Delete local AI models on Mac, tool by tool.
Local models are the biggest files most Macs have ever held, and every tool keeps them somewhere different. Here's where each one puts them, and how to remove them without breaking anything.
LM Studio
LM Studio keeps models in ~/.lmstudio/models, in a folder per publisher and a folder per model inside that. Older versions used ~/.cache/lm-studio/models, and you may still have both. The simplest way to delete one is LM Studio's own My Models tab, which shows the folder and lets you remove a model; you can also move a model's folder to the Trash with LM Studio quit. To uninstall, delete the app and both folders. LM Studio can download any model again.
Hugging Face
Python libraries like transformers and diffusers download models into the Hugging Face cache, ~/.cache/huggingface/hub, or wherever HF_HOME or HF_HUB_CACHE point. One developer Mac measured for these pages had 1.6 GB there. Use the hf command to manage it:
hf cache ls # every cached model and dataset, with sizes
hf cache rm model/gpt2 # remove one
hf cache prune # remove old revisions and incomplete downloadsThe older huggingface-cli delete-cache and scan-cache commands are deprecated; current versions of the library point you to hf. A model removed from the cache downloads again the next time a script asks for it.
ComfyUI
ComfyUI keeps models inside its own folder, in models, split by type: checkpoints, loras, vae, controlnet, upscale_models, and more. Where that folder is depends on how you installed it: wherever you cloned it, or the location you picked when setting up the desktop app. If you've set extra_model_paths.yaml, models can live in other folders too. Checkpoints are often 2 to 7 GB each, and some are larger. To delete one, quit ComfyUI and move the file to the Trash. Workflows that use it will ask for it again.
The two tools with the most to explain have their own pages: Ollama, with list, remove, and a full uninstall, and Apple Intelligence, which you can turn off but not delete. For caches from developer tools, see clear cache by tool.
Questions
Where does LM Studio store models on a Mac?
In ~/.lmstudio/models, one folder per publisher. Older versions used ~/.cache/lm-studio/models. LM Studio's My Models tab shows the folder and can delete models.
Where is the Hugging Face cache directory on a Mac?
In ~/.cache/huggingface/hub by default, or under HF_HOME or HF_HUB_CACHE if you've set them. Run hf cache ls to see what's in it and hf cache rm to remove a model.
Where is the ComfyUI models folder?
Inside your ComfyUI folder, in models, with subfolders like checkpoints, loras, and vae. The ComfyUI folder is wherever you installed it. extra_model_paths.yaml can add more model folders.
Is it safe to delete local AI models?
Yes, for models you downloaded. Each tool downloads them again when you need them. Keep anything you trained or fine-tuned yourself, since that can't be downloaded.
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