Google renamed NotebookLM on July 16, 2026
If you opened your NotebookLM library recently and saw a new name and a purple-blue logo staring back at you, you didn't imagine it. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026, folding its source-grounded research tool more tightly into the Gemini brand. Nothing about your notebooks moved or broke. Same product, same team, new sign on the door.
What actually changed
A few things came with the rename, not just a new coat of paint:
- **Code execution.** Every notebook now includes what Google calls a secure cloud computer, an environment where the model can write and run code directly against the sources you've uploaded. That's new. NotebookLM couldn't do this before.
- **Branding.** The old logo is out, replaced with Gemini's blue-purple gradient treatment across the web app and mobile apps.
- **Wider reach.** Notebooks are already showing up inside the Gemini app for organizing chats and collecting research, and Google says they're coming to AI Mode in Search next.
- **A model bump for paid users.** 9to5Google reported the rename shipped alongside a Gemini model upgrade rolling out to AI Pro subscribers first.
What didn't change
This is the part worth repeating for anyone worried about losing work: your existing notebooks are untouched. You don't need to export anything, rebuild your source lists, or relearn the interface. Google says old shared links and embeds redirect automatically to the new name, and the underlying free tier structure wasn't part of this announcement, so the limits covered in our [NotebookLM free guide](https://questloops.com/blog/how-to-use-notebooklm-for-free-in-2026-complete-guide) still apply for now.
| NotebookLM (before July 16) | Gemini Notebook (now) | |
|---|---|---|
| Notebooks and sources | Preserved | Same, no migration needed |
| Shared links | N/A | Redirect automatically |
| Code execution | Not available | Secure cloud computer runs code against sources |
| Branding | NotebookLM logo | Gemini gradient branding |
| Where it shows up | Standalone app only | Standalone app, Gemini app, soon Search AI Mode |
Should you do anything?
Not really. If you had NotebookLM bookmarked, the same URL should carry you to Gemini Notebook. If you're citing it in documentation, blog posts, or internal wikis, it's worth updating the name so people aren't confused when they go looking for a tool that technically doesn't exist under its old name anymore. Beyond that, treat this as Google tidying up its product lineup rather than something that demands action on your end.
The bigger story is the direction: Google keeps pulling standalone AI tools under the Gemini umbrella, and a research tool that can now execute code against your own documents is a meaningfully bigger deal than the name change itself. If you're already using [Gemini](https://questloops.com/blog/how-to-use-google-gemini-for-free-in-2026-api-limits-explained) elsewhere in your workflow, this makes the research and execution loop tighter than it was a month ago.
