How to export a NotebookLM study guide or briefing doc

NotebookLM can turn your sources into a polished study guide, briefing doc, FAQ or timeline in seconds. The catch is that the result lives inside the app behind a login. There is no real download button, so the report you spent time generating is hard to revise from, share or keep. A dedicated export fixes that in one click.

What NotebookLM reports actually are

A NotebookLM “report” is a document the app generates from the sources you added. The common ones are the study guide, the briefing doc, the FAQ and the timeline, but the idea is the same across all of them:

• Built from your sources — the text is drawn from the documents you uploaded, not from the open web.
• Structured — headings, summaries, question-and-answer blocks and ordered events, depending on the report type.
• Cited — each point carries numbered citations back to the source it came from, so you can check it.

Why save them

A generated report is only useful if you can get it out of the app. Saving one as a document gives you something concrete:

• Revision handouts — turn a study guide into a printable sheet you can read on paper or mark up before an exam.
• Sharing — send a briefing doc to a colleague or classmate without giving them access to the whole notebook.
• A fixed record — keep the FAQ or timeline as it was when you generated it, even if you later change the sources.

How to export a study guide or briefing doc, step by step

1. Install the extension. Add NotebookLM to PDF from the Chrome Web Store. It is free, needs no account, and stays idle until you open NotebookLM.
2. Open the report. Go to notebooklm.google.com and open the study guide, briefing doc, FAQ or timeline you generated.
3. Click Export, then choose a format. Use the export button the extension adds and pick PDF, Word (.docx) or Markdown.
4. Save the file. The document renders in your browser and lands in your downloads in a second or two — ready to read, print or share.

What gets preserved

The aim is a finished document, not a flat screenshot. An export keeps:

• Structure — sections, lists, question-and-answer blocks and the order events appear in a timeline.
• Headings — the report’s own headings stay intact, so it is easy to scan and navigate.
• Citations — the numbered references back to your sources stay in place.
• Selectable text — you can search, highlight and copy from the file, because it is not an image.

Choosing a format

Pick based on what you will do with the report. PDF is best for handouts and anything you want to print or share without it being changed. Word (.docx) is best when you want to edit and adapt the report — trim a study guide, add your own notes to a briefing doc, or merge it into a larger document. Markdown suits notes apps and plain-text workflows.

Exporting several at once

Generated more than one report? You can select several and export them together in a single batch — handy when you want the study guide, briefing doc and FAQ for the same project saved in one go. See backing up your notebooks for a repeatable workflow.

Is it private?

Yes. NotebookLM to PDF renders everything in your browser. There is no account to create and no server to send your work to — the extension reads the report you are already viewing, builds the file on your own machine, and hands it to you. Nothing is uploaded.

FAQ

Can you download a NotebookLM study guide?

Yes. The free NotebookLM to PDF extension exports a generated study guide to PDF, Word or Markdown in one click, keeping its headings, structure and citations — all locally in your browser.

Does the export keep the citations?

Yes. The numbered citations to your sources that NotebookLM adds to a report stay in place, so the saved document still shows what each point is based on.

Can I export briefing docs, FAQs and timelines too?

Yes. The extension works with any document NotebookLM generates — study guide, briefing doc, FAQ, timeline and similar reports — and exports each to PDF, Word or Markdown.