May 8, 2026, 4:57 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Many Google Chrome users may currently notice that several gigabytes of storage are suddenly missing from their device. Apparently, Chrome is installing an update in the background that is about 4 gigabytes in size. Notably, the download occurs automatically and without active consent. This is due to a new AI feature in the browser.
According to the IT blog “That Privacy Guy” by lawyer and computer scientist Alexander Hanff, the update is downloaded when the AI features in Chrome are active. Since these are enabled by default, it affects many users.
The process initially seems like a normal update, but it takes significantly longer than usual, about 15 minutes. Prior consent is not obtained.
AI File Permanently Occupies Storage Space
After the update is complete, a file named “weights.bin” is on the device, about 4 gigabytes in size. It is located in the “OptGuideOnDeviceModel” directory and is part of Google’s locally executed AI model Gemini Nano. If this file is deleted, Chrome automatically downloads it again. To prevent this, manual changes to the system settings are necessary.
Here’s how to free up the storage again:
On Windows:
- Open the Registry.
- Navigate to the entry “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome”.
- Create the DWORD “GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings” (without quotes) and set the value to 1.
- Then restart the PC.
On macOS:
- Open the address chrome://flags in the browser.
- Disable the option “Enables Optimization Guide On Device”.
Also of interest: 108 harmful Chrome extensions discovered
Criticism of Privacy and Procedure
Alexander Hanff not only criticizes the additional storage consumption. He also questions the legality of the procedure, particularly concerning European and British data protection laws. In his view, Google installs the software without consent and collects data in the process. Furthermore, Chrome initiates the download again, even if users deliberately delete the file. This disregards the explicit wishes of the users.