How to Make a PowerPoint with NotebookLM (Step by Step)

Building a presentation from a stack of PDFs, notes and articles used to take hours. NotebookLM (now called Gemini Notebook) can turn your sources into a complete slide deck, let you revise it with plain-language instructions, and export it as a real PowerPoint file. Here's exactly how it works in October 2026, and how to get a deck you'd actually present.

What you need before you start

• A Google account and access to Gemini Notebook on the web (old NotebookLM links redirect there).
• Age requirement: Google's help center says slide decks are currently only available to users over 18.
• Edit access to the notebook. You need it to generate or delete a slide deck.
• Good sources. The deck is built from what you add: PDFs, Google Docs and Slides, web pages, YouTube links, pasted text and more. Better sources mean better slides.

Step 1: Create a notebook and add focused sources

Create a new notebook and add only the material that belongs in this presentation. If your notebook mixes three different projects, the slides will mix them too. A good rule is one presentation, one notebook.

Some practical tips:

• Add your own notes or an outline as a pasted-text source if you already know the structure you want.
• Remove outdated documents so the AI doesn't pick old numbers.
• If you only need part of a long PDF, consider adding just the relevant chapter.

Step 2: Open the Studio panel and choose Slide Deck

The Studio panel is where NotebookLM creates outputs like Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, mind maps, reports and slide decks. Select Slide Deck to open its options.

Step 3: Customize the deck

According to Google's documentation, you can choose a format, the output language, the length and which sources to include, and then describe the deck you want in your own words. That description is the most powerful setting, so don't skip it.

Prompt examples that work well

Create a 10-minute deck for first-year students. Use simple language, one key idea per slide, and end with a 3-question quiz slide.

Create a deck for my team's Monday meeting. Focus on the three biggest risks in the project report and give a clear recommendation for each. Clean, professional style.

Create a beginner-friendly deck with step-by-step instructions, a bold and playful style, and a summary slide at the end.

Be specific about audience, goal, tone and structure. "Make slides about this" gives generic results; "Explain X to Y so they can do Z" gives useful ones.

Step 4: Generate

Select Generate now (or Generate later to schedule it). Google notes that generation can take several minutes. You can keep working in the notebook meanwhile. When it's done, the deck appears in the Studio panel.

Step 5: Review and revise your slides

Never present an AI deck without reading every slide. Google is clear that slide decks "may contain visual or factual inaccuracies". Open the deck and check names, numbers, dates and quotes against your sources.

How to revise slides with prompts

1. Under Studio, open your slide deck.
2. At the top, select Revise.
3. On each slide you want to change, type your instructions, for example "shorten the bullet points to five words each" or "replace the image with a simple diagram".
4. Your instructions are grouped under Pending Changes, so you can edit many slides at once.
5. Select Generate revised deck.

Two important details from Google's help center: sources are not taken into account during revisions (so revisions are best for wording, layout and visuals, not new facts), and every revision creates an entirely new deck. Because there are quota limits on how many decks you can revise, batch your changes instead of revising one slide at a time.

Delete and reorder slides

In Revise mode you can hover over a slide and choose More → Delete slide (and restore it the same way), or drag thumbnails in the preview to reorder them. Then generate the revised deck to apply the changes.

Step 6: Download as PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF

1. In the Studio panel, find your slide deck.
2. Open the three-dot menu next to it.
3. Choose Download PowerPoint (.pptx) or Download PDF Document (.pdf).

PowerPoint export was added in early 2026. Before that, PDF was the only option, so older tutorials may tell you it's impossible. It isn't anymore.

Opening the file in Google Slides or Keynote

Upload the .pptx to Google Drive and open it with Google Slides, or open it directly in Keynote. Fonts and some layouts may shift slightly during conversion, so give it a final check.

Other ways to present or share

• Present inside the notebook: select Start slideshow for full-screen mode; use arrow keys to move and Esc to exit.
• Share a link: select Share in the slide viewer. The notebook must be shared with the person or made public with access to the full notebook. Public sharing is only available on consumer accounts, not on Workspace Enterprise or Education accounts.
• Share the notebook: collaborators can open the deck from their own Studio panel.

How to get better slides: 7 practical tips

1. Start with an outline source. Paste a short outline ("Slide 1: problem, Slide 2: data...") as a text source and mention it in your prompt.
2. Limit the sources. Select only the documents relevant to this deck in the customization step.
3. State the audience. Students, managers and clients need different decks.
4. Ask for one idea per slide. It keeps text short and readable.
5. Request speaker-friendly structure. Ask for a title slide, agenda, key points, and a closing summary or call to action.
6. Batch revisions. Collect all feedback, then revise once.
7. Finish in PowerPoint or Slides. Export the .pptx and add your logo, final charts and speaker notes there.

Slide Deck vs. Video Overview: which should you use?

If you prefer audio, see how to create a podcast with NotebookLM. To back up your materials, read how to download sources from NotebookLM.

Common problems and fixes

I don't see the Slide Deck option

Check that you're signed in with an eligible account (the feature is limited to users over 18), that you have edit access to the notebook, and that your app is up to date. Mobile apps may show the feature differently than the web.

The slides include wrong or outdated information

Remove or deselect the outdated sources and generate a new deck. Remember that revisions don't re-read your sources, so for factual problems a fresh generation is usually better.

The design doesn't match my brand

Describe the style in your prompt (colors, "minimal", "corporate"), then export to .pptx and apply your company template in PowerPoint.

Summary

NotebookLM / Gemini Notebook can now take you from raw sources to a downloadable PowerPoint in minutes: add focused sources, choose Slide Deck in Studio, write a clear description, generate, revise in batches, and export as .pptx. Treat the result as a strong first draft. Check the facts, add your personal touch, and you'll save hours on every presentation.

Frequently asked questions