How to Uninstall Python

Python is an object-oriented general purpose programming language. It can be used for a variety of applications, ranging from PC and Mac software to web apps to games.

If you are using Python for development, you need to have the platform installed on your system. Uninstalling it varied for Windows and Mac installs. This article will give you a brief guide on how to uninstall Python from your system, regardless of which of the two operating systems you use.

If you are uninstalling Python from a Windows PC, do the following:

1. Table of Contents

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   Open your start menu and click the Settings icon shaped as a gear.

2. In the settings window, click on Apps.

3. In the list of installed applications, find Python and click it.

4. Click the Uninstall button that appears next to Python and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

If you are uninstalling Python from a Mac computer, do the following:

1. Open Finder.

2. Click on Applications in the left-side menu to access the apps folder.

3. Drag and drop Python onto your Trash.

On a Mac, simply dragging Python into the trash will not remove it completely. To finish uninstalling, open your Activity Monitor and terminate any processes related to Python.

Next, open the Terminal and navigate to your Library folder. You can use the terminal to remove the Python folder located in it using the following command:

sudo rm -rf Python

Note that you will need super-user privileges to accomplish this.

There are three more folders associated with Python that you will need to delete. Those are as follows:

/Applications/Python

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework

/usr/local/bin/python

Bear in mind that this method is not recommended for novice users as different distributions and installations of Python may have slightly different file and folder structures.