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Mac users who do not want Apple Intelligence taking up valuable storage now have an open-source option to remove its on-device AI models. Called RemoveMacAI, the command-line tool can disable Apple Intelligence features, delete the downloaded models, and prevent macOS from automatically downloading them again. The tool arrives after Apple removed the single switch for disabling Apple Intelligence in macOS 27, leaving users with separate settings for different AI features.
The developer behind RemoveMacAI said Apple's AI models can take up around 12GB of storage, though the actual figure can be much higher on some Macs. According to reports, Apple Intelligence is listed at more than 35GB on one MacBook Air, highlighting how much space the models can consume on some systems.
The tool handles several Apple Intelligence components in one process. It can disable Siri's AI functions, Writing Tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and AI-generated summaries in apps including Mail, Messages, Safari, and Notes.
It also removes models used for features such as Photos Clean Up, Spatial Photos and Xcode predictive code completion. The project is available as open-source software on GitHub and can show users how much storage individual AI models are using before making changes.
Apple Intelligence relies heavily on on-device models, so compatible Macs must keep those files locally. While users can switch off individual features, macOS 27 does not provide a single built-in option to remove the underlying models completely.
This can be particularly frustrating for Mac owners with smaller SSDs. Recovering even 12GB can make a noticeable difference on machines with 256GB of storage, while some users have reported significantly larger Apple Intelligence allocations.
Also Read: 25 Apple Intelligence Features Every iPhone User Should Know About
RemoveMacAI is not a permanent change. The project includes a revert command that removes the tool's configuration and lets macOS download the AI models again. Dictation also continues to work since its speech models are separate from Apple Intelligence.
However, users should understand that removing the models also means losing access to the Apple Intelligence features that depend on them. The tool is aimed primarily at Mac owners who would rather reclaim disk space than keep AI features they do not use.
