Did Chrome Just Install a Great AI Model on Your Device Without Telling You? Yes, Maybe
You did not install it. You were not asked. You probably didn’t even know it existed. But if you’re using Google Chrome on a desktop computer, there’s a reasonable chance that a 4GB AI model called Gemini Nano is sitting on your hard drive right now, placed there automatically by Chrome between April and early May 2026. Security researcher Alexander Hanff labeled it a silent release, which affects eligible devices running the latest versions of Chrome and offers no permission screen and no settings to block it directly. Privacy advocates say the practice could violate European data protection law. Here’s how to test your machine — and remove the file, at least temporarily.
The mystery file in question is Gemini Nano, an AI model that runs on devices like smartphones and laptops instead of the cloud. According to Alexander Hanff, a Swedish computer scientist and lawyer known as That Privacy Guy, it was installed in other people’s Chrome browsers without permission. You never know when it has been downloaded back to your device.
Hanff said the Gemini Nano will only be installed if the device meets the hardware requirements. It is not known how many people have received coverage.
Gemini Nano performs tasks such as detecting scam phone calls, helping you write text messages, extracting recordings and analyzing screenshots of a Pixel phone. Not to be confused with AI mode pill in the address bar. When you use AI Mode, your questions are forwarded to the Google Gemini servers, not to the Gemini Nano.
A Google spokesperson told CNET that the Gemini Nano will automatically boot if the device does not have enough resources, such as processing power, RAM memory, storage space or network bandwidth.
“In February, we began rolling out the ability for users to easily disable and remove a model directly from Chrome’s settings,” a spokesperson said. “If disabled, the model will no longer download or update.”
Google provides more information about generative AI models in Chrome on this web page.
How to remove an AI model
If you want to remove the 4GB AI model from your device, first check if it is installed.
Hanff said Chrome users wouldn’t know they had a Gemini Nano unless they searched for it, because “Chrome didn’t ask” and “Chrome doesn’t show up.”
The easiest way to remove Gemini Nano from your device is to uninstall Chrome.
On a Mac
If you’re using a Mac, open Finder by clicking the blue smiley face icon on the far left of the dock or by pressing Command (⌘) + N in an empty space on the desktop.
Then, click Go away on the menu bar and hold i An option key to The library appears in the drop-down menu. Click The libraryand navigate to Program Support > Google > Chrome > Defaults. Check if there is a folder named OptGuideOnDeviceModel. If the folder exists and contains a file named weights.bin, the AI model was installed.
To permanently remove it from your Mac, open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Then click Settingsthen The program and open On the AI device.
On a Windows device
If you are using a Windows device, there are several ways to check if Gemini Nano is installed.
Another way is to use the Run Command. Press the button Windows key once Rattach %LOCALAPPDATA%GoogleChromeUser DataOptGuideOnDeviceModel and press Come in. If that file appears, check if weights.bin is there.
You can also use File Explorer to check if the AI model is installed. Navigate to C:Users[YourUsername]AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser DataOptGuideOnDeviceModel and look at the weights.bin.
To remove the AI model from Windows, follow these steps:
Open Chrome, navigate to Settings > Systemand change the closing On the AI device.
While in Chrome, type chrome://flags in the address bar and search for “upgrade guide.” Then, set “Enable device configuration guide” to Disabled.
Then restart Chrome by closing it completely, using the menu to exit, not just closing windows.
Finally, remove the local files by navigating to the AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser Data and deletes the OptGuideOnDeviceModel folder.
Watch this: Google I/O 2026: New Gemini, Smart Glasses and Whole New Laptop OS. Here’s What to Expect
Why does it matter?
Hanff said the push may be aimed at helping Google cut costs by moving AI work off its servers and onto your computer.
“Using users’ hardware allows them to push ‘AI features’ without computational overhead,” Hanff told CNET.
But Hanff suggested there could be legal consequences, at least in Europe. He suggested that the inclusion of the Gemini Nano could create a breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation principles of lawfulness, impartiality and transparency. Hanff said that, given the potential environmental impacts, Google should have declared it under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
“Google has given us every reason to distrust them with a two-decade history of massive global privacy breaches,” Hanff told CNET. “So, I suspect they felt that asking for permission (required by law) would interfere with their ability to push this model, and, whatever comes after it.”
