How to run a private local AI on many 16GB laptops with Ollama and Gemma 4
minchoi · x · 2026-07-27
How to run a private local AI on many 16GB laptops with Ollama and Gemma 4:
- Install Ollama on macOS, Windows, or Linux.
- Run gemma4:e4b locally; the default download is about 9.6GB and can work on many 16GB machines if memory-heavy apps are closed.
- If it is too heavy, try the smaller gemma4:e2b variant.
- Once downloaded, it can run offline, and disabling Ollama cloud features keeps prompts and responses on-device.
- Optional steps show how to increase context length, use image input locally, and enforce a local-only mode via .ollama/server.json.
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