---
title: "Run an AI Model Locally on Your Laptop"
section: Setup
reading_time: 10 min
date_published: 2026-04-18
date_modified: 2026-06-20
canonical: https://practical-ai.space/resources/run-llm-locally
source_html: https://practical-ai.space/resources/run-llm-locally/
publisher: Practical AI
author: Sven
alternate_markdown: https://practical-ai.space/resources/run-llm-locally/index.md
---

Cloud AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are powerful — but every prompt you type is sent to an external server. For sensitive business content like client contracts, financial data, or HR matters, that's a real exposure risk. Running an AI model locally keeps everything on your machine, with zero data leaving your device and no monthly subscription required.

## What you need

- A Mac (Apple Silicon M1 or later) or Windows PC with 8 GB+ RAM

- **Ollama** — a free tool that runs open-source models locally

- About 5 GB of free disk space for the model files

## Step-by-step setup

1. Go to **ollama.com** and download the installer for your operating system. The install takes about two minutes.

2. Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and run:
`ollama pull gemma4`
This downloads Google's Gemma 4 model — roughly 5 GB. Go make a coffee.

3. Once the download completes, start a conversation:
`ollama run gemma4`

4. Type your prompt and press Enter. Your conversation stays entirely on your machine.

## Which model should you use?

- **gemma4** — Google's latest model. Best all-rounder for writing, summarising, and Q&A. Start here.

- **mistral-small** — Mistral's efficient model. Faster on older hardware and still very capable for business tasks.

- **qwen3:4b** — Alibaba's compact model. Excellent if your machine has limited RAM.

## Using the chat interface

The Ollama desktop app includes a built-in chat window — no extra tools required. Once Ollama is installed, open the app and you'll find a ChatGPT-style interface where you can type prompts, paste documents, and switch between models. Your conversations stay entirely on your machine.

## Practical uses once you're up and running

- **Summarise confidential documents** — paste a contract or board report and ask for a plain-English summary

- **Draft sensitive communications** — HR letters, disciplinary notes, internal memos

- **Review financial documents** — flag risks or anomalies without sending data to a third party

- **Quick Q&A** — ask questions about a document you've pasted in, without it leaving your machine

### Want to put this into practice?

Our training sessions walk through this setup live and show you how to use local AI in the context of your specific business.

      [Book a Free Discovery Call]