If you recently updated your Mac to macOS 27 and noticed your available storage shrinking, Apple Intelligence could be taking up more space than you realize.
Mac users on Reddit and Hacker News have reported discovering several gigabytes of AI-related files on their machines, with some users claiming local AI assets are taking up around 10GB or more. That's a significant chunk of storage if you have a 256GB MacBook Air or Mac mini.
There's a reason those files are there. Apple Intelligence doesn't run entirely in the cloud. Some of Apple's AI features rely on models stored and processed directly on your Mac, which is great for privacy but not necessarily great for your available storage.
And if you don't use Apple Intelligence, you might understandably wonder why those files need to be sitting on your SSD at all. Here's what's happening, how to check your Mac and what you can safely do about it.
Why is Apple Intelligence taking up space on my Mac?
One of Apple's big selling points for Apple Intelligence is privacy. Rather than sending everything you do to a remote server, Apple can perform some AI tasks directly on compatible devices. But, that requires downloading AI models to your Mac.
Apple's latest Apple Intelligence architecture includes AFM 3 Core, a 3-billion-parameter on-device model, alongside a more powerful multimodal model called AFM 3 Core Advanced. Other Apple Intelligence features can use Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure when more processing power is required.
The downside of all that on-device processing is that the models themselves need somewhere to live.
macOS manages many of these resources as system assets, which can make it difficult to tell exactly what's using your storage. You may simply notice the amount of space attributed to System Data increasing.
First, check your Mac's storage
Before changing anything, it's worth checking whether you're actually running low on space.
- Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
- Select System Settings.
- Choose General.
- Click Storage.
- Give macOS a moment to calculate everything.
You'll see your storage divided into categories such as Applications, Documents, Photos and System Data.
Unfortunately, macOS doesn't provide a neat "Apple Intelligence models: 10GB" entry, so a large System Data category doesn't automatically mean Apple Intelligence is responsible.
Still, take note of how much free storage you currently have. That gives you a baseline before making any changes.
How to turn off Apple Intelligence
If you don't use Apple Intelligence, the safest first step is simply turning it off.
- Open System Settings.
- Select Apple Intelligence & Siri.
- Find Apple Intelligence.
- Toggle it Off.
Confirm that you want to disable Apple Intelligence if prompted. You can also disable Siri AI from this menu if you don't use it.
Don't expect your free storage to jump immediately after doing this. macOS manages system assets automatically, and disabling Apple Intelligence doesn't mean every downloaded model will disappear the moment you flip the switch.
I'd avoid manually deleting anything from macOS system folders just to force the issue.
What about Screen Time?
macOS also includes restrictions for Apple Intelligence and Siri features through Screen Time.
Head to: System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy
Depending on your Mac and settings, you'll find controls governing access to Apple Intelligence and related generative AI features. These restrictions can be useful if you want to prevent someone using the Mac from accessing particular AI features.
However, I wouldn't rely on Screen Time as a guaranteed way to stop macOS from ever downloading an AI-related system asset. Apple doesn't make that relationship particularly clear.
For most people, disabling Apple Intelligence itself is the better place to start.
Don't delete macOS AI files manually
Here's where things get a little complicated. You'll find Terminal commands online that claim to remove Apple's downloaded AI models manually. Some methods even involve booting your Mac into Recovery Mode and deleting files from macOS system directories.
But, I wouldn't recommend doing that. These are system-managed assets, and deleting files from protected macOS directories can cause unintended problems. There's also no guarantee macOS won't download an asset again if the operating system decides it's required.
Saving a few extra gigabytes isn't worth potentially breaking something in macOS.
If you're critically low on storage, you're better off using Apple's built-in storage management tools first.
Still missing storage? Check Time Machine
Apple Intelligence might not be the only reason your available storage seems lower than expected. If you use Time Machine, macOS can also keep local snapshots on your Mac. These allow you to recover files even when your Time Machine backup drive isn't connected.
Apple normally manages this storage automatically and considers snapshot space available for use when necessary.
That means the amount of storage macOS reports can occasionally be confusing, particularly if you've recently deleted a large amount of data and expected your free-space number to immediately increase.
You can see whether local snapshots exist by opening Disk Utility, selecting your Mac's volume and looking for APFS snapshots.
Again, I wouldn't start deleting snapshots unless you're actually experiencing a storage problem.
Bottom line: Should you turn off Apple Intelligence to save space?
If you regularly use Writing Tools, Siri's newer AI features or other Apple Intelligence capabilities, the storage they consume is essentially part of the cost of having those features available locally.
But it's totally different if you never use them. That's especially true for anyone with a 256GB Mac. Losing even 10GB represents roughly 4% of your entire advertised storage capacity — before accounting for macOS itself, applications, photos, videos and everything else you keep on your computer.
Until Apple gives users more granular control over which AI models are stored locally, the safest option if you don't want Apple Intelligence is to simply turn it off, keep an eye on your storage and let macOS manage the underlying system assets rather than trying to rip them out yourself.
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