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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →If Chrome has downloaded a large AI model, Google’s supported way to remove it and stop future downloads is to turn off On-device AI in Settings > AI innovations. Google says this removes the local model files and prevents them from downloading again while the setting stays off. Features that rely on those models will no longer work.
What Chrome’s AI model is—and why it may be on your device
Chrome can download on-device generative AI model files for eligible computers. They are not a separate app to uninstall: Chrome stores them locally to support tasks such as helping write or rephrase text, summarizing webpages, organizing tabs, and warning about scams. For supported tasks, processing happens on the device. Google’s Chrome Help page describes the features, download conditions, and management setting.
A May 2026 report found a file named weights.bin in a directory called OptGuideOnDeviceModel and put its size at roughly 4 GB. That describes a reported file, not a guaranteed download for every Chrome user: eligibility, model files, and their sizes can vary. Google has described Gemini Nano as available in Chrome since 2024; its September 2025 announcement specifically connected Gemini Nano with Enhanced Protection’s detection of tech-support scams. 9to5Google’s May 2026 report covers the file, while Google’s September 2025 announcement describes that security use case.
Google says downloads are limited to eligible devices and may occur in the background or when you first use a feature that depends on a model. Its listed conditions include an unmetered network connection, sufficient device performance, and approximately 20 GB of free disk space; Google notes that requirements may change.
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How to remove the model and disable future downloads
- Open Chrome on the computer where you want to manage the model.
- Select More > Settings > AI innovations.
- Turn On-device AI off.
Google identifies this toggle as the supported way to manage the models. It says turning it off deletes the local on-device generative AI model files and prevents them from downloading again for that user and device while the setting remains off. If you turn the setting back on, Chrome may download models again when the required conditions are met. See Google’s current Chrome Help instructions if the labels or location have changed.
What stops working when On-device AI is off?
Features that depend on the on-device models will stop working. This does not necessarily disable every AI-related feature in Chrome: the effect is on features that rely on the local models managed by this setting.
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- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
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If you cannot find the setting
First check the current instructions on Google’s Chrome Help page and confirm that Chrome is up to date. Availability has varied: in a May 2026 report, 9to5Google said the control was missing on one Mac running Chrome 147 but visible on a Windows installation running the same version. That is a dated observation, not a reliable guide to what you will see now.
Android Authority reported a fallback in May 2026: disable the optimization-guide-on-device-model and prompt-api-for-gemini-nano flags, relaunch Chrome, and then delete the OptGuideOnDeviceModel folder on Windows or macOS. This is a third-party workaround, not Google’s supported procedure; a Chrome update could reset the flags. Google also cautions that manually deleting model files is not recommended and may not prevent a later download. Prefer the settings toggle whenever it is available. Read Android Authority’s dated workaround report.
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