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Uninstall SDK

Uninstall SDK#

This guide explains how to remove MCUXpresso SDK installations from your system.

Overview#

Uninstallation steps vary depending on how you installed the SDK:

  • GitHub Repository SDK - Remove workspace and optionally tools

  • Classic Package - Delete extracted files and IDE references

  • IDE-Integrated - Remove from IDE and optionally delete files

Uninstalling GitHub Repository SDK#

Remove Workspace#

The SDK workspace is simply a directory structure. To remove:

Windows:

cd ..
rmdir /s /q mcuxpresso-sdk

Linux/macOS:

cd ..
rm -rf mcuxpresso-sdk

This removes:

  • All SDK repositories

  • Build artifacts

  • Configuration files

Remove Development Tools (Optional)#

If you want to completely remove SDK development tools:

West Tool:

pip uninstall west

CMake, Ninja, Git:

  • These are general development tools

  • Only uninstall if not needed for other projects

  • Use system package manager or installer

ARM GCC Toolchain:

  • Delete installation directory

  • Remove environment variable (ARMGCC_DIR)

Windows:

# Remove from PATH via System Properties → Environment Variables
# Delete installation folder
rmdir /s /q "C:\Program Files (x86)\GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain"

Linux:

sudo apt remove gcc-arm-none-eabi  # If installed via apt
# Or delete manual installation directory

Uninstalling Classic Package SDK#

Remove Extracted Files#

Simply delete the extracted SDK directory:

Windows:

rmdir /s /q "C:\MCUXpresso\SDK_2.15.0_FRDM-MCXW23"

Linux/macOS:

rm -rf ~/MCUXpresso/SDK_2.15.0_FRDM-MCXW23

Remove from MCUXpresso IDE#

  1. Open MCUXpresso IDE

  2. Window → Preferences → MCUXpresso SDK

  3. Select SDK to remove

  4. Click Remove

  5. Click Apply and Close

Remove from IAR Embedded Workbench#

IAR doesn’t maintain SDK registry. Simply:

  1. Delete extracted SDK folder

  2. Remove any workspace references to SDK path

Remove from Keil MDK#

Uninstall CMSIS Pack:

  1. Open Keil µVision

  2. Project → Manage → Pack Installer

  3. Find NXP SDK pack

  4. Click Remove

Delete SDK Files:

  • Delete extracted SDK folder

Uninstalling IDE-Integrated SDK#

MCUXpresso IDE#

Remove SDK:

  1. Window → Preferences → MCUXpresso SDK

  2. Select SDK

  3. Click Remove

Remove IDE (if desired):

  1. Windows: Control Panel → Uninstall Programs → MCUXpresso IDE

  2. Linux: Delete installation directory

  3. macOS: Move application to Trash

Remove Workspace:

  • Delete workspace directory (contains projects and settings)

VS Code with MCUXpresso Extension#

Remove SDK Workspace:

  1. Open VS Code

  2. MCUXpresso extension → REPOSITORIES view

  3. Right-click SDK → Remove

Or manually delete workspace directory.

Remove Extension:

  1. Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)

  2. Find “MCUXpresso for VS Code”

  3. Click Uninstall

Remove VS Code (if desired):

  • Follow standard VS Code uninstallation for your OS

Cleaning Build Artifacts#

Before uninstalling, you may want to clean build artifacts to free space:

GitHub Repository SDK#

cd mcuxpresso-sdk
west build -t clean  # Clean current build
# Or delete entire build directory
rm -rf build/

Classic Package#

Navigate to example directories and delete build folders:

Windows:

cd boards\<board>\driver_examples\gpio\led_output\mdk
rmdir /s /q debug release

Linux/macOS:

cd boards/<board>/driver_examples/gpio/led_output/mdk
rm -rf debug release

Removing Environment Variables#

Windows#

  1. System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables

  2. Remove SDK-related variables:

    • ARMGCC_DIR

    • IAR_DIR

    • MDK_DIR

    • MCUXpresso_SDK_DIR

  3. Remove SDK paths from PATH variable

Linux/macOS#

Edit shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):

