A new open-source tool lets you remove Apple Intelligence from macOS 27 and get back 12GB of storage or more. Named RemoveMacAI, the tool runs from Terminal.
Apple took away the master Apple Intelligence switch in macOS 27. Turn off individual features, and the AI models still sit on your drive. On a Mac with a small SSD, that’s a lot of dead weight.
How to remove Apple Intelligence with RemoveMacAI
Apple Intelligence takes up gigabytes of storage on a Mac because many of its AI models run locally rather than sending everything to Apple’s servers. macOS stores these models on the Mac so features such as Writing Tools, Image Playground, etc. can work without constantly uploading your data to the cloud.
But it’s understandable that anyone not interested in the AI capabilities of macOS 27 wants those gigabytes of storage space back. And RemoveMacAI does the job.
It’s free and is available on GitHub under MIT license. It requires macOS 27 and a Mac with Apple silicon. You can either install it with one-line curl command or through Homebrew.
Once launched, the tool then displays the current state and asks you to confirm. It then opens System Settings so you can approve a configuration profile. macOS requires you to do that, so the tool can’t skip it. After that, the models are removed from your drive.
If you want to play it safe, run the dry-run option first. Doing so shows the changes without applying them. You can also tell it to leave certain features switched on, with a reverse command undoing everything.
What RemoveMacAI changes under the hood
The configuration profile applies Apple’s own restriction keys for Apple Intelligence. The AI models are then removed using Apple’s asset service. But System Integrity Protection stays on, so nothing under /System is edited directly.
To keep the models from coming back, the profile sends each model’s download to a closed local port. That way, the fetch simply fails. The developer claims the profile persists across macOS updates, with the tool making no network requests or collecting data.
What stops working after the cleanup
Remove Apple Intelligence and a lot of features stop working. Siri goes, so does the “Hey Siri” wake word. Writing Tools, Genmoji and Image Playground also vanish. So does the ChatGPT extension and summaries in Mail, Messages, Safari, Notes and notifications.
Mail smart replies, inline text predictions, Spatial Photos and Photos Clean Up also stop working. The same goes for predictive code completion in Xcode. Apps that make use of Apple’s on-device models, like the Use Model action Shortcuts also go away. Visual Intelligence and natural-language editing in Calendar is gone as well.
But Dictation still works, since it uses a separate setting.
How much space you get back
The developer says you get back around 12GB of storage. That sits right within Apple’s own range. Apple lists up to 14Gb of Macs with M3 or newer and at least 12GB of memory.
Some Macs show far more in System Settings. Some users have reported reading above 30GB on macOS 27. But Apple’s own support page doesn’t explain why some machines report larger figures.
But don’t panic if System Settings still shows the old number. The developer notes macOS deletes the files on its own schedule, meaning the storage readout might lag.
Risks to weigh before you run it
This is still a third-party script that changes system settings. Read the code first, and use the dry-run option to be on the safer side. Also remember that you’re trusting a stranger’s repo.
Then there’s the durability catch. The developer reportedly warns some restriction keys the tool relies on were deprecated in macOS 26.4. They might still work in macOS 27.0.1, but a future update could change that.
If you never touch Apple Intelligence, it’s definitely a tempting trade. If you lean on Siri or Writing Tools, think twice.
Anurag Chawake is a tech-focused writer specializing in smartphones, apps and consumer technology. His interest in computers began during the Windows 98 era, eventually leading him to explore everything from operating systems to mobile devices and PC hardware. Anurag previously contributed to The Indian Express, covering Apple, Android, gaming and the broader technology landscape.
