macOS: How to change PATH environment variable?

Question

OS:macOS Big Sur 11.1

I have uninstalled python3.8 and python3.9

but my echo $PATH gives:

screenshot of results

I tried to modify path variables by vi ~/.bash_profile, but bash_profile doesn't exist.

I did touch .bash_profile and

export PATH="/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin"

then source ~/.bash_profile. But after restarting the terminal, echo $PATH has not changed...

How can I delete /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.8/bin:/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9/bin: from my path variables? And which file did this message come from? Is it because I didn't uninstall python completely?

• Yang Yushi: Have you checked ~/.bashrc file?
• Ture Pålsson: Are you sure you are running bash at all? Modern versions of macOS use zsh by default.
• chepner: The % is a sure sign that this is, indeed, zsh, as is the title bar of the window.
• chepner: Look at .zprofile or .zshrc.
• Rockin: @YangYushi I chacked . ~/.bashrc does not exist . but /etc/bashrc shows as follow: # System-wide .bashrc file for interactive bash(1) shells. if [ -z "$PS1" ]; then return fi PS1='\h:\W \u\$ ' # Make bash check its window size after a process completes shopt -s checkwinsize [ -r "/etc/bashrc_$TERM_PROGRAM" ] && . "/etc/bashrc_$TERM_PROGRAM"

Answer 1

bash is no longer the default shell in macOS. The default shell is now zsh; to append to PATH, you should modify ~/.zshrc or ~/.zprofile.

• Rockin: Awesome!!! I found it in the ~/.zprofile!!! I deleted that file,finally echo $PATH shows /usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin