TidyMacOllama stores models in ~/.ollama/models, LM Studio in ~/.lmstudio/models, and Hugging Face tools in ~/.cache/huggingface. A single model is usually 4–40 GB. Remove Ollama models with ollama rm <name> rather than deleting files, because models share layers.
The five questions
AI models you downloaded to run on your Mac with apps like Ollama or LM Studio.
A single model is often 4 to 40 GB.
If you don't use it. You can download it again later.
That model won't be available until you download it again.
Only if you download it again.
How big it gets: 8–100 GB on Macs used for local AI. Coding models and 70B-class models are the biggest.
Where it lives: ~/.ollama/models, ~/.lmstudio/models, ~/.cache/lm-studio/models, ~/.cache/huggingface/hub
Why not just delete the files?
Ollama splits models into shared layers ("blobs"). Two models can share a layer, so deleting files by hand can break a model you meant to keep. ollama rm removes only what no other model needs.
Which ones are you actually using?
ollama list shows each model and its size. TidyMac adds when each was last used, so a 19 GB model you tried once in spring stands out.
Do it yourself
For Ollama, open Terminal and type ollama list, then ollama rm followed by the model name. For LM Studio, open My Models and delete the ones you don't use.
ollama list
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Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to delete local ai models on a Mac?
If you don't use it. You can download it again later.
Why are my local ai models so big?
A single model is often 4 to 40 GB.
What happens after I remove local ai models?
That model won't be available until you download it again.
Will local ai models come back?
Only if you download it again.
How do I clean local ai models manually?
For Ollama, open Terminal and type ollama list, then ollama rm followed by the model name. For LM Studio, open My Models and delete the ones you don't use.