How to remove Apple Intelligence models & reclaim storage in macOS 27

Turning off Apple Intelligence in macOS 27 won't remove its downloaded models, but properly deleting the main model folder can free valuable internal SSD space. Here's how to do it.

We're not fans of the fact that macOS can keep Apple Intelligence models on disk even after Siri AI is turned off. Apple doesn't provide a button for removing those downloaded files, so reclaiming the space requires going into Recovery and deleting the model folder directly.

This isn't an Apple-documented storage-management procedure, and the amount of space recovered can differ from the size macOS attributes to Apple Intelligence. In our test, the Mac started normally afterward and gained about 14 GB of available disk space.

Before the deletion, the Mac Storage pane attributed 27.59 GB to Apple Intelligence. Afterward, it showed 3.07 GB, and the Mac started normally. That 24.52 GB drop in the Storage category wasn't the same as the increase in available disk space.

Apple's storage requirements call for up to 14 GB on Macs with an M3 or later chip and at least 12 GB of unified memory, or up to 8 GB on other compatible Macs. The Storage pane can attribute more space to Apple Intelligence.

Measure the storage before you begin

Check the Apple Intelligence figure before changing any settings. You'll compare it with the figure shown after the Mac restarts.

1. Open System Settings and select General.
2. Click Storage.
3. Find macOS in the storage breakdown and click its information button.
4. Note the amount listed for Apple Intelligence.

An earlier guide documents the same route through System Settings. Our Mac showed 27.59 GB before deletion.

We also checked the model folders in Terminal while macOS was running. This command lists folders with the relevant name:

ls -ld /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM*

To see how much space each folder occupies, run:

du -sh /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM*

Our Mac had a 23 GB GenerativeModels folder, a 2.9 GB Visual folder, and a 6.8 MB Overrides folder. We deleted only GenerativeModels in this test.

Turn off Siri AI and enable Low Data Mode

Open System Settings, select Siri, and click Turn Off Siri. Apple's Mac guide also lists separate controls for Apple Intelligence features in individual apps, but those switches don't provide a way to delete downloaded models.

Next, enable Low Data Mode on the Wi-Fi network you're using. A beta tester reported that macOS began downloading missing models again when Low Data Mode was turned off.

1. Open System Settings and select Wi-Fi.
2. Click Details beside the connected network.
3. Turn on Low Data Mode.

Low Data Mode isn't an Apple Intelligence setting. Apple's Wi-Fi guide describes it as a way to reduce data use, so leaving it on may affect other background transfers. The setting applies separately to each network.

Find the model folder in Recovery

Back up your Mac before deleting anything. The command below permanently removes files, and Apple doesn't document this as a storage-management procedure. We didn't disable System Integrity Protection.

1. Shut down the Mac, then hold its power button until startup options appear.
2. Select Options and click Continue.
3. Open Disk Utility and choose View & Show All Devices.
4. Select the Data volume. Click Mount or Unlock if needed, then check its mount point in Disk Utility.
5. Quit Disk Utility and choose Utilities & Terminal.

Apple's Recovery guide explains how to start an Apple Silicon Mac in Recovery and open these tools. On our Mac, the encrypted Data volume mounted at /Volumes/Data. Your Mac may show a different name, so don't copy our path until you've checked yours.

Use this command to list the candidate folders on the mounted Data volume:

ls -ld /Volumes/Data/System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM*

In our test, the output showed the same three folders we'd found in normal macOS. Before deleting anything, change to their parent directory and print its path:

cd '/Volumes/Data/System/Library/AssetsV2' && pwd

Terminal should print the directory you're working in. On our Mac, it printed /Volumes/Data/System/Library/AssetsV2. If your command prints a different path or reports an error, stop and check the volume name rather than running the deletion command.

Delete the tested folder and check the result

From the verified AssetsV2 directory, remove the GenerativeModels folder by its exact name:

rm -rf ./com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM_GenerativeModels

Don't use a wildcard or delete the Visual, Overrides, or downloadDir folders. The command's lack of an error isn't proof that it worked, because rm -rf can also stay silent when a mistyped path doesn't exist.

Check the folder with a separate command:

ls -ld ./com_apple_MobileAsset_UAF_FM_GenerativeModels

In our test, Terminal reported that the folder no longer existed. We then measured the Data volume's available space:

df -h /Volumes/Data

Recovery showed 337 GB available immediately before the successful deletion and 351 GB afterward, a gain of about 14 GB. The folder had measured 23 GB with du, so its reported size wasn't the amount of additional available space.

Restart and watch for another download

Quit Terminal and restart the Mac. Once macOS starts, return to System Settings, General, Storage, then click the information button beside macOS. Our Apple Intelligence figure fell from 27.59 GB to 3.07 GB.

The Mac started normally, but one successful test doesn't establish that the models will stay gone. Keep Low Data Mode's effect on other transfers in mind, and check the Storage figure again later or after connecting to another network.

Changing Siri's language so it no longer matches the Mac's language can make Apple Intelligence unavailable, but it doesn't remove models already downloaded. We didn't use a language mismatch in this storage test.