."
The standard Slide Deck flow. In the Studio panel, you select Slide Deck, then choose a format, output language, length, and sources. The Help Center gives a sample request: "Create a deck for beginners using a bold and playful style with a focus on step-by-step instructions."
Revisions after the fact. Before co-creation, the main way to shape a deck was to revise it after it rendered. The Help Center describes a Revise mode where you enter instructions on each slide, then generate a revised deck.
So the order of work has changed. Before, a NotebookLM user generated a deck and fixed it. Now, you can fix the outline and then generate the deck.
Our explainer on Gemini Notebook covers the wider product.
Who can use the new co-creation flow
Google's three official sources describe access differently, so check your own account. Many people still search for this under the NotebookLM name.
- Google's blog post says "These co-creation capabilities are rolling out globally to all Gemini Notebook users over the upcoming week."
- Gemini Notebook's X post says the feature is "Available to all Pro and Ultra subscribers."
- The Help Center article says co-creating slide decks "is only available for Google AI Ultra subscribers."
The pages may reflect a staged rollout, but none of the three says so. If you do not see the Review outline notes toggle, your plan or the rollout may not have reached you yet.
Two more conditions apply to NotebookLM slide decks in general. The Help Center says "At this time, this feature is only available to over 18 users." It also says "To generate or delete a slide deck, you need edit access to the notebook it's in."
How to co-create a slide deck
The Help Center describes two starting points. Both end in an outline you review before the deck renders. If you used NotebookLM before the rename, the Studio panel will look familiar.
From the Studio panel:
- Open a notebook that has sources, with edit access.
- In the Studio panel, select Slide Deck.
- Choose a format, output language, length, and sources.
- Describe the deck you want.
- Turn on Review outline notes, then select Generate now.
From chat:
- Ask for a slide deck, for example "Make me a slide deck about [topic]."
- Adjust the deck through the cards that appear in chat.
- Turn on Review outline before final rendering, then select Generate.
When the outline is ready, select Review next to it in the Studio panel. The Help Center advises: "To refine your outline, add all of your feedback at once." Then select Proceed.
One step cannot be undone. The Help Center warns that once you select Proceed, "You will not be able to further refine your outline." It also notes that if you select Generate later, "you'll schedule a generation of the slide deck without an outline."
A useful outline request names three things. State who the deck is for, how many slides it should have, and which sources matter most. Write it in natural language, as you would brief a colleague.
Editing, exporting, and sharing a deck
Once a deck renders, you edit it through Revise mode, as in NotebookLM before the rename. You enter instructions on each slide, and they are grouped under "Pending Changes." Then you select Generate revised deck.
The Help Center lists what revisions can do: "You can try editing text, changing layouts, or updating visuals." You can also delete slides and drag thumbnails to reorder them.
Three details matter when you revise:
- Sources are not consulted. The Help Center says "At this time, sources are not taken into account during revisions."
- Each revision is a new deck. It says "Every time you generate a revision, Gemini Notebook creates an entirely new slide deck."
- Revisions count against quota. There is no limit on slides revised within a deck, but there are quota limits on the total number of decks you can revise.
Export works through the three dots menu. The Help Center lists "Download PDF Document (.pdf)" and "Download PowerPoint (.pptx)." You can also present in full-screen slideshow mode.
Sharing has three options: share a link to the deck, share the whole notebook, or share a downloaded file. The Help Center notes that "Public notebook sharing is only enabled for consumer accounts." It is disabled for Workspace Enterprise and Education accounts.
| Option | What it does, per Google |
|---|---|
| Share a link | Recipients open the deck, if the notebook is shared with them or public |
| Share the notebook | Others find the deck in the Studio panel |
| Download PDF or PPTX | You send the file like any other document |
Usage limits and plans
Gemini Notebook, like NotebookLM before it, uses compute-based limits. The usage limits article says "the quota refreshes every 5 hours until you reach your weekly limit." It also says the limits "factor the complexity of your prompt, the models and features you use."
The same article lists limits by plan:
| Plan | Limit, per Google |
|---|---|
| Without a plan | Standard limits |
| Google AI Plus | Two times higher than standard limits |
| Google AI Pro | Four times higher than standard limits |
| Google AI Ultra | 5x or 20x higher than AI Pro, depending on the subscription |
Google's AI plans page lists Google AI Plus at $4.99 USD per month and Google AI Pro at $19.99 USD per month. It lists Google AI Ultra at $99.99 USD per month for 5x and $199.99 USD per month for 20x.
Studio generation shows an expected cost before you start. The usage article says "The more the bar is filled in, the higher the expected cost." When you are out of limits, Generate later on the web lets you queue a deck for later.
Limits to know before you rely on it
A few limits come straight from Google's own pages.
- Access differs by source. The blog, the X post, and the Help Center describe different plans for co-creation.
- Adults only. Slide Decks are available only to users over 18.
- Accuracy needs a check. The Help Center says slide decks "are AI-generated and may contain visual or factual inaccuracies."
- The outline locks at Proceed. After that, changes go through Revise mode.
- Revisions do not reread sources. A fix to a number has to be checked against the source by hand.
- Some sources limit downloads. Notebooks that use a Play Books ebook may not allow artifact downloads.
- Mobile may differ. The Help Center says decks "are available in the mobile app but may have differences."
The accuracy point deserves a fixed step in your review. A slide that looks finished can still carry a number from the wrong passage.
