How to Delete Up to 12GB of Apple Intelligence Data on macOS 27

Apple Intelligence is becoming more deeply integrated into macOS, but macOS 27 has made one thing more complicated: turning it off completely.

In macOS 26, Apple offered a single switch that could disable Apple Intelligence across the system. That option is gone in macOS 27. Instead, users now have to disable individual AI features through multiple settings, including Screen Time.

There’s another problem: turning those features off doesn’t necessarily remove the AI models that macOS has already downloaded to your Mac.

That’s where RemoveMacAI, a free and open-source utility available on GitHub, comes in. Created by GitHub user omlahore, the tool is designed to disable Apple Intelligence features, remove their downloaded models and prevent macOS from downloading them again.

Apple Removed the System-Wide Apple Intelligence Switch

The biggest change in macOS 27 is the disappearance of Apple’s master Apple Intelligence toggle.

Previously, disabling Apple Intelligence was relatively straightforward. In macOS 27, users have to manage individual AI features across different parts of the operating system.

Reports from The Verge and MacRumors indicate that there are roughly a dozen settings involved. Even after disabling those features through Apple’s settings, the underlying AI models may remain stored on the Mac.

That’s significant because these models can consume a considerable amount of storage.

Apple’s stated requirement is up to 14GB on Macs equipped with an M3 chip or newer. However, some macOS 27 users have reported storage usage exceeding 30GB.

Those larger figures may include additional assets used for features such as image generation, photo processing, Genmoji and developer-related tools rather than only the core Apple Intelligence foundation models.

What Is RemoveMacAI?

RemoveMacAI is a Terminal-based utility designed to handle the cleanup that macOS 27 doesn’t currently provide through its standard settings.

Instead of manually disabling individual features and searching for leftover model files, the tool combines several steps into one process.

It targets a broad range of Apple Intelligence features, including:

• Siri enhancements
• Writing Tools
• Genmoji
• Image Playground
• ChatGPT integration
• Mail summaries
• Messages summaries
• Notification summaries
• Inline text predictions
• Photos Clean Up
• Spatial Photos
• Xcode predictive code completion

According to the project’s documentation, RemoveMacAI removes the associated AI model assets and then prevents macOS from downloading them again.

The process requires users to approve a configuration profile through System Settings. The developer says the utility relies on Apple’s asset-management mechanisms rather than directly modifying protected system files.

Check How Much Space Apple Intelligence Uses

Before making any changes, RemoveMacAI provides a way to check the AI models currently stored on your Mac.

Running:

removemacai status

reports the size of individual AI model assets on the system. This gives you a better idea of how much storage you could potentially recover before removing anything.

If you later decide that you want Apple Intelligence back, the project documentation says:

removemacai revert

can reverse the changes and allow the models to download again.

The amount of storage you recover will vary from Mac to Mac. The developer estimates around 12GB, while Apple’s published requirement reaches up to 14GB on M3-and-later Macs. Some user reports cited by MacRumors in September 2026 have shown totals above 30GB.

RemoveMacAI Compatibility

There are some important compatibility requirements to check before installing the utility.

RemoveMacAI is intended for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 27. Macs running macOS 26 or earlier aren’t supported.

There’s also a specific requirement for macOS 27.0.1: according to the project’s repository, users on that version need RemoveMacAI 0.2.3 or later.

In other words, don’t assume that the latest version of macOS and an older release of the tool will work together. Check the project’s current compatibility information before running it.

What Happens After You Remove Apple Intelligence?

The developer says the configuration changes remain in place across macOS updates and that Dictation continues to work after Apple Intelligence is removed.

However, these are developer-reported claims and haven’t been independently verified.

There’s also a more important long-term compatibility concern.

MacRumors has reported that some configuration-profile restriction keys used by the utility were deprecated by Apple in macOS 26.4. That could potentially affect the tool in future versions of macOS.

For that reason, anyone considering RemoveMacAI should check the current project documentation and source code before installing it, particularly after a major macOS update.

Back Up Your Mac Before Making Changes

Although RemoveMacAI is free, open source and released under the MIT license, that doesn’t mean you should run it without preparation.

Configuration profiles and system-level changes can have consequences, especially when they depend on mechanisms that Apple may change or remove in a future update.

Before using the tool:

• Make sure your Mac has a current backup.
• Confirm that you’re running a supported version of macOS.
• Check that you’re using a compatible RemoveMacAI release.
• Review the project’s source code and documentation.
• Understand what the configuration profile changes before approving it.
• Keep in mind that a future macOS update could change how the tool works.

The open-source nature of the project makes the code available for inspection, but it shouldn’t be treated as a guarantee that the utility will remain compatible indefinitely.

Should You Remove Apple Intelligence from macOS 27?

If you’re using an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 27 and don’t use Apple Intelligence, RemoveMacAI provides a more comprehensive way to reclaim storage and prevent the associated models from being downloaded again.

The main reason the tool exists is straightforward: macOS 27 no longer provides the system-wide Apple Intelligence switch that made disabling the feature simple in earlier versions.

There is a trade-off, though. You’re relying on a third-party command-line utility and configuration profile to manage something Apple itself no longer exposes through one central setting.

For users who want the storage back, that may be worthwhile. But because Apple’s system-management rules can change with future macOS releases, compatibility should be checked before every major update.

For now, RemoveMacAI offers a practical solution for Mac users who want Apple Intelligence gone—not just disabled in the settings, but removed from the drive as well.