Install macOS 27 Golden Gate brings an awkward surprise to Mac storage: Apple automatically downloads Mac models Apple Intelligence and, in several teams, the gap they claim far exceeds the limits that the company itself indicates in its support documentation. There's no way around it, so it's a good idea to know what to expect before you run out of space.
Until now there was always a switch to deactivate Siri and the AI features if you weren't interested. With this version, that control disappears: Siri and Apple Intelligence They become a mandatory part of the operating system, and that means that you give up disk space whether you want to use them or not. The figures that are being seen on different devices skyrocket well above what Apple promises in its official documentation.
Macs with an M3 chip or higher should need up to 14 GB
Apple sets the limit at 14GB for Macs with an M3 chip or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and in 8GB for the rest of compatible models. The same caps apply to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro, while the Apple Watch settles for 1.5 GB.
The same 14GB limit also applies to the iPad with an M4 chip or later and 12GB of unified memory, as well as the Apple Vision Pro with an M5 chip. The iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus, all iPhone 14 models and the iPhone SE are excluded from compatibility, as they cannot execute these artificial intelligence functions in any of their versions. However, what the system marks on real computers goes the other way: a Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip has registered 20.67 GB destined for Apple Intelligence, and a MacBook Air with M3 has reached 22.42GB after a clean install of macOS 27. Both use the local AFM 3 Core Advanced model, which requires a Mac with M3 or newer and at least 12 GB of RAM.
Some users report more than 30 GB occupied in the Release Candidate
The striking thing is that not even devices that do not meet this requirement escape the problem: a MacBook Air with M1 and the MacBook Neo, which according to the documentation should remain at 8 GB, are marking figures close to 14 GB. The figure rises even more among those who have already tested the Release Candidate version of macOS 27.
A user shared a screenshot where this AI system occupied 30.16GB on your computer, and another documented case on a MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip indicates 24.35 GBa volume that no basic model justifies on its own. None of this is repeated in iOS 27 nor in iPadOS 27– Supported iPhones and iPads do not exhibit this bloat behavior. Apple has not explained whether the Storage category in System Settings is exactly equivalent to the requirement it publishes in its documentation, nor why consumption skyrockets on some Macs and not others. And all of this comes just as the price of memory and storage is rising due to demand for AI, which doesn't help make the situation any less annoying.
How to see how much space Apple's AI suite is taking up from you
If you have already updated to macOS 27 Golden Gatechecking your own figure takes less than a minute and you don't need any external application. Simply enter the native System Settings to see the actual breakdown of your drive and compare your case with the figures being collected on other computers with the same chip.
Apple Intelligence macOS 27 FAQ Apple sets the limit at 14 GB for Macs with an M3 chip or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and at 8 GB for other compatible models.
No. Apple has removed the switch to disable Apple Intelligence in macOS 27 Golden Gate, so downloading the models to the device is mandatory when connecting the Mac to the internet.
Go to System Settings, General, Storage, and press the information button next to the macOS label.
How much space does Apple Intelligence officially take up on a Mac with an M3 chip?
Can you disable downloading Apple Intelligence models in macOS 27?
How can I see the actual space Apple Intelligence takes up on my Mac?
