Chrome downloads 4GB to your PC without asking

Google began last year turning Chrome, the world’s most popular browser, into an AI browser in response to popular AI competitors like OpenAI. Recent reports have revealed that this transition involves silently installing a large cache of AI “weights” on an unknown but significant number of devices.

Google Chrome users who have noticed unusual disk activity or unexplained decreases in available storage space should look for a folder called “ OptGuideOnDeviceModel ” inside the Chrome folder. It contains about 4GB of files for Google’s Gemini Nano LLM, which have been downloaded by the browser without the user’s consent.

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Deleting the folder is not the solution – Chrome will download it again. On Windows 11, the folder is located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\OptGuideOnDeviceModel, but it also exists on Apple computers and Ubuntu.

Completely uninstalling Chrome is the most effective way to remove the folder. However, those who want to continue using the browser can disable the download from the internal address “chrome://flags.” There, there is an item titled “Enables optimization guide on device on Android.” Select “Disabled” from the drop-down menu next to it. This is one way for users to determine if their device is eligible for the feature.

According to Alexander Hanff, a computer scientist and lawyer who verified this behavior , users have been reporting these automatic downloads for about a year. It may coincide with the introduction of AI features to Chrome last fall, such as writing assistance, AI summaries, and automatic browsing.

Given Chrome's billions of users, the total number of devices affected — and the bandwidth consumed — could be significant. Hanff estimates that pushing 4GB to hundreds of millions or billions of devices would equate to several exabytes of data being transferred, potentially generating between 6.000 and 60.000 metric tons of CO2.

However, determining the total number is difficult. Alexander Hanff looked for 4GB on two Windows 11 devices that are a few years old and found that both were ineligible, so Google may only be promoting LLM on more modern machines.

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