I don't think your answer to your question makes it go away completely at all. It'll definitely come back once you upgrade. The date subfolder it's in suggests it might even be redownloaded more often.
To get rid of it properly, for Windows there's a Chrome policy that can be modified - GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings - to value 1 in the registry, or Do not download model in gpedit. I don't know about the macOS equivalent, but it should be a policy with the same name in theory.
I also found mentions of a bunch of various flags you can potentially disable to turn the whole feature off, e.g. chrome://flags/#optimization-guide-on-device-model, but I've seen at least 5 other ones mentioned in several sources, with various people claiming for each that they don't work, so yeah - I don't have this file and won't risk enabling anything to test it to avoid AI nonsense on my device.
I don't think your answer to your question makes it go away completely at all. It'll definitely come back once you upgrade. The date subfolder it's in suggests it might even be redownloaded more often.
To get rid of it properly, for Windows there's a Chrome policy that can be modified - GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings - to value 1 in the registry, or Do not download model in gpedit. I don't know about the macOS equivalent, but it should be a policy with the same name in theory.
I also found mentions of a bunch of various flags you can potentially disable to turn the whole feature off, e.g. chrome://flags/#optimization-guide-on-device-model, but I've seen at least 5 other ones mentioned in several sources, with various people claiming for each that they don't work, so yeah - I don't have this file and won't risk enabling anything to test it to avoid AI nonsense on my device.
This file is the Gemini Nano large language model that powers the built-in AI features.
It's used by web APIs like the Prompt API, Translator API, Summarizer API, and sometimes Chrome DevTools.
Yes, according to my own experiments, you can delete the weights.bin file or the OptGuideOnDeviceModel folder. Chrome won't fatally break, but anything relating to the built-in AI will be kind of broken (probably) until you restart the browser.
There's some good developer documentation at The Prompt API.
If you want to go nerdy: You can open up chrome://on-device-internals/ and hit "Load Default" and do inference directly with the model.
Home Page layout changed on July 1. Change back?
Chrome://flags parallel downloading I want to use:(
Google Chrome Toolbar moved to the bottom - Google Chrome Community
Recent searches back on Chrome homepage on Android [missing flag]
Videos
Chrome launches to chrome://apps/, with apps for Gmail, Sheets, etc.
Starting today, the layout changed.
The order in which the apps appear is now alphabetical and cannot be edited. For example, I had Gmail first, as it is the one I use most often. Now Docs is first.
Also, the background is now black. Previously, it was white.
At a minimum, is there any way to change the order of the apps? Completely reverting to the old layout would be preferable, but the different background color is not that big of a deal.
I want to use parallel downloading
Dear Pooja Bhagchandani,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community.
While I understand your interest in enabling the Parallel Download feature in Google Chrome to improve your downloading experience, it’s important to note that Google Chrome is a third-party application. As such, Microsoft does not directly manage or provide fixes for Chrome-specific features.
That said, I can guide you on how to enable the Parallel Download feature in Chrome and direct you to the appropriate resources for additional support.
How to Enable Parallel Downloading in Chrome
Parallel Downloading is an experimental feature in Chrome that can speed up downloads by creating multiple connections to download files simultaneously. To enable it:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Type chrome://flags in the address bar and press Enter.
- In the search bar at the top, type Parallel Downloading.
- When the Parallel Downloading option appears, click the dropdown menu next to it and select Enabled.
- Click Relaunch to restart Chrome and apply the changes.
Based on my testing on Chrome V131.0.6778.205, this feature is enabled properly in the labs.
For detailed support and to address specific issues, I recommend visiting the Google Chrome Help Community or reaching out to Chrome's support team:
Google Chrome Help Community: Ask a Question - Google Chrome Community
Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites, or any support related to technology.
The dedicated team and community members there will be better equipped to help you troubleshoot and provide specific advice regarding Chrome features.
If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to reach out.
Best Regards,
Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist