Stop Chrome browser from downloading a Hidden 4GB AI File
If your Mac’s storage has been mysteriously shrinking recently and you use Google Chrome, you may have already identified the culprit. The browser has been downloading a 4GB AI model file onto computers without explicit user consent.
The file in question is called “weights.bin,” which powers Google’s on-device Gemini Nano AI model – the engine behind Chrome features like scam detection, autofill suggestions, and the “Help Me Write” tool. Local models tend to be pretty big storage-wise, and this one is no different. The problem is that Google hasn’t clearly signposted the fact that it’s eating 4GB of your drive with training data.
The issue only recently came to light thanks to security researcher Alexander Hanff, who noticed that Chrome installs the model on any device meeting the minimum hardware requirements, only without prompting you whether you’d like it there in the first place.
How to Check if the File Is on Your Mac
The first thing to do is confirm that the model is actually taking up space on your machine. While there’s no clear answer in Google’s release notes, recent reports suggest that the file started appearing after updating to Chrome version 148.0.7778.97. Here’s how you can find out if your computer was affected:
