Can NotebookLM Read ZIP Files?

Short answer: NotebookLM does not read ZIP files natively. Uploading a .zip as a source fails with an unsupported format error. The NotebookLM Tools Chrome extension accepts ZIP uploads, extracts the contents in your browser, and imports each Markdown file as a separate NotebookLM source.

What NotebookLM Accepts Natively

As of April 2026, Google NotebookLM supports these source types:

Google Drive — Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs
Uploaded files — PDF, TXT, Markdown, DOCX, and a few audio formats
Web URLs — any publicly reachable page
YouTube videos — with transcripts
Pasted text — up to a per-source character limit

It does not accept:

ZIP archives
RAR, 7z, TAR, or other compressed formats
Folder structures (you cannot upload a folder — only individual files)
Executables or binary formats

Drop a ZIP into the NotebookLM upload panel and you'll see "Unsupported file type."

Why ZIP Support Matters

People try to upload ZIPs because their source material arrives that way:

Course downloads — lecture notes, slides, and readings packaged as a single archive.
Research bundles — a collaborator sends "everything" as a ZIP.
Scraped content — an article set or documentation dump with dozens of files.
Archived projects — you've kept a project as a ZIP to save space.

Manually unzipping and uploading each file individually — where NotebookLM enforces per-upload selection — is tedious for bundles with more than five or six files.

The NotebookLM Tools Approach

NotebookLM Tools adds a ZIP import action to the extension's bulk import panel. The extension:

Reads the ZIP file in your browser (the archive never leaves your computer unencrypted)
Extracts the files
Filters for Markdown (.md) files inside the archive
Uploads each one as a separate source in the destination notebook
Skips anything that isn't Markdown

A 30-file archive becomes a single drag-and-drop followed by a confirmation.

What Gets Extracted

The extension only extracts Markdown (.md) files from the archive. Anything else — PDFs, text files, Word documents, images, videos, nested ZIPs — is skipped.

Size Limits

NotebookLM enforces per-source size limits. If a Markdown file inside the ZIP exceeds the limit, NotebookLM will reject that upload. Splitting long Markdown files into smaller sections before zipping is the practical workaround.

How to Import a ZIP Into NotebookLM

Install NotebookLM Tools.
Open the destination notebook in NotebookLM.
Click the extension's import panel and choose "Upload ZIP."
Pick the ZIP file from your computer.
Review the extracted file list — unsupported files are flagged.
Confirm the import. NotebookLM adds each file as a source.

A 30-file bundle typically finishes in a few minutes depending on file count, sizes, and your connection.

Tips for Messier ZIPs

Rename files before zipping. The extension derives each source title from the filename — it strips the .md extension and any leading NN- index prefix (for example, 03-introduction.md becomes introduction). If your ZIP contains file1.md, file2.md, rename them to something descriptive first so the source list is readable.

Split huge Markdown files. A very long Markdown file may exceed NotebookLM's per-source limit. Split it into logical chapters before zipping.

Check for duplicates. Course bundles sometimes include the same file in multiple folders. Remove duplicates from the archive first — NotebookLM will accept duplicates silently, cluttering the source list.

Organize after import. Once the files are in, use folders to group them by topic, chapter, or source type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upload a ZIP directly to NotebookLM without an extension?

No. Google NotebookLM's native upload rejects ZIPs with an unsupported format error. You need to either unzip manually and upload each file, or use a browser extension that handles the extraction for you.

Does the ZIP leave my computer?

No. NotebookLM Tools extracts the ZIP in your browser. The extracted files are uploaded to NotebookLM the same way any other source is uploaded — same privacy model as dragging them in manually.

What about password-protected ZIPs?

Password-protected archives can't be extracted in the browser. Unlock the archive on your computer and re-zip the contents (or upload the files directly) before importing.

Can I import a folder structure?

Markdown files inside subfolders are extracted as individual sources; non-Markdown files in those subfolders are skipped just like at the top level. NotebookLM itself has no folder concept, so the folder hierarchy is flattened. Use NotebookLM Tools folders to re-create the structure inside the notebook.

Is ZIP import free?

Yes. Every feature in NotebookLM Tools works without a license. See pricing for what the optional Pro license adds.

Wrap-up

If your sources often arrive as ZIPs, NotebookLM Tools handles the extraction and per-file import in one step. See the source management feature for the full bulk-import workflow.

Related articles:

NotebookLM Tips #3: All the Ways to Import Sources — Every import method including ZIP.
How to Organize NotebookLM Sources with Folders — Organize imported files after extraction.
Right-Click to Add Any Web Page to NotebookLM — Capture web sources without ZIP.
Keep Your NotebookLM Sources Up to Date — Refresh imported sources when originals change.