How much space does Apple Intelligence take on a Mac, and can you get it back?
- More than Apple’s figure. On macOS 27, Apple says up to 8 GB, or up to 14 GB on Macs with M3 or later and 12 GB or more of memory. Macs show 14–35 GB in Storage settings.
- There’s no off switch on macOS 27. You can turn off Siri and limit features, but the models stay on the Mac.
- Deleting the files yourself isn’t worth it. macOS protects them, you get back less than Storage shows, and they can come back. Leave it is SiftMac’s verdict: it shows their size and why they’re there, and never removes them.
1. How much space it takes
Apple’s own figure has grown since Apple Intelligence arrived. Its support page gives the space it needs:
| macOS | Apple’s figure |
|---|---|
| 15.1 (October 2024) | 4 GB |
| 15.2 to 26 | 7 GB |
| 27 (September 2026) | Up to 14 GB on Macs with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of memory; up to 8 GB on other Macs |
What Macs show is higher. In Storage settings, people measured about 14 GB on an M1 MacBook Air, 20.7 GB on an M4 Pro Mac mini, 22.4 GB on an M3 MacBook Air and 35 GB on another MacBook Air. Howard Oakley saw 29.5 GB on his Mac mini after macOS 27.0, and 19.3 GB after 27.2. On 5 November 2026, Apple added a note that usage can briefly go above its figures during and shortly after a software update, while new models download and old ones are removed.
So if your Mac suddenly looks full after an update, wait a day before deciding anything. Oakley saw used space peak about 150 GB above normal within 24 hours of installing 27.0, then settle about 30 GB higher. After 27.2 he also found a 30 GB Time Machine snapshot, which clears by itself within a day.
2. What’s in it
Apple downloads several sets of models. The tools that remove them list these:
- Foundation models: Siri, Writing Tools and summaries. By far the biggest part. Macs in Apple’s 14 GB tier get a larger model.
- Image models: Image Playground and Genmoji.
- Photos: Clean Up and Spatial Photos.
- Xcode: code completion.
They live in /System/Library/AssetsV2/, in folders whose names start with com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF, such as com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM_GenerativeModels. System Integrity Protection blocks deleting them while macOS is running.
3. See how much it takes on your Mac
- Open System Settings › General › Storage.
- Click the ⓘ next to macOS. Apple Intelligence has its own line there.
In Terminal, du -sh /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM* shows the size of the main folders. If it says “Operation not permitted”, Terminal doesn’t have Full Disk Access; Storage settings is enough.
Treat either number as the most you could get back, not what you would. When AppleInsider deleted the main model folder from Recovery, Storage had shown 27.6 GB and the folder measured 23 GB, but only about 14 GB came back.
4. Can you turn it off?
On macOS 15 and 26: yes. Go to System Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri and turn off the switch next to Apple Intelligence. Apple said the on-device models are then removed, but not how soon. Check the switch again after updates: macOS 15.3 turned Apple Intelligence on automatically for people upgrading.
On macOS 27: not as a whole. There’s no switch for it any more, and Apple’s support page now says it’s available automatically as part of macOS. You can still:
- turn off Siri, or switch to Siri Classic, in System Settings › Siri;
- turn off summaries in Mail, Messages and notifications, and Personalized Smart Replies;
- block Writing Assistance, Image Creation and other features in Screen Time, under Content & Privacy Restrictions.
None of these deletes the models. Setting Siri to a language Apple Intelligence doesn’t support makes it unavailable, but doesn’t remove what’s already downloaded either.
5. What about RemoveMacAI?
RemoveMacAI is a free, open-source tool that drew 775 points on Hacker News in October 2026. It installs a configuration profile that switches the features off and points the model downloads at an address where nothing answers. Then it asks macOS, through a private Apple interface, to delete the models, and macOS removes the files later, on its own schedule. Its revert command, or removing the profile, undoes all of it, and the models download again.
It’s a real option, but not routine cleanup:
- It relies on private Apple interfaces and on settings Apple marked as deprecated in macOS 26.4, so any update could break it. One user reports the block no longer works on the macOS 27.3 beta, and the models reinstall.
- Software Update can stall for up to about two hours while macOS waits on the blocked downloads.
- It switches off more than you might expect: Visual Intelligence, Spotlight’s clipboard history, the Shortcuts “Use Model” action, and apps that use Apple’s on-device models.
- Its app isn’t notarized by Apple, so macOS blocks the first launch until you click Open Anyway in Privacy & Security.
If you try it anyway, back up first, and know how to undo it: run removemacai revert, or remove the profile in System Settings › General › Device Management.
6. What not to do
- Don’t delete folders in
/System/Library/AssetsV2, from Recovery or any other way. You get back much less than Storage shows, macOS can download them again, and Apple doesn’t support it. - Don’t turn off System Integrity Protection to get at them. It protects much more than these files.
- Be wary of any cleaner that offers to delete them. SiftMac shows their size, explains them, and leaves them to macOS.
7. Where to get space back instead
On most Macs there’s more to win, safely, from things you control:
- Old iPhone and iPad backups, often tens of GB: which ones are safe to delete.
- Developer leftovers such as Xcode build data and old
node_modules: Xcode DerivedData and other developer files. - AI tools you installed yourself: Claude Code and Cursor caches, Ollama and Hugging Face models: AI files on your Mac.
- The Trash, hidden folders and big app libraries: where the space usually goes.
Questions
Is Apple Intelligence why my “System Data” is huge?
Usually not. Storage settings counts Apple Intelligence under macOS, not System Data. Right after an update, though, a large Time Machine local snapshot can sit in System Data for a day or so. If it stays big, here’s what’s usually inside it.
Which Macs have Apple Intelligence?
Macs with M1 or later, and the MacBook Neo. macOS 27 runs only on Apple silicon, so every Mac on 27 has it. The Mac and Siri need to be set to the same supported language. It isn’t available on Macs bought in mainland China, or used there with an Apple Account set to mainland China.
Will the models come back after I remove them?
Usually, yes. macOS updates install and replace them, and undoing a tool like RemoveMacAI makes macOS download them again.
SiftMac shows this for you. With Full Disk Access, it lists Apple Intelligence’s models among your AI files, with their size and why they’re there, next to the ones you can clear: old Claude Code chats, Cursor caches, and Ollama and Hugging Face models you no longer use. It never removes Apple’s models.
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