New AI-powered audio overviews for PDFs in Google Drive
What’s new?
Google is introducing AI-powered audio overviews for PDFs in Google Drive, bringing the popular NotebookLM Audio Overview technology directly into your Drive workflow. This new Gemini for Google Workspace feature instantly converts long, text-heavy PDFs into conversational, podcast-style audio summaries.
With a single click, users can transform industry reports, contracts, lengthy meeting transcripts, or any PDF document into a digestible audio file that’s automatically saved to their Drive. The feature creates summaries ranging from two to ten minutes, allowing users to quickly grasp the main points of even the longest documents without having to read through pages of text.
Why does this matter?
In today’s fast-paced work environment, finding time to read through lengthy documents is increasingly difficult. Audio overviews solve this problem by allowing users to absorb critical information while multitasking. Since the audio files are stored in Drive, users can access them from any device – whether they’re commuting, working out, exercising, or doing chores.
This feature addresses three key productivity challenges. First, it boosts efficiency by distilling hours of reading into minutes of listening. Second, it improves accessibility by providing an alternative format for consuming content, which is particularly valuable for users who prefer auditory learning or need accommodation options. Third, it enhances meeting preparation by making it easier to quickly review materials before client presentations or team discussions.
How it works
The process is straightforward. When a user generates an audio overview on their desktop, Google Drive processes the PDF and sends an email notification when the audio file is ready. The system automatically saves the generated audio to a new “Audio overviews” folder in Drive, making it easy to find and organize these files. Once created, the audio can be accessed from any mobile or desktop device where the user has Drive access.
At launch, this feature supports English-language PDFs only. There are also per-user daily usage limits, which you can learn more about in the Drive Help Center.
When can you use it?
This feature is available now for Rapid Release domains. Scheduled Release domains will see a gradual rollout starting November 12, 2025 (up to 15 days for full visibility). The feature will be ON by default with no admin controls – users can start using it immediately.
Availability is limited to specific Workspace editions: Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Google One AI Pro and Ultra, Google AI Ultra for Business, and Google AI Pro for Education.
For more information, check out the Google Workspace update feed
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