MacOS – Restore path to be read from /private/etc/paths

macospath

I used the how to from
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-install-macos.html

to install AWS CLI on macOS.
After executing command source ~/.bash_profile it seems that my default PATH location from file /private/etc/paths was lost.

/private/etc/paths file content:

/usr/bin/vim /private/etc/paths

/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin
/bin
/usr/sbin
/sbin

~/.bash_profile file content:

# Setting PATH for Python 3.6
# The original version is saved in .bash_profile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

For example next command cant find the location of basic files installed in /usr/bin/:
-bash: vim: command not found

Is it a way to restore path to be reading from /private/etc/paths?

echo $PATH
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin:/Users/<myusername>/bin:/Library/Python/3.6/bin/

Also I can't use the same command to reread from the location

source /private/etc/paths
-bash: /usr/local/bin: is a directory
-bash: /usr/bin: is a directory
-bash: /bin: is a directory
-bash: /usr/sbin: is a directory
-bash: /sbin: is a directory

Best Answer

Fix your /private/etc/paths content:

The default content is:
```
/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin
/bin
/usr/sbin
/sbin
```
If you want to include /usr/bin/vim (but only if vim is a folder containing some executables - the macOS installed vim exec is /usr/bin/vim!) modify the content to:
```
/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin/vim
/usr/bin
/bin
/usr/sbin
/sbin
```
You have another (superior) export PATH line somewhere (i.e. bash config files) with the following content:
```
export PATH="/Users/<myusername>/bin:/Library/Python/3.6/bin/:*"
```
with *= either completely missing or a falsely defined PATH variable (e.g. Path instead of PATH)

At least it doesn't inherit the standard paths defined by /private/etc/paths

This first PATH export and the second in your ~/.bash_profile then yield something broken like:
```
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin:/Users/<myusername>/bin:/Library/Python/3.6/bin/ 
```
as PATH

Related Solutions

Many programs notify me that “grep/sed/uname/… not found”; some run, some don’t. My system(?) path is damaged, how to go about a diagnosing it

Your question is unclear as it seems to ask several things. However the issue re launching from the Dock can be answered.

The Dock does not call a shell. .profile and other startup scripts are only run when Terminal.app or similar starts a shell or you run a shell script via launchd etc.

To change the path used for Apps launched from the Dock, Finder or other GUI then you need to change the path your Workspace uses this is in ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist e.g. mine is

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>WAFDIR</key>
  <string>/Users/mark/src/third_party/git-svn/waf</string>

  <key>PATH</key>
  <string>/Users/mark/bin:/Users/mark/env/bin:/Users/mark/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/opt/local/bin:/usr/local/git/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/libexec/binutils:</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Also have a look at this question.

Strange path environment

The issue is how you have uninstalled python. Deleting the app does remove the code but does not affect anything you have changed elsewhere will not have been undone. In this case the changes to the path have not been undone and as the installer is a simple one it keeps adding the new bit of the path to the existing path.

To fix the path you need to find the file where the PATH environment variable is altered. If you are using the bash shell (the default in recent OSX) then. . ideally it should be ~/.bashrc but probably ~/.profile or ~/.bash_profile. See other questions or manuals on what startup file bash uses) Then edit this file so that you have only one Python in it, the lines changing PATH will begin export PATH=

In general things are uninstallable if only you know exactly what they changed in install and what they write to at run time. There is no generic way to do this. The best apps have uninstallers which will do the best. You can stop the app running by deleting the .app bundle and most configuration takes up little disk space so the cost of leaving it is not high. Also most .apps do not need edits in bash files so are more self contained.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Many programs notify me that “grep/sed/uname/… not found”; some run, some don’t. My system(?) path is damaged, how to go about a diagnosing it

Strange path environment

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