How to uninstall postgresql on my Mac (running Snow Leopard)

Question

Upgraded 10.6 from 10.5 and now postgres 8.1 is whacked. To make things worse I tried installing 8.4 which I\'m pretty sure just made things ten times worse. Anyhow, the e

Answer 1

I can add this tiny command to the answer too:

rm /usr/bin/psql

Remove executable psql alias.

Answer 2

The problem was with the PostgreSQL account sitting on my machine.

I removed the account and proceeded with the uninstall using the instructions here:

Automatic Uninstall:

In the installation directory, there will be a uninstall-postgresql.app file. Executing (double clicking) that will uninstall the PostgreSQL installation.

Manual Uninstall:

1. Stop the server:

   sudo /sbin/SystemStarter stop postgresql-8.3
   

2. Remove menu shortcuts:

   sudo rm -rf /Applications/PostgreSQL 8.3
   

3. Remove the ini file:

   sudo rm -rf /etc/postgres-reg.ini
   

4. Removing Startup Items:

   sudo rm -rf /Library/StartupItems/postgresql-8.3
   

5. Remove the data and installed files:

   sudo rm -rf /Library/PostgreSQL/8.3
   

6. Delete the user postgres:

   sudo dscl . delete /users/postgres 
   

Answer 3

If you have newer Postgres and/or OSX/macOS version, you can check this answer.