Gemini Notebook can turn your Google Drive files into a question-and-answer library

Gemini Notebook can turn files in Google Drive into a library you can ask questions. Android Police writer Anu Joy tried it on scattered work research and found it answers from her own documents. Edits to the original files carry over without re-uploading.

What it does

Many people save notes, manuals and records in Drive, then lose time hunting for them. Searching folders and keywords only works if you remember where something went. With Drive files added as sources, Gemini Notebook answers questions using that material instead. There is no separate database to build.

How to set it up

Open Gemini Notebook and click the filter icon in the chat window. Check that Google Drive is toggled on. It is on by default. Then choose which files to add. Three ways are described:

• Use the "Search the web for new sources" box in the left sidebar and pick Drive instead of Web.
• Describe what you want, such as documents tied to one project or topic.
• Ask Gemini Notebook in the chat to search your Drive for a topic.

A label icon below the search box helps with organizing. Gemini Notebook can label sources by topic on its own. You can also create labels, rename them or move sources between categories.

More than answers

The notebook can also reshape your sources. A mind map shows main topics and related ideas as a branching diagram. You can expand or collapse branches and select a node to ask a follow-up question in the chat.

Data tables pull details into rows and columns. Examples include sorting research ideas by topic, summarizing key points from several documents, or building a comparison table. That saves copying details from file to file into a spreadsheet.

Keeping it current

Files added as sources sync automatically. When a Google Docs, Sheets or Slides file changes in Drive, the notebook picks up the change. You keep working in the original file. If you do not want to wait, open the Drive source in the notebook and select "Click to sync with Google Drive."

Ways to use it

The writer built hers from pitches, research notes, reference materials and writing guides. The same idea could suit other needs:

• Students: lecture notes, study guides, research papers and course materials.
• Travelers: destination research, itineraries and accommodation details.
• Homeowners: appliance manuals, warranty papers, repair records and maintenance logs.

The review is one person's experience. It does not cover limits on how many files a notebook can hold or how accurate the answers are.