Post #2164727

2026-05-07 15:49 UTC

An article has been published[1] explaining how to prevent #Chrome from downloading the #Gemini Nano model on #Windows via a Registry change. But it seems to me that such a method is only effective for as long as Google respects that policy in the Registry, doesn't change its name/path, etc. Instead, has anybody tried creating an empty weights.bin file in the relevant location[2], and then removing all permissions from that file so that Chrome can't read, write, replace, or do anything else with it? [1] https://pureinfotech.com/stop-chrome-gemini-nano-download-windows-11/ [2] %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\OptGuideOnDeviceModel #AI #LLM #LLMs

Replies (3)

@serrebi@serrebiradio.com 2026-05-07 15:59

@jscholes@dragonscave.space This is a strange week for browsers

Open ##2164726
@jscholes@dragonscave.space 2026-05-07 15:55

I just did this on my own machine which hadn't received the unwanted download yet. I also revoked all permissions on the "OptGuideOnDeviceModel" folder, preventing its contents from even being enumerated. That said: as Chrome hadn't downloaded the file in the first place, it's impossible to tell whether this is a sound solution or not. The continued absence of the model file isn't really evidence. And, Google could just change where they store it anyway.

Open ##2945783
@socheat@dragonscave.space 2026-05-08 00:17

@jscholes@dragonscave.space I just turn the AI feature off from chrome://settings/system. The file will be automatically deleted after you've turn the ai settings off.

Open ##2945786