Phytonaut Mac OS
Python for Mac OS X
Python comes pre-installed on Mac OS X so it is easy to startusing. However, to take advantage of the latest versions ofPython, you will need to download and install newer versionsalongside the system ones. The easiest way to do that is toinstall one of the binary installers for OS X from thePython Download page. Installers areavailable for the latest Python 3 and Python 2 releases thatwill work on all Macs that run Mac OS X 10.5 and later.
So before installing Python packages with Homebrew, the default Python is installed in /usr/bin which is shipped with your macOS (e.g. Python 2.7.10 on High Sierra). Any versions found in /usr/local (such as /usr/local/bin) are provided by external packages. It is generally advised, that when working with multiple versions, for Python 2 you may use python2 / pip2 command, respectively for Python 3 you can use. Python is used not only by IT professionals, developers and engineers but also by people involved in data mining and analytics in the field of Big Data. Please note, Apple pre-installed and provided Python 2.7 in Mac OS X 10.8.
Python releases include IDLE, Python's built-in interactivedevelopment environment. If you download and install Pythonfrom the release page, you may also need to download and installa newer version of Tcl/Tk for OS X. See theIDLE and Tkinter on OS X page formore information.
You can run a Python interpreter by double-clicking onApplications / Utilities / Terminal and typing python3 (if you'veinstalled a version of Python 3) or python (to use Python 2) inthe window that opens up. You can also launch IDLE for the Pythonversion you have installed by double-clicking its icon inthe appropriate Python version folder in the Applications folderor you can also just type idle3 or idle in a terminal window.
There are many thousands of additional Python software packagesavailable through PyPI, the PythonPackage Index. We recommend you use thepip tool to simplifyinstalling and managing additional packages. pip is includedwith Python 3.4 releases; for earlier releases, follow the pipinstall instructions.
Among the packages available through PyPI are some that arespecifically for OS X environments. Among these are:
- pyobjc which providesa bridge between Python and Objective-C, allowing you to writefull-featured native Cocoa applications in pure Python.
- py2app which allowsyou to make standalone OS X double-clickable application bundlesand plugins from Python scripts.
For more information about Python on OS X, see the mailing list and archivesfor thePython-Macintosh Special Interest Group.
Alternative Packages for Mac OS X.
- ActiveState ActivePython(commercial and community versions, including scientific computing modules).
- Enthought Python DistributionThe Enthought Python Distribution provides scientists with a comprehensive setof tools to perform rigorous data analysis and visualization.
Python and a comprehensive set of third-party packages and libraries are alsoavailable from several open source package manager projects for OS X,including:
Python comes pre-installed on macOS. The Apple-provided Python Framework is installed in /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework.
You can find several symlinks in the usr/bin/python directory.
You shouldn’t attempt to remove the pre-installed version of Python provided by Apple, as this may cause your operating system to malfunction.
If you would like to remove any third party Python framework that you may have installed, such as the ones found in python.org, this tutorial will provide you with step by step instructions on how to fully uninstall Python from your Mac.
Before we start, it is important to know that there are several things happening during the Python installation process.
- A folder will be installed in the Applications directory. The folder contains IDLE, PythonLauncher, and the Build Applet tool.
- A framework will be installed in the /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework directory. This path includes the Python executable and a number of libraries.
- Several symlinks to the Python executable will be placed in the /usr/local/bin directory.
You are required to remove all these items to completely remove Python from your system.
Keep in mind that there are two versions of Python available as Python 2 and Python 3. If you have installed both the versions and would like to delete just one, specific instructions on how to do so are mentioned in each of the steps.
Step 1: Manually remove the Python folders from the Applications folder
In Finder, navigate to the Applications folder.
Move any Python folders that are installed into the Trash. If you would like to remove a single version, only remove the file relevant to that version.
If the following dialog box gets prompted, please enter the password.
Next, go to the Trash directory.
Right-click on the folder and select Delete Immediately.
Deleting the Python folders will not completely uninstall Python from your system. To completely uninstall Python, please go through the following steps.
Step 2: Remove the Python Framework from the /Library directory
We will use the command line starting from this step.
Press command + space to bring up the Spotlight Search.
Search for Terminal and open it.
Update Python On Mac
In the terminal type the following command to remove all the Python Frameworks present in the /Library directory and hit enter.
If prompted to enter the password, please do so.
If you would like to delete only a specific version of Python, please update your command as below.
Removing Python 2.7
Removing Python 3.8
Step 3: Remove Python symbolic links
Now that we deleted all python directories and files, there may be links in your system that may still be referencing the folders that we have already deleted. This step will ensure that all such links will be deleted.
There are two ways in which this step could be performed. Let’s look at both the ways in detail.
1st Method: Using Homebrew
It is highly recommended that you install Homebrew if you do not have it already. Please install it by typing the following command in the Terminal.
(Please refer to the Homebrew official site https://brew.sh for more information)
You can easily find broken symbolic links by running the command.
brew doctor
The result will look like this (Please note that your result may look different)
Phytonaut Mac Os X
Run the command ‘brew cleanup’ as instructed to remove all broken symlinks.
2nd Method: Manual deletion
The symlinks referencing Python frameworks are in the /usr/local/bin directory. If you would like to see the broken symlinks, please use the following command.
(The path ‘/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework’ should be replaced by what you chose in Step 2’)
The result will show you all the links that are referencing the Python frameworks.
To delete these broken symlinks, please use the following commands.
Mac Os X Python 3
To enter into the directory
To delete the broken symlinks in the directory
(Please keep in mind that the path ‘/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework’ should be changed according to the path you chose in Step 2.)
There you have it. Now your system is completely free from Python. Now you can download and install a fresh copy of Python or leave it as it is.