How to completely remove Python from a Windows mac

Question

I installed both Python 2.7 and Python 2.6.5. I don't know what went wrong, but nothing related to Python seems to work any more. e.g. "setup.py install" for certain packages don't recognize the "install" parameter and other odd phenomena...

I would like to completely remove Python from my system.
I tried running the 2.7 and 2.6 msi files and choosing remove Python and then running only 2.6 and reinstalling it. Still stuff don't work.

How do I completely remove Python - from everything? (!)

I would not like to reinstall my entire machine just because of the Python install...

Answer 1

I know it is an old question, but I ran into this problem with 2.7 and 3.5. Though 2.7 would not show up in my default windows uninstall list, it showed up fine in the ccleaner tools tab under uninstall. Uninstalled and reinstalled afterwards and it has been smooth coding ever since.

Answer 2

Run ASSOC and FTYPE to see what your py files are associated to. (These commands are internal to cmd.exe so if you use a different command processor ymmv.)

C:> assoc .py
.py=Python.File

C:> ftype Python.File
Python.File="C:\Python26.w64\python.exe" "%1" %*

C:> assoc .pyw
.pyw=Python.NoConFile

C:> ftype Python.NoConFile
Python.NoConFile="C:\Python26.w64\pythonw.exe" "%1" %*

(I have both 32- and 64-bit installs of Python, hence my local directory name.)

Answer 3

Here's the steps (my non-computer-savvy girlfriend had to figure this one out for me, but unlike all the far more complicated processes one can find online, this one works)

1. Open Control Panel
2. Click "Uninstall a Program"
3. Scroll down to Python and click uninstall for each version you don't want anymore.

This works on Windows 7 out of the box, no additional programs or scripts required.

Answer 4

Windows 7 64-bit, with both Python3.4 and Python2.7 installed at some point :)

I'm using Py.exe to route to Py2 or Py3 depending on the script's needs - but I previously improperly uninstalled Python27 before.

Py27 was removed manually from C:\python\Python27 (the folder Python27 was deleted by me previously)

Upon re-installing Python27, it gave the above error you specify.
It would always back out while trying to 'remove shortcuts' during the installation process.

I placed a copy of Python27 back in that original folder, at C:\Python\Python27, and re-ran the same failing Python27 installer. It was happy locating those items and removing them, and proceeded with the install.

This is not the answer that addresses registry key issues (others mention that) but it is somewhat of a workaround if you know of previous installations that were improperly removed.

You could have some insight to this by opening "regedit" and searching for "Python27" - a registry key appeared in my command-shell Cache pointing at c:\python\python27\ (which had been removed and was not present when searching in the registry upon finding it).

That may help point to previously improperly removed installations.

Good luck!

Answer 5

You will also have to look in your system path. Python puts itself there and does not remove itself: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm

Your problems probably started because your python path is pointing to the wrong one.

Answer 6

I had window 7 (64 bit) and Python 2.7.12, I uninstalled it by clicking the python installer from the "download" directory then I selected remove python then I clicked “ finish”.
I also removed the remaining python associated directory & files from the c: drive and also from “my documents” folder, since I created some files there.