Apple Intelligence storage on macOS 27 Golden Gate is running far above what Apple lists on its own support page. Some Mac owners are watching 20GB to 30GB disappear from their drives after updating, and Apple has not said why.
Apple’s support document lists up to 14GB of on-device storage for Macs with an M3 chip or later and at least 12GB of unified memory. Every other Apple Intelligence Mac is listed at up to 8GB. The readings below come from owners and testers who checked the Storage section in System Settings after installing macOS 27.
Some Macs Are Losing 20GB to 30GB to Apple Intelligence
After you install macOS 27 Golden Gate, the Mac downloads a multi-gigabyte AI model the next time it connects to the internet. The numbers reported so far run well past Apple’s 14GB ceiling.
- Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip running macOS 27: 20.67GB
- MacBook Air with an M3 chip after a fresh install of macOS 27.0 beta 7: 22.42GB
- MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip: 24.35GB
- One owner’s macOS 27 Release Candidate screenshot: 30.16GB
Macs that fall below the requirement for the most advanced model are also showing more than Apple lists. An M1 MacBook Air and a MacBook Neo both reported about 14GB, even though Apple lists up to 8GB for that group. Here are the MacBooks that support Apple Intelligence in macOS 27.
The larger on-device model on M3 and newer Macs with 12GB or more of memory is called AFM 3 Core Advanced. Apple has not said whether its “up to 14GB” figure is measured the same way as the Apple Intelligence line in Storage settings, which could account for part of the difference. Owners have not reported the same jump on iPhones or iPads running iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, although Apple Intelligence already needs nearly double the storage on some iPhones.
Apple Has Removed the Option to Skip the Download
Earlier versions of macOS let owners decline Apple Intelligence and keep the storage. On macOS 27, testers say the toggle to turn Apple Intelligence off is gone, so the models download automatically. Apple Intelligence itself is still optional to use, but the files take up room either way, and Siri AI is now built into the system.
How much that hurts depends on the drive. A Mac with a 256GB SSD that gives up 20GB to 30GB loses roughly 8 to 12 percent of its capacity before a single file is added. The entry Mac mini M6 has soldered storage in a 256GB configuration, so there is no upgrading later to make up the difference.
To see your own number, open System Settings, go to General, then Storage, and click the info button beside macOS. Our guide for common macOS 27 problems and fixes cover other issues people are running into after the update.
Apple’s support document sets the requirement by device, and the tiers run from 14GB on the newest iPhones to 1.5GB on the Apple Watch.
- Up to 14GB: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPad with an M4 chip or later and at least 12GB of memory, Mac with an M3 chip or later and at least 12GB of memory, and Apple Vision Pro with an M5 chip
- Up to 8GB: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 model, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, and other compatible iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro models
- Up to 1.5GB on the watch: compatible Apple Watch models
- Not supported: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 14 and earlier, and iPhone SE
Apple should update its support documentation to explain the gap between its official numbers and what System Settings shows, and to bring back a way to turn the download off.
