Apple Intelligence storage on macOS 27: how much and how to recover it

By Pruneo TeamPublished: October 28, 2026Updated: October 28, 2026

You update to macOS 27 and, overnight, you have many gigabytes less. A good part of that is often Apple Intelligence: macOS downloads its AI models even if you never use Siri, the writing tools or Genmoji. In this guide you will see how much space it takes according to Apple, how much people actually measure, and what options you have to get that space back.

How much space Apple says it uses

In Get started with the new generation of Apple Intelligence, Apple gives two figures for Mac:

On the same page, Apple warns that the space Apple Intelligence uses “may temporarily exceed” those figures during an update and shortly after. The new models download first, and then the old ones are deleted.

How much space it uses in practice

Real numbers are usually higher. MacRumors measured 20.67 GB on an M4 Pro Mac mini running macOS 27. It also reported Ars Technica measurements of 22.42 GB on a MacBook Air with M3 and about 14 GB on a MacBook Air with M1, which Apple places in the “up to 8 GB” group.

MacRumors also says that in macOS 27 the download is automatic when you install the system, and the switch that used to turn Apple Intelligence off and delete its files is gone. Turning off individual features in Settings does not free the space: the models stay on the disk.

Step 1: check how much space it uses on your Mac

1. Open System Settings > General > Storage.
2. Wait for it to finish calculating.
3. Find the Apple Intelligence line and move the pointer over the bar to see its size.

If you have just updated, write down the number and check it again the next day. From what Apple explains, it can go down on its own once macOS finishes deleting the old models.

Step 2: decide if it is worth it

Before you remove anything, think about what you use. If you turn Apple Intelligence off, you lose, among other things:

• The writing tools: rewrite, proofread and summarize text.
• Summaries in Mail, Messages, Safari, Notes and notifications.
• Genmoji and Image Playground.
• The Clean Up tool in Photos.
• Third-party apps that use Apple’s models.

If you use any of them every day, it may be better to free up space somewhere else. Start with How to free up space on Mac and What is System Data on Mac.

Step 3: how to get the space back

Apple does not offer a button to delete the models in macOS 27. What does exist are methods that go through the system itself:

1. Turn the features off with a configuration profile. macOS lets you disable Apple Intelligence features with a profile that you approve in System Settings. It is the same mechanism companies use to manage their Macs.
2. Ask Apple’s model service to delete them. With the features off, the macOS service itself can remove the models and not download them again.
3. Undo it whenever you want. You remove the profile and macOS downloads the models again when they are needed.

There are open source projects that do this from Terminal, such as RemoveMacAI and pared. Read their documentation before you use them and check how each step is undone.

Summary

1. Apple states up to 14 GB or 8 GB depending on the Mac, but more than 20 GB has been measured.
2. In macOS 27 the models download on their own, and turning features off does not delete them.
3. Check your number in System Settings > General > Storage and wait a day after updating.
4. If you do not use its features, get the space back with a method that goes through macOS and can be undone.
5. Never delete system folders by hand.

If you do not have enough space to update, read How to update macOS when you do not have enough space, or download Pruneo for free.

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