gh-154757: Remove the deprecated Py_UNICODE type

Py_UNICODE was a typedef to wchar_t, deprecated by PEP 393 since Python 3.3
and at runtime since Python 3.13, and scheduled for removal in 3.16. Nothing
in CPython used it: the Argument Clinic converter of the same name generates
const wchar_t *, and the typedef is not part of the stable ABI.

The documentation references to it are kept, with the link suppressed, as was
done for PyWeakref_GetObject in GH-133657.

Author: fedonman

Doc/c-api/unicode.rst

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ points must be below 1114112 (which is the full Unicode range).
 UTF-8 representation is created on demand and cached in the Unicode object.
 
 .. note::
-   The :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` representation has been removed since Python 3.12
+   The :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` representation has been removed since Python 3.12
    with deprecated APIs.
    See :pep:`623` for more information.
 
@@ -1943,20 +1943,6 @@ Deprecated API
 
 The following API is deprecated.
 
-.. c:type:: Py_UNICODE
-
-   This is a typedef of :c:type:`wchar_t`, which is a 16-bit type or 32-bit type
-   depending on the platform.
-   Please use :c:type:`wchar_t` directly instead.
-
-   .. versionchanged:: 3.3
-      In previous versions, this was a 16-bit type or a 32-bit type depending on
-      whether you selected a "narrow" or "wide" Unicode version of Python at
-      build time.
-
-   .. deprecated-removed:: 3.13 3.16
-
-
 .. c:function:: int PyUnicode_READY(PyObject *unicode)
 
    Do nothing and return ``0``.

Doc/deprecations/c-api-pending-removal-in-3.16.rst

@@ -83,5 +83,3 @@ Pending removal in Python 3.16
   The :c:func:`Py_InitializeFromConfig` API should be used with
   :c:type:`PyConfig` to set these options. Or :c:func:`PyConfig_Get` can be
   used to get these options at runtime.
-
-* :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` which was deprecated by :pep:`393`.

Doc/tools/removed-ids.txt

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ deprecations/index.html: c-api-pending-removal-in-python-3-16
 using/configure.html: cmdoption-with-system-libmpdec
 
 # Removed APIs
+c-api/unicode.html: c.Py_UNICODE
 library/symtable.html: symtable.Class.get_methods
 library/sys.html: sys._enablelegacywindowsfsencoding
 c-api/import.html: c.PyImport_LazyImportsMode.PyImport_LAZY_NONE

Doc/whatsnew/3.11.rst

@@ -2689,7 +2689,7 @@ Removed
 
 .. _whatsnew311-pep624:
 
-* Remove the :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` encoder APIs,
+* Remove the :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` encoder APIs,
   as they have been deprecated since Python 3.3,
   are little used
   and are inefficient relative to the recommended alternatives.

Doc/whatsnew/3.16.rst

@@ -841,3 +841,8 @@ Deprecated C APIs
 
 Removed C APIs
 --------------
+
+* Remove the deprecated :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` type, a typedef to
+  :c:type:`wchar_t` deprecated by :pep:`393` since Python 3.3 and at runtime
+  since Python 3.13.  Use :c:type:`wchar_t` instead.
+  (Contributed by Vyron Vasileiadis in :gh:`154757`.)

Doc/whatsnew/3.3.rst

@@ -2265,11 +2265,11 @@ Deprecated Python modules, functions and methods
 Deprecated functions and types of the C API
 -------------------------------------------
 
-The :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` has been deprecated by :pep:`393` and will be
+The :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` has been deprecated by :pep:`393` and will be
 removed in Python 4. All functions using this type are deprecated:
 
-Unicode functions and methods using :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` and
-:c:expr:`Py_UNICODE*` types:
+Unicode functions and methods using :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` and
+``Py_UNICODE*`` types:
 
 * :c:macro:`!PyUnicode_FromUnicode`: use :c:func:`PyUnicode_FromWideChar` or
   :c:func:`PyUnicode_FromKindAndData`
@@ -2329,7 +2329,7 @@ Deprecated features
 -------------------
 
 The :mod:`array` module's ``'u'`` format code is now deprecated and will be
-removed in Python 4 together with the rest of the (:c:type:`Py_UNICODE`) API.
+removed in Python 4 together with the rest of the (:c:type:`!Py_UNICODE`) API.
 
 
 Porting to Python 3.3
@@ -2470,7 +2470,7 @@ Porting C code
   All extensions relying on the relevant parts in ``memoryobject.h``
   or ``object.h`` must be rebuilt.
 
-* Due to :ref:`PEP 393 <pep-393>`, the :c:type:`Py_UNICODE` type and all
+* Due to :ref:`PEP 393 <pep-393>`, the :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` type and all
   functions using this type are deprecated (but will stay available for
   at least five years).  If you were using low-level Unicode APIs to
   construct and access unicode objects and you want to benefit of the

Include/cpython/unicodeobject.h

@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@
 #  error "this header file must not be included directly"
 #endif
 
-/* Py_UNICODE was the native Unicode storage format (code unit) used by
+/* PY_UNICODE_TYPE was the native Unicode storage format (code unit) used by
    Python and represents a single Unicode element in the Unicode type.
-   With PEP 393, Py_UNICODE is deprecated and replaced with a
-   typedef to wchar_t. */
+   With PEP 393, it is deprecated and replaced with a typedef to wchar_t. */
 Py_DEPRECATED(3.13) typedef wchar_t PY_UNICODE_TYPE;
-Py_DEPRECATED(3.13) typedef wchar_t Py_UNICODE;
 
 
 /* --- Internal Unicode Operations ---------------------------------------- */

Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2026-07-27-08-12-36.gh-issue-154757.XIuwa8.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Remove the deprecated :c:type:`!Py_UNICODE` type.  It was a typedef to
+:c:type:`wchar_t`, deprecated by :pep:`393` since Python 3.3 and at runtime
+since Python 3.13.  Use :c:type:`wchar_t` instead.