How to Prevent Chrome Browser from Downloading 4GB of Local AI Model Files
OS X Daily • • technology
Key Points:
- The latest versions of Chrome on Mac automatically download a large local Gemini AI model, which can occupy around 4GB of storage space, used for features like autofill suggestions, scam detection, and web page summaries.
- Users who do not use Chrome's AI features or prefer other AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Apple Intelligence may want to disable this local AI model to save storage space.
- To stop Chrome from downloading the local AI model, users can toggle off the “On-device AI” setting by navigating to chrome://settings/system in the browser.
- If the AI model has already been downloaded, it can be manually deleted by locating and removing the “OptGuideOnDeviceModel” folder in the Chrome Default directory within the user's Library folder.
- Disabling local AI models on Chrome and Apple Intelligence can help users reclaim significant disk space, with Apple Intelligence alone freeing up about 7GB.