How to uninstall Python from Mac OS

04/30/201804/08/2020 Andy Wang 1 Comment Homebrew, Mac, Python

There are two ways for installing Python on OS X/Mac, and they would affect how to uninstall python.
(1) “.pkg” from Python.org
(2) Installed through Homebrew
But sometimes we just got the wrong versions or we just want to remove the .pkg version of Python from your Mac ! Therefor, I wrote the solution down ! There will introduce two solutions of situation what I talked about !

Solution of Python.org version

Identify installation path

Check the python execution file exists in this path as below:
“/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin/”
Note: You have to modify “Versions” to match the version of Python that you installed.

Andy-MBP:bin Andy$ cd /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin/
Andy-MBP:bin Andy$ ls -l python*
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  admin      9  2  8 12:40 python3 -> python3.5
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  admin     12  2  8 12:40 python3-32 -> python3.5-32
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  admin     16  2  8 12:40 python3-config -> python3.5-config
-rwxrwxr-x  2 root  admin  25920  1 17  2017 python3.5
-rwxrwxr-x  1 root  admin  13568  1 17  2017 python3.5-32
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  admin     17  2  8 12:40 python3.5-config -> python3.5m-config
-rwxrwxr-x  2 root  admin  25920  1 17  2017 python3.5m
-rwxrwxr-x  1 root  admin   2081  1 17  2017 python3.5m-config

Andy-MBP:bin Andy$ cd /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin/

Andy-MBP:bin Andy$ ls -l python*

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 9 2 8 12:40 python3 -> python3.5

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 12 2 8 12:40 python3-32 -> python3.5-32

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 16 2 8 12:40 python3-config -> python3.5-config

-rwxrwxr-x 2 root admin 25920 1 17 2017 python3.5

-rwxrwxr-x 1 root admin 13568 1 17 2017 python3.5-32

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 17 2 8 12:40 python3.5-config -> python3.5m-config

-rwxrwxr-x 2 root admin 25920 1 17 2017 python3.5m

-rwxrwxr-x 1 root admin 2081 1 17 2017 python3.5m-config

Step 1

Remove Python’s folders

Remove Python’s folders that installed by .pkg downloaded from Python.org.
If you are in the “Python.framework” right now, please change your directory before begin this step!

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ cd ~
Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/

1 2	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ cd ~ Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/

This instruction means removing all versions of Python.

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/

Step 2

Remove “Applications” folder in OS X(Mac)

Now, we can remove the folders of Python from the “Applications”.
Note: Change the version of Python, if you need.

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Applications/Python\ 3.5

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo rm -rf /Applications/Python\ 3.5

Step 3

Remove soft links

Remove these links are related to Python in “/usr/local/bin”.
Way 1: delete only one version

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo find /usr/local/bin -type l -and -lname "*/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5*" -delete

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo find /usr/local/bin -type l -and -lname "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5" -delete

Way 2: delete all versions

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo find /usr/local/bin -type l -and -lname "*/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/*" -delete

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo find /usr/local/bin -type l -and -lname "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/" -delete

Step 4

Restore settings in .bash_profile

This setting I will mention below may exist in two files: “~/.bash_profile” or “~/.profile”

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo vim ~/.bash_profile

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ sudo vim ~/.bash_profile

Let’s comment out this text in as below:
It contains the libraries path of Python!

# PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin:${PATH}"

1	# PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin:${PATH}"

Homebrew version

Remove Python

It’s the simplest way to manage your packages in OS X(Mac) !
First of all, lists what packages you install through Homebrew.
Instruction: “brew list”

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ brew list
autoconf    gdbm        libksba     node        phantomjs   readline
automake    icu4c       libtool     openssl     pkg-config  sqlite
coreutils   libgpg-error    libyaml     openssl@1.1 python3     xz

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ brew list

autoconf gdbm libksba node phantomjs readline

automake icu4c libtool openssl pkg-config sqlite

coreutils libgpg-error libyaml openssl@1.1 python3 xz

Execute remove instruction “brew uninstall <package name>“.

Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ brew uninstalll python3

1	Andy-MBP:~ Andy$ brew uninstalll python3

Finished !
It’s so cool, isn’t it ?