Troubleshooting
Most problems fall into one of two buckets. Jump to the one you need: Extension problems · License & activation
Current status
Updated 29 July 2026Google is rolling out a new address for NotebookLM: notebook.google.com, alongside the original notebooklm.google.com.
The rollout is partial. Right now requests to either address get routed to both, so you may land on notebook.google.com in one session and notebooklm.google.com in the next. Both are the real product — neither has been shut down, and there is nothing you need to migrate.
Extension versions before 1.9.4 only work on the original address. That is why the extension can seem to break at random rather than consistently. Version 1.9.4 supports both addresses.
Released 29 July 2026 — available on both stores now
Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera
Chrome updates extensions on its own, usually within a few hours.
Chrome Web StoreExtension problems
Start here
- Reload your NotebookLM tab — that alone fixes most of it.
- Make sure you’re on the latest version (see below).
- Check the extension is pinned: click the puzzle-piece icon in your toolbar, then the pin next to NotebookLM Tools.
It doesn’t load on NotebookLM
Check the address bar. If it says notebook.google.com, you need 1.9.4 or newer — see Current status above for why. If you’re already on 1.9.4+ and it still doesn’t load, force an update below.
Force an update
Your browser picks up new versions on its own, but only checks every few hours. To pull one immediately:
- Chrome: open
chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode (top-right), then click Update (top-left) - Firefox: open
about:addons, click the gear icon near the top-right, then Check for Updates
Reload your NotebookLM tab afterwards.
Check which version you have
- Chrome:
chrome://extensions— the version sits under the extension name - Firefox:
about:addons→ NotebookLM Tools → version
Firefox-specific
- Nothing appears after installing. Reload the NotebookLM tab — Firefox doesn’t always inject a newly-installed extension into tabs that were already open.
- Private windows. Firefox extensions don’t run in Private Windows by default. Open
about:addons, find NotebookLM Tools, open the three-dot menu and toggle Run in Private Windows. - Multi-Account Containers. Each container keeps its own NotebookLM session; the extension follows whichever account is active in the current tab.
- It works on Chrome but not Firefox. Make sure you installed the Firefox build from addons.mozilla.org — a Chrome
.crxwill not work in Firefox. - Firefox for Android is not supported. Use desktop Firefox.
The icon disappeared, or the extension turned itself off
This doesn’t happen on every update — only when a new version asks for a permission your browser hasn’t already granted. When it does, the browser turns the extension off until you approve it: the icon vanishes from your toolbar and it looks like the extension was uninstalled. It wasn’t, and your data is intact. Turning it back on takes one click.
Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera
- Type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar and press Enter - Find NotebookLM Tools — it will be greyed out, or show a warning such as “This extension has been disabled” or “requires new permissions”
- Click Enable (or Review permissions), then Allow
- Reload your NotebookLM tab
If the puzzle-piece icon in your toolbar has a red dot on it, the prompt is waiting in there.
Firefox
- Type
about:addonsin the address bar and press Enter - Look for NotebookLM Tools flagged as “requires your attention” or disabled
- Click Enable, then approve the permission
- Reload your NotebookLM tab
License & activation
How do I activate my license?
- Open NotebookLM with the extension installed
- Click the “Unlicensed” button in the extension’s toolbar
- Paste your license key
- Click Activate
My license key never arrived
- It’s emailed by Polar to the address you used at checkout — which may not be your Google account address.
- Check your Spam or Junk folder. This is where it usually is.
- You can also retrieve it any time from the customer portal.
- Still nothing after 15 minutes? Email support@nlmtools.com with the address you ordered with.
I’ve used all 5 devices
Each license activates on up to 5 devices. To free a slot, deactivate one you no longer use:
- Open the customer portal
- Find your license and its list of activations
- Deactivate a device you don’t use any more
- Go back to the new device and activate as normal
Note that each browser or browser profile counts as its own activation, so one computer can use more than one slot.
Refunds, invoices, cancelling
All of it lives in the customer portal. Every plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Still stuck?
Email support@nlmtools.com or post on our feedback board. Please include your browser, the extension version, and which domain shows in your address bar.