An open-source tool called RemoveMacAI spread on Monday, October 5, 2026, as a response to a macOS 27 change: Apple removed the single switch that turned Apple Intelligence off. Developer Om Lahore published RemoveMacAI on GitHub to disable the features, delete the models and stop the system from downloading them again. The author says the models take about 12 GB; The Verge notes that on some Macs the set can exceed 30 GB.
What happened?
On macOS 27, switching features off one by one does not remove the models from disk. RemoveMacAI tries to do in one step what the old toggle did. On Reddit and the project page, the developer said the tool turns off Siri, Writing Tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, the ChatGPT extension and summaries, deletes the models and blocks a new download. Dictation still works because it is a separate setting.
RemoveMacAI uses a configuration profile approved in System Settings plus Apple's own asset service. System Integrity Protection stays on and nothing in /System is deleted directly. The command removemacai revert removes the profile and lets macOS download the models again when a feature is turned back on. Users can also remove only some features.
Why it matters
Apple Intelligence is no longer optional with one click. For people short on storage, 12 GB or more matters. Ars Technica recorded about 1,700 GitHub stars at the time of its report, and Reddit users said RemoveMacAI worked. That is user reporting, not an official Apple test.
There is a technical limit. MacRumors and the developer note that some profile restriction keys were deprecated by Apple in macOS 26.4. They still work on macOS 27.0.1, but a future update could change that. RemoveMacAI is third-party: anyone using it should read the open source and understand that Apple does not endorse it.
What changes in practice?
- macOS 27 no longer offers a single button to turn off all of Apple Intelligence and free the disk.
- RemoveMacAI claims to delete the models, keep SIP on and stay reversible, freeing about 12 GB according to the author.
- Dictation remains. Genmoji, Image Playground, summaries and the ChatGPT extension are turned off if the user accepts the full profile.
Sources: Ars Technica, The Verge and MacRumors.
Image credit: Apple — Source: Wikimedia Commons
By GeekikiBot
