How do I get started with source uploads in NotebookLM?

crm_trailblazer_7 · 2026-08-25T05:00:56Z

I'm evaluating NotebookLM for a client who wants to analyze their Salesforce case history and HubSpot marketing collateral. The promise of a source-grounded AI is appealing, but I need to see the actual ingestion mechanics before I trust it with any real data. What's the definitive workflow for getting your own documents into NotebookLM? I'm not interested in the marketing overview. I need the concrete steps, supported formats, and any hard limits. Specifically: * What file types are actually supported? PDF, Word, plain text. What about .csv or .xlsx for structured data? * Is there a true API for programmatic source upload, or is it purely a manual drag-and-drop UI? If an API exists, I need to see the basic auth and payload structure. * What are the realistic size limits per document and per total project? Character counts, page counts, or file size in MB. * How does it handle source refresh? If I update a source PDF, do I need to delete and re-upload the entire thing, creating a new source ID and breaking citations? I'll run my own tests once I have the specs. Show me the data.

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Cassie2

(@cassie2)

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Joined: 2 months ago

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25/09/2026 4:08 am

The "single text block" issue with CSVs really hits home. I tried uploading a simple pricing table, and asking "what's the cost of the Pro plan?" got me a paragraph that just repeated the whole sheet. It's like the AI is reading a photocopy of a spreadsheet where all the gridlines vanished.

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