Before you share a NotebookLM link, check more than the chat screen. Google says a public notebook can be shared with anyone who has a Google Account, and viewers may still be able to access sources and artifacts. The Chat View link hides those materials from the default view, but it does not completely revoke access to the underlying notebook contents.
Review the notebook before making it public
Open the Share panel and check the access setting. Google’s documented public-sharing flow changes access to Anyone with a link; only owners and editors can generate the public link or manage access. Consider whether every source, generated artifact and detail in the notebook is appropriate for the people who may receive the link. Do not treat a hidden source list as confidential storage.
Google’s help page notes that public notebook visitors need a Google Account. They can interact with a public notebook and view content shared by its owners or editors. Some kinds of notebooks, including those with artifacts created from Play Books ebooks, cannot be shared publicly.
Turn off access when you are done
To stop public access, open the notebook’s Share panel and set Notebook Access back to Restricted. The help page says a link will stop working when a notebook is deleted or made private. Review who can edit as well as who can view; changes made by owners and editors can appear in the shared notebook.
If you need to show a summary but not expose source documents, create a separate, sanitized notebook or share a standalone export that contains only approved material. Test the link from an account that is not an owner before sending it widely.
The practical rule is simple: publish a notebook only if you are comfortable with viewers potentially reaching its sources, even when you share the chat-focused URL.
Featured image credit: Evan-Amos on Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 (license).
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