How To Disable & Delete Google Chrome’s 4GB Local AI Model (Gemini Nano)

Google Chrome now downloads a 4GB AI model (Gemini Nano) for local features like Help me write and scam detection. If you want to disable these features and reclaim disk space, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Disable the Features

• All Operating Systems:
  • Open Chrome.
  • Go to Settings: chrome://settings/system and toggle On-device AI to Off if it’s there.
  • Go to Chrome Flags: chrome://flags, search for Gemini Nano and Optimization Guide on Device, set them all to Disabled, then relaunch Chrome.
• Windows (Permanent Registry Block):
  • Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
  • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies.
  • Create Google and Chrome folders if missing:
    Right-click Policies → New → Key → name it Google.
    Right-click Google → New → Key → name it Chrome.
  • Inside the Chrome key, right-click → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
    Name it: GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings and set its value to 1.
• Linux (Policy File):
  • Create the policy directory:
    sudo mkdir -p /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/
  • Create a file named ai_policy.json:
    sudo nano /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/ai_policy.json
  • Paste this content:
    { "GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings": 1 }
• macOS (Terminal):
  • Open Terminal.
  • Paste and run:
    defaults write com.google.Chrome GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings -int 1

Step 2: Delete the 4GB File

Once the feature is disabled, go to the following directory for your OS to delete the data if it’s there:

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\
• Linux: ~/.config/google-chrome/
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/

Locate the folder named OptGuideOnDeviceModel, delete the entire folder (this contains the weights.bin file), then empty your Recycle Bin or Trash.

Step 3: Verify the Block

• Type chrome://policy in the Chrome address bar.
• Click Reload Policies.
• Find GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings. If the Status is OK and the Value is 1, the block is successful.

Why Did This Happen?

Google uses Gemini Nano to process AI tasks locally for better privacy and speed. However, these weights (the 4GB file) take up significant disk space. While Chrome may eventually auto-delete them if your drive is nearly full, these steps are the only way to manually reclaim the space and keep it gone.

By disabling and deleting Gemini Nano, you ensure Chrome won’t re-download the model in the background, giving you back valuable storage space and full control over your system.