Running a local LLM on your own computer gives you offline access to AI and stronger privacy, since nothing is sent to the cloud for anyone else to review. If you use ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or any other AI platform, you’re already relying on a large language model. What many users don’t realize is that these models can run directly on your own hardware.
There are practical upsides beyond privacy. You avoid monthly AI subscriptions and usage limits, and plenty of models are available to download for free, including releases from major companies like Meta and Google. Locally run models generally aren’t as advanced or as fast as the paid apps, but they’re capable enough for everyday tasks, and you can switch between them as needed.
The tradeoff is more maintenance. You lose some of the convenience of simply opening the ChatGPT app, and you’ll need to handle updates yourself. In return, you get a more personalized and private AI system that’s entirely your own, and getting started isn’t difficult.
What You Need to Get Started
You can run local LLMs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, though macOS is the preferred platform for many AI enthusiasts. Macs offer a more unified and consistent experience, and Apple Silicon chips combine CPU, GPU, and RAM in a way that AI models favor.
Whatever platform you choose, ample memory helps. The bare minimum is 8 GB of RAM, but that limits both the size and speed of the models you can run. Sixteen gigabytes is better, and 32 GB or more is needed for the biggest and fastest models. For the best results, look for plenty of VRAM on a dedicated GPU, as anything above 8 GB makes a real difference. This type of memory is optimized for the tasks AI models perform.
On Windows, a dedicated Nvidia GPU helps significantly. Graphics chips handle AI processes better than standard processors, which is part of why Nvidia is so closely tied to the AI boom. These cards also carry their own memory, giving models extra room to work. There’s no strict minimum specification, but as much RAM as possible plus a discrete graphics card will help.
Choosing the Software and Model
You need two things: an application to run the model and act as the interface, plus the model itself. For newcomers, LM Studio is generally considered the best AI app for Windows and macOS, and it’s free to use. Other popular and trusted options include vLLM, Llama.cpp, Ollama, and GPT4All, all available across multiple operating systems, though these are more technical to set up.
Once you’ve picked an app, the next decision is the LLM itself. The software will point you toward some options, and there are also online repositories of models. The best known is Hugging Face, which offers more than 3 million models to choose from.
Many different configurations are possible when it comes to local LLMs, letting you tailor the software and model combination to your hardware and needs.
