diff --git a/recipes-devtools/python/python3_%.bbappend b/recipes-devtools/python/python3_%.bbappend
index 5d5e38a..69f4e9a 100644
--- a/recipes-devtools/python/python3_%.bbappend
+++ b/recipes-devtools/python/python3_%.bbappend
@@ -4,8 +4,17 @@
 ALTERNATIVE_LINK_NAME[python] = "${bindir}/python"
 ALTERNATIVE_TARGET[python] = "${bindir}/python3"
 
-# Even though python3 is built with --without-ensurepip, it still installs
-# a large, compressed version of pip.  Remove it to free up the space.
+# python3 takes up a lot of space that most embedded systems
+# do not have, so remove some un-needed files from the rootfs
 do_install_append_class-target() {
+    # Even though python3 is built with --without-ensurepip, it still installs
+    # a large, compressed version of pip.  Remove it to free up the space.
     rm -rf ${D}${libdir}/python${PYTHON_MAJMIN}/ensurepip
+
+    # Remove all python .py files from python recipe. Only the .pyc
+    # files are required.
+    # The _sysconfigdata*.py files are system configuration files generated
+    # during build time. It's used in the yocto packaging process so
+    # it is required to remain in the image.
+    find ${D}${libdir}/python${PYTHON_MAJMIN} -name \*.py ! -name _sysconfigdata*.py -exec rm {} \;
 }