How do you uninstall MySQL from Mac OS X?

MySQL

Mac OS X

uninstall

database management

software removal

How do you uninstall MySQL from Mac OS X?

Master System Design with Codemia

Enhance your system design skills with over 120 practice problems, detailed solutions, and hands-on exercises.

Start Practicing Learn More

Introduction

Uninstalling MySQL from macOS is not a simple drag-to-trash operation. MySQL installs files in multiple locations: binaries in /usr/local/mysql, data in /usr/local/mysql/data, a System Preferences pane, a launch daemon, and user configuration files. Leaving any of these behind can cause conflicts when reinstalling or installing a different version. The process below removes everything.

Step 1: Stop the MySQL Server

Before removing files, stop the running MySQL service:

bash

1# If installed via the official DMG installer
2sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server stop
3
4# Or via the System Preferences pane
5# Open System Preferences > MySQL > Stop MySQL Server
6
7# If installed via Homebrew
8brew services stop mysql

Verify it is stopped:

bash

ps aux | grep mysql
# Should show no mysqld process (only the grep command itself)

Step 2: Remove MySQL Files (DMG Installation)

For MySQL installed via the official macOS DMG installer:

bash

1# Remove the MySQL installation directory
2sudo rm -rf /usr/local/mysql
3sudo rm -rf /usr/local/mysql*
4
5# Remove the MySQL preferences pane
6sudo rm -rf /Library/PreferencePanes/My*.prefPane
7
8# Remove the startup item and launch daemon
9sudo rm -rf /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM
10sudo rm -rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
11sudo rm -rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mysql.mysql.plist
12
13# Remove receipts (macOS package installer records)
14sudo rm -rf /var/db/receipts/com.mysql.*
15
16# Remove configuration files
17sudo rm -rf /etc/my.cnf
18sudo rm -rf /etc/mysql/
19
20# Remove the MySQL user data directory (if separate)
21sudo rm -rf /usr/local/var/mysql

Step 3: Remove User-Level Configuration

bash

1# Remove MySQL shell history and config from your home directory
2rm -rf ~/.mysql_history
3rm -rf ~/.my.cnf
4rm -rf ~/.mysqlsh/
5rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld
6rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist

Step 4: Remove MySQL from PATH

Check if MySQL added itself to your PATH:

bash

# Check shell profile files
grep -l mysql ~/.bash_profile ~/.zshrc ~/.bashrc ~/.profile 2>/dev/null

Edit the listed file(s) and remove any line like:

bash

export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"

Then reload your shell:

bash

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bash_profile

Uninstalling Homebrew MySQL

If MySQL was installed via Homebrew, the process is simpler:

bash

1# Stop the service
2brew services stop mysql
3
4# Uninstall MySQL
5brew uninstall mysql
6
7# Remove data and configuration
8rm -rf /usr/local/var/mysql
9rm -rf /usr/local/etc/my.cnf
10rm -rf /usr/local/etc/my.cnf.d
11
12# For Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3)
13rm -rf /opt/homebrew/var/mysql
14rm -rf /opt/homebrew/etc/my.cnf
15
16# Clean up Homebrew cache
17brew cleanup

Uninstalling MySQL Installed via MAMP or XAMPP

bash

1# MAMP
2# Simply delete the MAMP application folder
3rm -rf /Applications/MAMP
4rm -rf /Applications/MAMP\ PRO
5rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/MAMP
6
7# XAMPP
8rm -rf /Applications/XAMPP
9sudo rm -rf /opt/lampp

MAMP and XAMPP bundle MySQL within their own directories, so removing the application removes MySQL as well.

Verify Complete Removal

After removal, verify that MySQL is fully uninstalled:

bash

1# Check for mysql binary
2which mysql
3# Should return nothing or "mysql not found"
4
5# Check for any remaining MySQL processes
6ps aux | grep mysql
7
8# Check for remaining MySQL files
9find / -name "mysql" -type d 2>/dev/null
10
11# Try running mysql
12mysql --version
13# Should return "command not found"

Remove MySQL User and Group (Optional)

macOS may have created a _mysql user and group during installation:

bash

1# Check if the MySQL user exists
2dscl . -read /Users/_mysql 2>/dev/null
3
4# Remove the user (if present)
5sudo dscl . -delete /Users/_mysql
6
7# Remove the group (if present)
8sudo dscl . -delete /Groups/_mysql

Only do this if you are certain no other software depends on these accounts.

Reinstalling After Uninstall

If you plan to reinstall MySQL, a clean removal ensures no leftover configuration causes issues:

bash

1# Via Homebrew (recommended for macOS)
2brew install mysql
3brew services start mysql
4mysql_secure_installation
5
6# Via official DMG
7# Download from https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/
8# Run the installer package

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting /usr/local/mysql/data: This directory contains your databases. If you need to keep your data, back up this directory before removing MySQL. Once deleted, all databases are permanently lost.
Leaving the launch daemon: If /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist is left behind, macOS will try to start MySQL on boot and log errors. Always remove it.
PATH still pointing to old MySQL: After uninstalling, commands like mysql may still work if your PATH still includes /usr/local/mysql/bin. Remove the PATH entry from your shell profile.
Homebrew vs DMG conflict: If you have both a Homebrew and a DMG installation, they will conflict on port 3306. Uninstall one completely before using the other.
Permissions errors during removal: Some MySQL directories are owned by _mysql or root. Use sudo for removal commands.

Summary

Stop MySQL before removing: sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server stop
Remove the main installation: sudo rm -rf /usr/local/mysql*
Remove preference pane, launch daemon, receipts, and config files
Clean up user-level files: ~/.my.cnf, ~/.mysql_history, ~/.mysqlsh/
Remove MySQL from your shell PATH
For Homebrew: brew uninstall mysql && rm -rf /usr/local/var/mysql
Verify removal with which mysql and ps aux | grep mysql