# Remove or comment out SDK-related exports
# export ARMGCC_DIR=/usr/local/gcc-arm-none-eabi
# export MCUXpresso_SDK_DIR=~/MCUXpresso/SDK

Reload shell:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Removing Configuration Files#

West Configuration#

# Remove global west configuration
rm -rf ~/.west/

Git Configuration (if SDK-specific)#

# Remove SDK-specific Git config
git config --global --unset-all user.name
git config --global --unset-all user.email

Note: Only do this if Git was configured solely for SDK development.

Disk Space Recovery#

After uninstallation, you can recover significant disk space:

Component

Typical Size

GitHub Repository SDK (complete)

7-8 GB

GitHub Repository SDK (board-specific)

1-2 GB

SDK Archive Package

500 MB - 2 GB

Build artifacts (per project)

50-200 MB

ARM GCC Toolchain

500 MB - 1 GB

MCUXpresso IDE

1-2 GB

Verify Disk Space Recovery#

Windows:

dir /s "C:\MCUXpresso"

Linux/macOS:

du -sh ~/MCUXpresso

Reinstallation#

If you need to reinstall the SDK later:

GitHub Repository SDK:

Classic Package:

  • Re-download from SDK Builder

  • Extract to desired location

IDE-Integrated:

Troubleshooting Uninstallation#

Cannot Delete Files#

“File in use” errors:

  • Close all IDEs and terminals

  • Stop any running debug sessions

  • Restart computer if necessary

Permission errors:

  • Run command prompt/terminal as administrator

  • Check file permissions

  • Ensure you own the files

Leftover Registry Entries (Windows)#

Some IDEs may leave registry entries:

  • Generally harmless

  • Can be removed with IDE’s uninstaller

  • Or use registry cleaner (caution advised)

Broken IDE After SDK Removal#

MCUXpresso IDE:

  • Remove SDK references from workspace

  • Clean workspace: File → Switch Workspace → Clean

  • Restart IDE

VS Code:

  • Remove workspace folder from recent list

  • Reload window: Ctrl+Shift+P → Reload Window

Partial Uninstallation#

You may want to remove only parts of the SDK:

Remove Specific Middleware#

GitHub Repository SDK:

cd mcuxpresso-sdk
# Remove specific repository
rm -rf mcuxsdk/middleware/usb
# Update west to reflect changes
west update

Classic Package:

  • Delete middleware folder

  • May break examples that depend on it

Remove Build Artifacts Only#

Keep SDK but remove build outputs:

# GitHub Repository SDK
west build -t clean

# Classic Package
find . -name "debug" -type d -exec rm -rf {} +
find . -name "release" -type d -exec rm -rf {} +

Remove Documentation Only#

# Delete docs folder to save space
rm -rf docs/

Note: Documentation can be accessed online at https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/

Complete System Cleanup#

For complete removal of all SDK-related components:

  1. Remove SDK workspaces/packages

  2. Uninstall development tools (west, CMake, etc.)

  3. Uninstall toolchains (ARM GCC, IAR, Keil)

  4. Uninstall IDEs (MCUXpresso IDE, VS Code)

  5. Remove environment variables

  6. Delete configuration files

  7. Clean temporary files

Windows:

# Clean temp files
del /s /q %TEMP%\mcux*
del /s /q %TEMP%\west*

Linux/macOS:

# Clean temp files
rm -rf /tmp/mcux*
rm -rf /tmp/west*

Verification#

After uninstallation, verify removal:

# Check west is removed
west --version  # Should show "command not found"

# Check SDK directory is gone
ls ~/MCUXpresso  # Should not exist or be empty

# Check environment variables
echo $ARMGCC_DIR  # Should be empty
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