The ongoing march of AI features continues to go on, whether you want it to or not, and a recent update to Google Chrome probably installed a few gigabytes of local AI models on your computer.
As highlighted in a post from The Privacy Guy and since talked about widely across the web, Google Chrome now “silently” installs 4GB worth of AI models – Gemini Nano – on your machine without directly telling you about it.
The change happened recently, and eats up that additional storage on your computer with no warning. Google performs the change in the background, though it seems to depend on whether or not you have certain Gemini in Chrome features enabled. This includes “Help me write” as well as background AI-powered features such as on-device scam detection. Google launched the latter in May of 2025, so this local storage probably isn’t a particularly new change.
Google first announced Gemini Nano would be coming to Chrome in 2024.
The 4GB of storage can be found in the “OptGuideOnDeviceModel” in a “weights.bin” file.
On a developer page, Google explains that Chrome downloads a Gemini Nano model based on the “user’s hardware,” with Gemini Nano updates handled automatically in the background.
Importantly, Google says that Gemini Nano is the first thing to go if Chrome detects that a user is running low on storage:
Chrome actively manages disk space to ensure the user doesn’t run out. The Gemini Nano model is automatically deleted if the device’s free disk space drops below a certain threshold.
The Verge notes that you should can delete the file manually, but Chrome will re-download it unless you toggle off an “on-device AI” setting in Settings > System. We couldn’t access that setting, though, on a MacBook running Chrome v147, though it does appear on a Windows machine running the same version.
Update: In a statement shared with 9to5Google, Google reiterates that this practice has been in place since 2024 and that it will delete the local files if you are low on space, while also confirming that a setting is rolling out to allow users to more easily disable this option.
We’ve offered Gemini Nano for Chrome since 2024 as a lightweight, on-device model. It powers important security capabilities like scam detection and developer APIs without sending your data to the cloud. While this requires some local space on the desktop to run, the model will automatically uninstall if the device is low on resources. In February, we began rolling out the ability for users to easily turn off and remove the model directly in Chrome settings. Once disabled the model will no longer download or update. More details in our help center article.
Ironically, Google’s documentation on AI in Chrome tells developers that “it’s best practice to alert the user to the time required to perform these downloads.”
Google has not directly commented on the recent criticism over Chrome’s storage use for local AI.
More on Google Chrome:
- Chrome for Android will let you just share approximate location
- Gemini in Chrome rolling out to Asia Pacific
- Google announces ‘Skills’ for Gemini in Chrome to quickly run custom workflows
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