An open-source command-line tool called RemoveMacAI lets macOS users disable Apple Intelligence features, delete roughly 12GB of AI models from disk, and prevent them from being re-downloaded, since Apple removed the single settings toggle that once handled this.
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Getting some extra storage space on your Mac could be as easy as deleting Apple's AI features with a new open-source command line tool called <a href="https://github.com/omlahore/RemoveMacAI">RemoveMacAI</a>. There used to be a single <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/21/24348850/apple-intelligence-ai-default-setting-ios-18-3">Settings toggle for disabling Apple Intelligence</a>, but that was removed in macOS 27. Now, the models stay on your disk, and the features are split up across different settings panes.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As spotted earlier by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/05/apple-intelligence-removal-tool-frees-mac-storage/"><em>MacRumors</em></a>, the RemoveMacAI developer said in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/s/kDoGWtdHwZ">a post on Reddit</a> that the tool essentially does what the old settings toggle did, deleting the models and turning the features off: </p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You have to find about a dozen settings, and several of them are under Screen Time. …</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1004672/mac-delete-apple-intelligence-ai-tool">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# An open-source tool lets you delete 12GB of Apple Intelligence data on macOS
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1004672/mac-delete-apple-intelligence-ai-tool](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1004672/mac-delete-apple-intelligence-ai-tool)
‘RemoveMacAI’ switches off Apple’s AI features, deletes its AI models, and blocks them from being downloaded again\.
‘RemoveMacAI’ switches off Apple’s AI features, deletes its AI models, and blocks them from being downloaded again\.
by
Oct 5, 2026, 1:47 PM UTC
Image: Apple
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/stevie-bonifield)
Stevie Bonifield
is a news writer covering all things consumer tech\. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI\.
Getting some extra storage space on your Mac could be as easy as deleting Apple’s AI features with a new open\-source command line tool called[RemoveMacAI](https://github.com/omlahore/RemoveMacAI)\. There used to be a single[Settings toggle for disabling Apple Intelligence](https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/21/24348850/apple-intelligence-ai-default-setting-ios-18-3), but that was removed in macOS 27\. Now, the models stay on your disk, and the features are split up across different settings panes\.
As spotted earlier by[*MacRumors*](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/05/apple-intelligence-removal-tool-frees-mac-storage/), the RemoveMacAI developer said in[a post on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/s/kDoGWtdHwZ)that the tool essentially does what the old settings toggle did, deleting the models and turning the features off:
> You have to find about a dozen settings, and several of them are under Screen Time\. Even when everything is off, the foundation models stay on disk, and that’s about 12 GB\. I wrote RemoveMacAI to do all of it in one go\. It turns off Siri, Writing Tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, the ChatGPT extension and all the summaries, then it deletes the models and stops macOS from downloading them again\.
The developer claims the changes persist across macOS updates, and says Dictation will still work\. There’s also a “removemacai revert” command that can turn everything back on and allow the AI models to download again if you change your mind\.
The developer says Apple’s AI models take up “about 12GB” of space, but it could be even more than that, as some users pointed out in comments on the developer’s Reddit thread\. On my MacBook Air, Apple Intelligence is listed as taking up 35\.05GB of space, which I found by going to my storage in the Settings app and clicking the “i” icon beside “macOS\.” RemoveMacAI also has a “removemacai status” command that can show the size of each individual AI model on your Mac\.
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- Stevie Bonifield
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RemoveMacAI is an open-source CLI tool that disables Apple Intelligence features on macOS 27 and removes the on-disk AI models, preventing them from being re-downloaded. It works via a configuration profile and Apple's asset service, with fully reversible changes and no network tracking.
RemoveMacAI is an open-source command-line tool that lets users selectively remove Apple Intelligence features from macOS 27 using approved configuration profiles, without disabling System Integrity Protection. It has gained 1,700 GitHub stars and shows user demand for greater control over Apple's AI features.
This Apple support article provides instructions on how to turn off or restrict access to various Apple Intelligence features on macOS, including Siri AI, message summaries, and more, with options for parental controls.
Pared is an open-source macOS tool (app, terminal wizard, and Nix modules) that lets users selectively disable Apple Intelligence features and remove unwanted on-device models without turning off System Integrity Protection.
Apple announced it will tighten macOS Full Disk Access permissions, requiring 'very explicit user action' for apps to gain sweeping system access, citing substantially increased risks as AI agents become more capable and autonomous. The change follows scrutiny over Meta's Muse AI reading users' Messages content.