Where can I download GGUF models?

GGUF models are available on HuggingFace. Popular sources include TheBloke (thousands of quantized models), bartowski (high-quality quantizations), and official repositories from Qwen, Meta (Llama), Microsoft (Phi), and Mistral AI.

Which GGUF quantization should I download?

For most users, download Q4_K_M quantization - it offers the best balance of quality, speed, and memory usage. Use Q5_K_M for better quality if you have extra RAM, or Q4_K_S for lower RAM systems.

Are GGUF models free to download?

Yes, most GGUF models on HuggingFace are free to download and use. Some models have specific licenses (like Llama's community license), so check the model card for usage terms.

How do I download from HuggingFace?

Go to the model page on HuggingFace, click 'Files and versions', find the .gguf file you want (e.g., Q4_K_M.gguf), and click the download button. No account required for most models.

Where to Download GGUF Models - Best Sources & Direct Links (2025)

Best GGUF Model Sources

⭐ Local AI Zone - Curated GGUF Collection

Local AI Zone is a curated collection of the best GGUF models, organized by use case and hardware requirements. Perfect for finding the right model quickly.

Best for: Curated selections, beginner-friendly, organized by category

🤗 HuggingFace - Primary Source

HuggingFace is the main repository for GGUF models. Most models are free to download without an account.

How to download:

Go to the model page
Click "Files and versions" tab
Find the .gguf file (look for Q4_K_M)
Click the download icon

👤 TheBloke - Quantization Expert

TheBloke on HuggingFace has quantized thousands of models. Great for finding GGUF versions of popular models.

Best for: Wide variety, consistent quality, detailed model cards

👤 bartowski - High-Quality Quantizations

bartowski on HuggingFace provides excellent quantizations of the latest models.

Best for: Latest models, imatrix quantizations, quality focus

Popular GGUF Models - Direct Downloads

🏆 Recommended for Beginners (8-16GB RAM)

⭐ Popular 2024

Llama 3.2 1B Instruct

1B params • ~1.5GB RAM • Fast

Meta's lightweight champion. Great for beginners.

📥 Download

⭐ Popular

Qwen 2.5 1.5B Instruct

1.5B params • ~2GB RAM

Excellent reasoning and multilingual support.

📥 Download

💻 Coding

Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B

1.5B params • ~2GB RAM

Best lightweight coding assistant.

📥 Download

TinyLlama 1.1B Chat

1.1B params • ~1GB RAM • Ultra Fast

Fastest option, minimal resources.

📥 Download

💪 More Powerful Models (16-32GB RAM)

⭐ Popular

Mistral 7B Instruct v0.3

7B params • ~6GB RAM

Excellent all-rounder, great quality.

📥 Download

2024

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

8B params • ~6GB RAM

Meta's latest, excellent instruction following.

📥 Download

💻 Coding

DeepSeek Coder 6.7B

6.7B params • ~5GB RAM

Powerful coding model, multi-language.

📥 Download

Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct

7B params • ~6GB RAM

Strong reasoning, great for complex tasks.

📥 Download

🚀 High-End Models (32GB+ RAM)

Mixtral 8x7B Instruct

47B MoE • ~26GB RAM

Mixture of Experts, excellent quality.

📥 Download

Llama 2 70B Chat

70B params • ~40GB RAM

Large model, near GPT-3.5 quality.

📥 Download

Which Quantization to Download?

💡 Quick Guide:

Q4_K_M - Best balance (recommended for most users)
Q4_K_S - Smaller, for low RAM systems
Q5_K_M - Better quality, needs more RAM
Q6_K - High quality, larger files
Q8_0 - Best quality, largest files

When downloading, look for files like:

model-name-Q4_K_M.gguf ← Recommended
model-name-Q5_K_M.gguf
model-name.Q4_K_M.gguf

After Downloading

Once you have your GGUF model:

Learn how to run GGUF models
Get GGUF Loader - Easy GUI for running models
Check memory requirements