How-to

How to free up disk space for large local models

Last updated 2026-11-04

What you need first for “how to free up disk space for large local models”

Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 15 or later, and for how to free up disk space for large local models the unified-memory minimum that the chosen tier requires (6 GB for Nano, 12 GB for Lite, 16 GB for Quick (24 GB to run it fully in memory), 24 GB for Core and Vision 3.8, 64 GB for Plus). For free up disk space for large models, those are the minimums to load a tier; a long agent session needs more. You need the internet to download each model (and once to activate a Pro key); after that, chat works offline.

Steps

1. Inspect Hugging Face cache. ~/.cache/huggingface/ often holds duplicate snapshots.
2. Move Photos library to external SSD. Modern Macs handle this gracefully; the Photos app remembers the path.
3. Clear Xcode derived data. ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData can be tens of GB.
4. Use the Outlier model picker to delete tiers. Each tier has a Delete button next to its size in Settings > Models.

What is the specific thing to know about this guide?

The Plus tier alone is 209 GB on disk. A typical Mac with 512 GB total storage will feel pressure once the OS, Xcode, Photos, and Plus weights are all present.

Reclaim in that order, because it runs cheapest-first. The Hugging Face cache is the usual surprise: it keeps a full snapshot per revision, so trying two versions of one tier leaves two complete copies on disk with nothing warning you. Xcode derived data is the next-largest easy win and is safe to delete outright, since it rebuilds on demand. Deleting a tier from Settings > Models is instant and reversible: the only cost of getting it wrong is downloading it again, which is why it belongs last rather than first.

What can go wrong with this guide?

• Hugging Face cache may hold prior tier snapshots after an update.
• The model picker’s Delete button removes weights but leaves their config metadata; safe to ignore.

How does this guide differ from the cloud equivalent?

Cloud models do not consume your disk. They consume your wallet per token instead. The trade-off is direct.

What does this guide not claim about “how to free up disk space for large local models”?

This guide does not claim feature parity with cloud-side workflows for “how to free up disk space for large local models”. Specifically, the product surface covers chat, file attachment, the local agent loop, project scoping, and the model picker. Cross-device sync, team workspaces, and shared session history are out of scope and are not on the v1.9 backlog either.

How big is each Outlier tier on disk?

Nano 2.37 GB, Lite 5.04 GB, Quick 15.61 GB, Core 15.13 GB, Vision 3.8 15.5 GB, Plus 209 GB. Plus alone is about 40% of a 512 GB drive (209 ÷ 512) before the OS is accounted for; the v1.9 streaming engine improvements only reduce the working RAM requirement, not the disk requirement.

Where does this guide fit in the rest of the lineup?

A clean Outlier install with Nano + Lite costs about 8 GB. Adding Core lifts that to 23 GB, Vision 3.8 adds 15.5 GB, Quick adds 16 GB, Plus alone adds 209 GB. Quick numbers in the model picker.

One unique number

4 steps. Once the model is downloaded your chats and files stay on your Mac. Hugging Face cache duplicates can hide tens of GB; du -sh ~/.cache/huggingface/hub/ usually reveals the surprise.

Download Outlier for Mac

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Free · M1 or newer · macOS 15+ (free update) · 276 MB. Intel Macs are not supported.