RemoveMacAI frees Apple Intelligence storage - but think twice

A new open-source tool called RemoveMacAI promises to turn off Apple Intelligence on macOS 27 and delete its downloaded models, freeing up at least 12GB of storage. The project, published on GitHub by indie developer Om Lahore, is going viral for giving Mac users a way to reclaim space they never asked Apple to use.

Lahore's tool works by applying a configuration profile that uses Apple's own restriction keys to disable Apple Intelligence features, then removes the downloaded models and prevents macOS from re-downloading them. According to 9to5Mac, the developer explains exactly what the tool removes and disables.

Features turned off:

• Siri (including "Hey Siri" and the menu bar icon)
• Writing Tools
• Genmoji
• Image Playground
• The ChatGPT extension
• Summaries in Mail, Messages, Safari, Notes and notifications
• Mail smart replies
• Inline text predictions
• Spatial Photos
• Photos Clean Up
• Xcode predictive code completion

Models removed include the foundation models, image generation and Genmoji models, Spatial Photos, Photos Clean Up, and Xcode code completion. The tool also disables Visual Intelligence and natural-language editing in Calendar. Dictation remains functional, as its speech models are separate and not removed.

"This is an unofficial third-party tool making system-level changes, and should be comfortable with the way it works," Lahore said, as reported by 9to5Mac.

Apple Intelligence storage requirements have grown significantly: on macOS 26 it needed up to 7GB, but on macOS 27 Apple says it can require up to 14GB on newer Macs. For users with 256GB Macs, reclaiming 12GB or more makes a real difference.

But think twice before running it. RemoveMacAI does not require disabling System Integrity Protection, but it relies on configuration profiles, restriction keys, and system services that Apple could change at any time. A future macOS update could break the tool or cause unexpected behavior. There is also no telling if Apple will try to get the project removed from GitHub or change macOS to make the models harder to remove.

The project is well-intentioned, giving users control over their own computers. The broader question is whether users who don't want Apple Intelligence should have a straightforward way to turn it off completely. For now, RemoveMacAI offers that option, but with risks that only those comfortable with system-level tweaks should take.

• Apple Intelligence
• GitHub
• macOS
• Om Lahore
• RemoveMacAI
• storage