Decrease GPU memory on MacBook Air
I own MacBook Air (early 2015) where the GPU and its memory reads as following:
Intel HD Graphics 6000 1536 MB
I think that the amount is a bit too high so I would rather decrease it to 1000 MB or something lower so I can benefit from higher RAM for applications.
Is there a possibility to do something like that?
Solution 1:
You can't reduce the shared system memory. (See this question/answer on the Apple Support Forums)
Per EveryMac.com, the HD Graphics 6000 can allocate upto 1.5GB of system RAM. This is handled at the hardware level - some PC BIOSes allowed you to modify this value, but it's not common anymore and definitely not so with Apple.
So, to "free up" this RAM, you have two choices:
- Reduce your video resolution and color depth
- Add more RAM
Since the first is not desireable and the second is impossible, if you absolutely need more memory, it's time to upgrade your MacBook to one with 16GB or more.
Solution 2:
Simple answer: No.
The Integrated GPU in the MBA can allocate up to 1.5 GB of system memory.
There is no way for the user to change this in macOS.
Intel HD Graphics
Apple computers using newer versions of Intel HD Graphics as the primary GPU dynamically allocate up to 1.5 GB of system memory.
Products with Intel HD Graphics 6000:
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
From this Apple Support document.