A new open-source command line tool named RemoveMacAI offers users a straightforward way to reclaim storage space by completely removing Apple Intelligence. Since the single settings toggle for disabling these features was removed in macOS 27, the models often remain on the disk, taking up significant space.
According to MacRumors, the developer of RemoveMacAI stated on Reddit that the utility automates the process of locating and disabling the numerous scattered settings, some of which are hidden within Screen Time. The developer emphasized that even when features appear to be off, the foundation models remain on the drive.
“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 explained.
The developer assures users that the changes made by the tool are permanent across system updates, though Dictation functionality will remain unaffected. Additionally, the tool includes a "removemacai revert" command for users who may wish to restore the features and allow the models to download again later.
While the developer asserts that the models consume approximately 12GB, user feedback indicates the actual size can vary significantly. One user discovered that Apple Intelligence occupied 35.05GB on their MacBook Air. The tool also provides a "removemacai status" command, allowing users to inspect the size of individual models on their system.
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