It’s always a good practice to keep track of your Mac’s storage and eliminate storage-hogging items so they don’t clog up. While macOS offers a straightforward way to view how much space a specific app or service has taken up, checking Apple Intelligence’s storage space requires some digging.
So, if you are unable to figure out how much space Apple’s generative AI has gobbled up on your Mac, follow the steps below:
Time needed: 1 minute
- On your Mac, launch the System Settings app. Alternatively, hit the Apple menu at the top left and choose System Settings.
- In the left sidebar, select General.
- On the right panel, click Storage.
- On the next screen, scroll down and click the small info button located next to macOS.
- Now, a pop-up will appear showing the total storage space that Apple Intelligence has used on your Mac.
Unfortunately, macOS 15 doesn’t offer a way to clear the Apple Intelligence storage. If you are not a fan of Apple’s AI or no longer want to use it, turning off Apple Intelligence will help you prevent it from consuming storage on your Mac.
To do so, go to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri, then disable the toggle next to Apple Intelligence and confirm.
Why Has Apple Intelligence Taken Up a Lot of Space on My Mac?
Apple Intelligence can take up to 7GB of storage space on a Mac. The generative AI, however, tends to consume way more space. Why does it do so?
It’s worth pointing out that the AI needs to download machine learning models along with other required assets to perform some functions locally on your device. Its overall storage usage also depends on your specific use cases. If you extensively use Apple Intelligence, it may occupy more space on your Mac.
I wish Apple added a native way to take control of Apple Intelligence’s storage space in macOS 16. Though understandably, the tech giant wants to use the stored data to train its AI model, not giving users the ability to view and clear stored data feels downright privacy-intrusive.
Dear Apple, fix it sooner rather than later…