# How to export a NotebookLM mind map you can actually edit

> NotebookLM only downloads mind maps as a flat PNG — you can't edit it. How to get the structure out as Markdown or SVG instead, and edit it in a real editor.


_Markdown version of https://gemini-notebook-hub.online/guides/export-notebooklm-mind-map — for AI and LLM crawlers. Content is identical to the web page._

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_5 min read · updated 30 Jul 2026_

NotebookLM generates a mind map and then locks it: the only native download is a PNG, a flat picture you cannot rearrange. Getting an editable version out takes one extra step.

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**NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook** in July 2026. Mind map export works the same under both names.

> **Quick answer**
> Native NotebookLM only exports a mind map as a **PNG** — a flat image. To get an *editable* version, ask the chat for a Markdown outline of the map, then open it in the free [mind map editor](https://gemini-notebook-hub.online/mindmap-editor), where you can rearrange branches and export to SVG, PNG or Markdown. The [exporter extension](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/notebooklm-to-pdf-word-ma/micfpbhlllbdpgdkkgdimdpmpeefoamk) can pull the structure out directly.

## The native download, and why it disappoints

Open the mind map in the Studio panel and there is a download icon in the top-right. It gives you a PNG — the whole map as one picture at whatever size NotebookLM chose. That is fine for pasting into a slide, and useless for anything else: you cannot move a branch, recolour a node, fix a typo, or drop the structure into your own notes. The map is a screenshot, not a document.

## Getting the structure out as text

The map is really a tree of headings, so the fix is to get that tree as text. In the notebook's chat, ask:

```
Give me a Markdown outline of this mind map: the central topic as a heading, each branch as an indented bullet, preserving the full hierarchy. Output only the outline.
```

You now have the structure as Markdown — re-usable anywhere, and re-buildable into a visual map. Paste it into the [mind map editor](https://gemini-notebook-hub.online/mindmap-editor): it rebuilds the map, lets you rearrange and recolour branches, and exports to SVG (vector, scales cleanly for print), PNG at 2×, or Markdown again. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

## The one-click route

Asking the chat works but is a manual hop. The [NotebookLM exporter extension](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/notebooklm-to-pdf-word-ma/micfpbhlllbdpgdkkgdimdpmpeefoamk) reads the map's structure directly from the page and exports it to SVG and PNG without the chat step — useful when you do this often, or when a map is large enough that the chat summary might drop branches.

## Which format for which job

- **PNG** — dropping the map into a slide, doc or message as-is. The native download already does this.
- **SVG** — printing, posters, or anything that will be resized. Vector stays sharp at any scale; export it from the editor.
- **Markdown** — folding the structure into your own notes, an Obsidian vault, or a document outline. Also the format to re-import for more editing later.

## People also ask

### Can you export a NotebookLM mind map as SVG?

Not natively — NotebookLM only offers PNG. Get the structure out as a Markdown outline (ask the chat, or use the exporter extension), open it in a mind map editor, and export SVG from there.

### Why can't I edit the downloaded mind map?

The native download is a PNG image — a flat picture with no underlying structure. To edit, you need the map as data (Markdown or JSON), which the chat or the extension can produce.

### Can I turn my Markdown outline back into a mind map?

Yes. The free mind map editor takes a Markdown outline — headings and indented bullets — and rebuilds the visual map, ready to rearrange and re-export.