Gemini Notebooks vs folders: what each is for
When Notebooks arrived in April 2026, one popular Reddit post called them "Not folders, but Notebooks!" That is a good summary. Notebooks are project workspaces; folders are a filing system. Here is how to tell which you need.
What Gemini Notebooks are
Google describes a notebook as "a continuous chat experience that remembers your sources, instructions, and ongoing discussions." In practice, according to Google's help center at the time of writing:
- A notebook holds sources (documents and other material, up to 600) plus instructions that apply to the chats inside it.
- You can add existing chats to a notebook, but only when Keep Activity is turned on.
- Shared notebooks are not listed in the Gemini app sidebar.
The point of a notebook is context: every conversation inside it can draw on the same sources and instructions. That is powerful for a research project, a course, or a long piece of writing.
What folders are
A folder is simpler. It groups chats so you can find them again, and it changes nothing about how those chats behave. Gemini does not have folders as of September 2026; Google's own support forum said in January 2026 that the web app "does not have native 'folders' or 'labels'" and suggested browser extensions.
Extensions such as Sidebarly add folders as a layer on top of Gemini: a panel above the chat list where you can create folders, nest them, pin chats and add tags. The chats stay where they are in Gemini, and the folder map is stored in your browser.
Side by side
| Gemini Notebooks | Folders (Sidebarly) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Shared context for a project | Filing and finding chats |
| Changes how a chat behaves | Yes, chats use the notebook's sources and instructions | No, a folder is only a label |
| Nesting | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Tags and pins | Pins exist for chats in Gemini; no tags | Pins and tags in the panel |
| Requirements | Keep Activity on to add existing chats | Chrome on desktop |
| Where it lives | Your Google account | Your browser only |
| Mobile | Yes, in the Gemini app | No, desktop Chrome only |
| Export a chat to a file | No | Markdown and PDF |
| Cost | Part of Gemini | Free for 5 folders; Pro for unlimited |
Gemini details from Google's help center and release notes as of September 2026. Features change; check Google's pages for the current state.
When to use which
Use a Notebook when
- Several chats should share the same documents or instructions, such as a thesis with its source papers.
- You want to keep going on one project over weeks without re-explaining it each time.
- You need it on your phone as well as your computer.
Use folders when
- You simply want a tidy sidebar: Work, Personal, Recipes, Code.
- You have hundreds of one-off chats that do not need shared context, only a home.
- You want nesting, tags, or a chat filed without changing what it can see.
- You prefer your organization to stay on your own computer, or you have Keep Activity turned off.
A common mistake
Moving every chat into notebooks just to group them adds context you did not ask for, and a chat in a notebook is shaped by that notebook's sources and instructions. If all you want is order, a folder is the lighter tool.
Using both together
They do not conflict. A practical setup is a few notebooks for deep, ongoing projects, and folders for everything else.
-
Pick your two or three real projects
Create a notebook for each project that genuinely benefits from shared sources, and add the relevant chats to it.
-
Index the rest
With Sidebarly installed, click Index all chats once. It scrolls your own sidebar list to the end, the way you would by hand, and saves every chat title locally so nothing is left out.
-
File everyday chats into folders
Create a handful of folders with the New folder (+) button and drag chats from Gemini's sidebar onto them, or use Move to folder in the panel.
-
Tag across both
Add a tag like
#thesisto related chats wherever they live, then find them all at once from the panel's search box or the Ctrl K palette.
Sidebarly only reads what is on your screen and never uses Gemini's internal APIs, so it does not create, change or move notebooks. It organizes the chats in your list alongside whatever notebooks you keep.
FAQ
Are Gemini Notebooks the same as folders?
No. Notebooks are project workspaces with shared sources and instructions. They can hold chats, but grouping is a side effect. Folders only group chats and do not change how they work.
Why can't I add an existing chat to a notebook?
According to Google's help center, adding existing chats to a notebook is only available when Keep Activity is on. Check your Gemini activity settings.
Will Google add real folders to Gemini?
Nobody outside Google knows. As of the latest release notes we checked (September 2026), there is no folders entry. If Google does ship folders, Sidebarly's export, text search, prompt library and backup still add things folders alone do not.
Do Sidebarly folders show chats that are inside a notebook?
Sidebarly indexes the chats listed in your Gemini sidebar. Chats that Gemini shows only inside a notebook, such as those in shared notebooks, may not appear in the index.
Folders for everything that is not a project
Nested folders, pins, tags and export for Gemini, stored on your computer. Free to start.