Outside your profiles, Chrome kept 674 MB of speech models, AI models and installers
Chrome downloads components beside your profiles: Live Caption speech packs, on-device models, update installers. Measured at 674 MB, and what each one is.
Most of Chrome's data is in its profiles, the Default and Profile N folders. Next to them sits a second layer that has nothing to do with your browsing: components Chrome downloads to provide features, one folder each.
| Folder | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
component_crx_cache | 253 MB | Installers for components, kept for reinstalling |
SODALanguagePacks | 194 MB | Speech recognition models for Live Caption |
optimization_guide_model_store | 71 MB | On-device machine learning models |
extensions_crx_cache | 46 MB | Installers for your extensions |
SODA | 25 MB | The speech recognition engine itself |
WasmTtsEngine | 22 MB | Text to speech |
Safe Browsing | 19 MB | Lists of dangerous sites |
| Shader and GPU caches | 21 MB | Graphics caches, rebuilt on demand |
What you can switch off
- Live Caption is what downloads the speech packs. Turn it off at
chrome://settings/accessibilityand Chrome stops keeping them current. Removing the folder with Chrome quit gets the space back. - On-device AI features use the model store. Newer Chrome versions add larger models here for features such as writing help; they are managed at
chrome://on-device-internals. - The installer caches are only for reinstalling. They are safe to delete with Chrome quit, and Chrome keeps what it needs.
Check yours
cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome
du -sh * 2>/dev/null | grep -vE 'Default|Profile' | sort -h | tail -12What not to touch
Safe Browsing and CertificateRevocation are small and protect you. Local State is a single file holding settings for every profile; deleting it resets Chrome.
The profiles themselves are the larger part, covered in Chrome taking up space. The same components exist in every Chromium browser, in Brave and Chromium browsers.
Related: Chrome's on-device AI model on Mac.
Common questions
What is SODALanguagePacks in Chrome?
Speech recognition models Chrome downloads for Live Caption. On the Mac measured they were 194 MB. Turning off Live Caption stops them being kept.
What is component_crx_cache?
Chrome's saved installers for its components, kept so they can be reinstalled without downloading. It is safe to delete with Chrome quit.
What is optimization_guide_model_store?
Machine learning models Chrome runs on your Mac for features such as page suggestions. It was 71 MB on the Mac measured.
Can I delete Chrome's component folders?
Yes, with Chrome quit. Chrome downloads again any component a feature you use still needs.