Chrome automatically downloads Gemini Nano (a 4GB AI model) to users’ computers without notification or an easy way to prevent it.
Alex Valdes of Bellevue, Washington, has been pumping content into the Internet for some time, including MSNBC.com, MSN, Bing, MoneyTalksNews, Tipico and more. He admits to being somewhat fascinated by the Cambridge cafe webcam in the roaring 90s.
Chrome conducted an experiment on its users’ hard drives. Since at least April 2026, the browser has automatically downloaded Gemini Nano, Google’s built-in AI model, on eligible desktop and laptop computers, without prompting users, notifying them, or offering an easy way to opt out. A Chrome data folder that most people have never opened powers a set of AI features, including scam detection and SMS support, and reinstalls itself if deleted by standard means. Privacy advocates say the practice raises serious questions about consent. Here’s how to find the file and what your options are for getting rid of it.
The mysterious file in question is Gemini Nano, a AI model that runs on deviceslike smartphones and laptops rather than in the cloud. According to Alexander Hanff, a Swedish computer scientist and lawyer known as That Privacy Guy, it was installed on some Chrome browsers without permission. You also won’t know when it has been downloaded to your device.
Hanff said Gemini Nano would only be installed if the device met the hardware requirements. It is still unclear how many people got the facility.
Gemini Nano performs tasks like detecting scam phone calls, helps you compose text messages, summarizes recordings, and analyzes Pixel phone screenshots. It should not be confused with the AI mode pill in the address bar. If you use AI mode, your requests are routed to Google Gemini servers, not Gemini Nano.
A Google spokesperson told CNET that Gemini Nano will automatically uninstall if the device does not have enough resources, such as processing power, memory, storage space or network bandwidth.
“In February, we began offering users the ability to easily disable and remove the template directly in Chrome settings,” the spokesperson said. “Once disabled, the template will no longer be downloaded or updated.”
Google provides more information about on-device generative AI models in Chrome on this webpage.
How to get rid of the AI model
If you want to remove the AI 4GB model from your device, first check if it is installed.
Hanff said Chrome users won’t know they have Gemini Nano unless they search for it, because “Chrome didn’t ask” and “Chrome doesn’t make it appear.”
The easiest way to remove Gemini Nano from your device is to uninstall Chrome.
On a Mac
- If you’re using a Mac, open Researcher by clicking on the blue smiley face icon on the far left of the dock.
- Then click Go in the top menu bar and hold down the Option key so that Library appears in the drop-down menu.
- Click Librarythen go to App support > Google > Chrome > Default. Check if there is a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel. If the folder exists and contains a file named weights.bin, the AI template has been installed.
- To permanently remove it on a Mac, open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner. Then click SettingsSO System and deactivate On device AI.
On a Windows device
If you are using a Windows device, there are several ways to check if Gemini Nano is installed.
- One solution is to use a run command. Press the Windows key and A.paste %LOCALAPPDATA%GoogleChromeUser DataOptGuideOnDeviceModel then press Enter. If this file appears, check if weights.bin is there.
- You can also use File Explorer to check if the AI template is installed. Navigate to C:Users[YourUsername]AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser DataOptGuideOnDeviceModel and search for weights.bin.
- To get rid of the AI model in Windows, open Chrome, go to Settings > Systemand deactivate On-device AI. Still in Chrome, type chrome://flags in the address bar and search for Optimization Guide. Next, set Enable optimization guide on device to Disabled.
- Then restart Chrome by closing it completely, using the menu to exit, not just closing windows.
- Finally, delete the local files by going to AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser Data and deleting the OptGuideOnDeviceModel folder.
Watch this: Google I/O 2026: new Gemini, smart glasses and all-new laptop operating system. Here’s what to expect
Why is this important?
Hanff said the move could aim to help Google cut costs by moving AI work from its own servers to your computer.
“Running inference on users’ hardware allows them to develop ‘AI features’ without the computational costs,” Hanff told CNET.
AI inference is the process of making the model actually do the things you ask it to do, as opposed to training it, which typically happens in a data center. If this happens on your computer rather than in the cloud, it could impact things like your computer’s speed or battery life, in addition to the storage space the model takes up on your hard drive.
But Hanff suggested there could be legal consequences, at least in Europe. He suggested that the installation of Gemini Nano could constitute a violation of the principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Hanff said that, given the potential environmental impacts, Google should have announced it as part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
“Google has given us every reason not to trust them with a two-decade history of large-scale global privacy violations,” Hanff told CNET. “So I suspect they thought that asking permission (which the law requires) would hinder their ability to promote this model and, of course, anything that follows.”
Alex Valdes of Bellevue, Washington, has been pumping content into the Internet for some time, including MSNBC.com, MSN, Bing, MoneyTalksNews, Tipico and more. He admits to being somewhat fascinated by the Cambridge cafe webcam in the roaring 90s. See full bio