NotebookLM slide deck alternatives
Several tools now build decks from a request or a set of sources. The table lists the main options, with access as each vendor describes it. Details were read on October 20, 2026.
| Option | How it builds a deck | Access, per the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini Notebook Slide Decks | From notebook sources, with an outline you can review first | See the access section above |
| ChatGPT Slides | From a conversation, files, or an outline, then edited together in Space | Pro, Business, and Enterprise with Space access |
| Claude Slides | Inside a Claude conversation, using its context and files | Every Claude plan, including Free |
| Gemini in Google Slides | From a prompt in the Slides side panel, grounded in Drive files | Listed Workspace editions, plus Google AI Pro and Ultra |
| Gamma | An agent asks questions, shows a plan, then builds the deck | Free and paid plans |
| Powerdrill Bloom | From files, data, or a topic, with sourced charts | Free plan available |
ChatGPT Slides keeps the deck in ChatGPT Space. OpenAI's release notes say "ChatGPT Slides lets you create presentations and keep working on them with your team in Space." Our guide to ChatGPT for PowerPoint covers OpenAI's other deck tool.
Claude Slides is part of Anthropic's chat app. Anthropic says "Claude Docs, Slides, and Design are out of beta and available on every plan, including Free." Our Claude Slides explainer has more.
Gemini in Google Slides works inside Google's own editor. Google's June 30 update says "You can now create a full, multi-slide presentation using Gemini in Google Slides." See our guide to Gemini cross-app decks for the Workspace side.
Gamma leads with its agent. Its help center says the agent "asks a few smart questions, shows you its plan, and then builds the whole thing." That plan step is close to the new outline review in Gemini Notebook.
For tools that work over your documents more broadly, see our list of NotebookLM alternatives.
Where a data-backed deck fits
Gemini Notebook, still widely known as NotebookLM, is built for decks that summarize sources: papers, notes, transcripts, and documents. Some decks start somewhere else, in a spreadsheet, a database, or a set of financial PDFs. For those, the hard part is the analysis behind each chart.
That is the job Powerdrill Bloom is built for. Its homepage calls it "The AI data analyst that shows its work." It adds: "Every number comes back with the page, the row and the figure behind it."
Two of its pages describe the path from source to deck. The PDF to PPT page covers turning documents into slides. The Topic to PPT page says Powerdrill Bloom "intelligently searches, analyzes, and explores related information" around a topic. It then organizes that information into a narrative with charts.
On price, the Powerdrill Bloom pricing page lists a Free plan at $0.00. The Free plan includes "Upload Excel, CSV, PDF, and docs" and "Create basic slides, docs, sheets, and images." Pro is $199.00 per year and adds "Create slides, Office docs, Excel analysis, and Nano Banana images."
The two can work together. Run the numbers where every figure has a source. Then add the findings to a notebook with your other material and shape the deck there. Want to test it? Try Powerdrill Bloom with one spreadsheet you report on every month.
How to test co-creation on a real deck
Before you rely on the new NotebookLM flow, run one small trial. Five checks keep it honest.
- Pick a deck you already know. A recent briefing works well, because you know what it should say.
- Use the same sources. Add the documents you used for the last version.
- Write a precise outline request. Name the audience, the slide count, and the key sources.
- Edit the outline once, fully. Add all your feedback before Proceed, as Google advises.
- Check every figure. Trace each number on the slides back to a source passage.
Then download the PowerPoint file and look for layout changes. Note how many slides you had to fix by hand. That tells you whether the next deck should start there. For a final pass, our guide to reviewing a data deck before you send it has a checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is new in NotebookLM slide decks?
On October 19, 2026, Google added co-creation to Slide Decks in Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM. You pick a focus, set the format and style, and review the outline before the deck renders. You can still skip the review and generate a deck directly.
Can NotebookLM slide decks be exported to PowerPoint?
Yes. Gemini Notebook's Help Center lists "Download PowerPoint (.pptx)" and "Download PDF Document (.pdf)" in the three dots menu next to a deck. Downloads may be limited for notebooks that use a Play Books ebook as a source.
Can I edit a slide deck in Gemini Notebook?
Yes, through Revise mode. You enter instructions on each slide, delete or reorder slides, and generate a revised deck. The Help Center says sources are not used during revisions, and each revision creates a new deck that counts toward quota.
Who can use slide deck co-creation in Gemini Notebook?
Google's sources differ. The blog says it is rolling out to all Gemini Notebook users. The official X post says Pro and Ultra subscribers. The Help Center says Google AI Ultra subscribers only. Slide Decks also require users to be over 18.
What are the best alternatives to NotebookLM slide decks?
Alternatives include ChatGPT Slides, Claude Slides, Gemini in Google Slides, and Gamma. For decks built from spreadsheets and PDFs with sourced numbers, Powerdrill Bloom turns files and data into charts and slides.
Sources: Google, How to shape your slides and videos with Gemini Notebook · Google, NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook · Gemini Notebook Help, Generate Slide Decks · Gemini Notebook Help, Manage your usage limits · Gemini Notebook on X · Google One, Google AI plans · OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT Release Notes · Anthropic, Build live dashboards and animate explainers with Claude · Google Workspace Updates, Create presentations with Gemini in Google Slides · Gamma Help Center, How do I create with Agent in Gamma?. Details read from vendor pages on October 20, 2026.