How to Duplicate or Copy a NotebookLM Notebook

Short answer: NotebookLM has no "Duplicate notebook" button. You cannot clone a notebook in one click inside NotebookLM itself. The two reliable workarounds are to (1) bulk-copy every source from the original into a new notebook, or (2) export the notebook as a backup and re-import it into a fresh one — both of which the free NotebookLM Tools Chrome extension handles.

This guide covers when you'd want a copy, what NotebookLM does and doesn't support, and the exact steps for each method.

Why People Want to Duplicate a Notebook

A few common reasons:

• A safe sandbox. You want to experiment — add sources, restructure folders, generate new studio output — without touching the original research.
• A template. You've built a notebook with a specific set of reference sources and folder structure, and you want to reuse it as the starting point for the next project.
• A per-client or per-topic split. One notebook has grown too broad, and you want a copy you can prune down to a single client or subtopic.
• A pre-cleanup checkpoint. Before a big reorganization or bulk delete, you want a copy you can fall back to.

What NotebookLM Supports Natively

As of 2026, Google NotebookLM does not offer:

• A "Duplicate" or "Make a copy" action on a notebook.
• Bulk copying of sources from one notebook into another.
• A template system for starting new notebooks from an existing one.

You can share a notebook with other people, but sharing grants access to the same notebook — it does not create an independent copy you can edit separately. To get a true duplicate, you need to rebuild the source list into a new notebook.

Method 1: Copy Sources Into a New Notebook

This is the fastest way to clone a notebook's inputs.

1. In NotebookLM, create a new, empty notebook to act as the copy.
2. Open the original notebook and click the NotebookLM Tools extension icon.
3. Choose Copy/Move Sources Between Notebooks.
4. Select every source, set the destination to your new notebook, and choose Copy (not Move) so the original keeps its sources.
5. The extension copies each source across. Your copy now has the same source list, ready for independent editing.

This is the same mechanism used to merge or combine notebooks — the difference is you're copying into a brand-new notebook and leaving the original alone.

Method 2: Clone via Backup & Restore (Keeps Folders)

If your notebook uses source folders and you want the copy to keep that structure, use the backup route instead:

1. Open the original notebook, open Backup & Restore, and export it as a JSON file. JSON preserves the notebook title, every source's title, URL, and content, and the folder organization.
2. Create a new, empty notebook.
3. Open Backup & Restore on the new notebook, switch to the Import tab, and select the JSON file.
4. The extension recreates every source — and the folder layout — in the copy.

JSON is the format to choose when folders matter; a plain source copy (Method 1) moves the sources but not the folder structure.

What Doesn't Carry Over

Be clear about the limits of any "duplicate" in NotebookLM:

• Chat history — not transferable. NotebookLM doesn't expose it for transfer, so no copy can include it.
• Studio items — audio overviews, video overviews, mind maps, reports, and quizzes don't transfer. Regenerate them in the copy if you need them.
• Source IDs — the copy gets new source IDs, so citations in the original's chats won't line up with the copy.

If a specific chat answer matters, copy it into a note inside the notebook before duplicating — notes are sources, so they travel with a source copy or backup.

After You Duplicate: Clean Up Duplicates

If you copied sources into a notebook that wasn't empty, you may end up with duplicates. NotebookLM Tools includes a Duplicate Scanner:

• Fast scan matches by title and URL — quick, and catches most re-import duplicates.
• Deep scan compares content similarity — slower, but finds duplicates with different titles.

Run the fast scan first; use the deep scan if you suspect overlapping content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you duplicate a notebook in NotebookLM?

Not with a built-in button. NotebookLM has no "Duplicate notebook" action. Create a new notebook and copy every source into it with NotebookLM Tools' Copy/Move Sources Between Notebooks feature, or export the original as a JSON backup and re-import it into the new notebook.

How do I copy a NotebookLM notebook to a new one?

Create the destination notebook, open the original, and use Copy/Move Sources Between Notebooks — select all sources, choose the new notebook, and pick Copy so the original is untouched.

Does duplicating keep my source folders?

Only the Backup & Restore (JSON) method preserves folders. A straight source copy moves sources but not the folder layout.

Will a copied notebook include my chat history?

No. Chat history and studio items can't be transferred. Only sources carry over.

Does NotebookLM plan to add a native duplicate feature?

Google has not announced one as of 2026. Until it ships, copying sources or restoring a JSON backup is the practical way to duplicate a notebook.

The Practical Fix: Copy or Restore

There's no one-click duplicate inside NotebookLM, but cloning a notebook is still quick: copy its sources into a fresh notebook, or back it up as JSON and restore it into a new one. NotebookLM Tools handles both — see the full feature list.

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Related articles:

• Can You Merge or Combine Notebooks in NotebookLM? — The same Copy/Move workflow, used to consolidate notebooks instead of cloning one.
• Deleted a NotebookLM Notebook or Source? What You Can Recover — Why a JSON backup is your safety net before any risky change.
• Can You Create Folders in NotebookLM? — Set up the folder structure that a JSON duplicate preserves.