matlab (macOS)

Start MATLAB program from macOS Terminal

Syntax

matlab

matlab option1 ... optionN

Description

matlab is a shell script that starts the MATLAB^® program from a macOS system prompt. Here the term matlab refers to this script and MATLAB refers to the program.

The matlab script is located in the MATLAB application package, /Applications/matlabroot/MATLAB_release.app/bin, where matlabroot is the name of the folder in which you installed MATLAB and release is the MATLAB release number.

The matlab script:

• Determines the MATLAB root folder, the value returned by the matlabroot function

• Processes command-line options, if any

• Reads the MATLAB startup file, .matlab7rc.sh

• Sets MATLAB environment variables

matlab option1 ... optionN starts MATLAB with the specified startup options.

Alternatively, assign startup options in the MATLAB .matlab7rc.sh Startup File. Modifying the .matlab7rc.sh file defines startup options every time you start MATLAB. On macOS platforms, the .matlab7rc.sh file applies only when starting MATLAB from Terminal. The file does not apply when starting MATLAB by double-clicking the MATLAB icon in the Applications folder.

The -nojvm option starts MATLAB without loading the JVM^®. Functionality that requires Java^® will not be available in this session.

Input Arguments

option1 ... optionN — One or more startup options

strings

One or more startup options, specified as strings corresponding to valid startup options from the following tables.

Mode Options

Option	Result
-desktop	Start MATLAB without a controlling terminal. Use this option when you start MATLAB from a window manager menu or desktop icon.
-nodesktop	Run MATLAB without opening the desktop. You can use development environment tools by calling them as functions. For example, call the edit function to open the Editor. To run in batch processing mode, use the -batch option. If you use the > constructor to pipe to MATLAB, then the nodesktop option is used automatically. To ensure that output displays as intended, make sure that your macOS Terminal uses a monospaced font. For a more accessible alternative to using MATLAB with the -nodesktop option, use the Command Window Only layout instead. Using the Command Window Only layout gives you access to more keyboard shortcuts and, when needed, the full functionality of the MATLAB desktop. To select the Command Window Only layout, go to the Home tab, and in the Environment section, click the Layout button and then select Command Window Only. (since R2025a)
-nojvm	Start MATLAB without loading the JVM software in the session. Features that require Java software are not supported.

Display Options

Option	Result
-noFigureWindows	Disable the display of figure windows in MATLAB.
-nodisplay	Suppress desktop tools and graphics.

Set Initial Working Folder

The initial working folder is the current folder when MATLAB starts. For more information, see MATLAB Startup Folder.

Option	Result
-sd folder	Set the MATLAB folder to folder, specified as a string. Example: matlab -sd "C:\work"
-useStartupFolderPref	Set the MATLAB folder to the value specified by the Initial working folder setting, located in the General Settings page of the Settings window.

Specify MATLAB Version

Option	Result
v=variant	Start the version of MATLAB in the bin/arch/variant folder instead of the bin/arch folder, where: arch is the system architecture, the value returned by the computer('arch') function variant is a string representing a MATLAB version

Debugging Options

Option	Result
-logfile filename	Copy Command Window output, including error reports, into filename, specified as a string. Example: -logfile output.log
-n	Display, without starting MATLAB, the final values of the environment variables and arguments passed to the MATLAB executable. This option also displays other diagnostic information for use when working with a Technical Support Representative.
-e	Display, without starting MATLAB, all environment variables and their values to standard output. If the exit status is not 0 on return, then the variables and values might not be correct.
-Ddebugger debugopts	Start MATLAB in debug mode. This option uses the debugger program name, debugger, specified as a string, for example, gdb, lldb, or dbx. You can specify the full path to the debugger. This option must be the first option in the matlab script. Debugger program command-line options, debugopts, specified as a string of valid options for debugger. See your debugger documentation for details. Do not use any other matlab script options when using debugopts. Do not add a space between D and debugger. Example: -Dlldb
-jdb portnumber	Enable use of the Java debugger. The Java debugger uses the default portnumber value 4444 to communicate with MATLAB. The port number is optional. However, to use the Java debugger while running multiple MATLAB sessions, you must specify a port number. The portnumber value must be an integer in the range 0–65535. The integer cannot be reserved or currently in use by another application on your system.

Execute MATLAB Script or Function

Option	Result
-batch statement	Execute MATLAB script, statement, or function non-interactively. MATLAB: Starts without the desktop Does not display the splash screen Executes statement Displays figure windows, unless combined with the -noFigureWindows or -nodisplay options Disables changes to settings Disables toolbox caching Logs text to stdout and stderr Exits automatically with exit code 0 if statement executes successfully. Otherwise, MATLAB terminates with a non-zero exit code. statement is MATLAB code enclosed in double quotation marks. If statement is the name of a MATLAB function or script, do not specify the file extension. Any required file must be on the MATLAB search path or in the startup folder. Use the -batch option in non-interactive scripting or command line workflows. Do not use this option with the -r option. If you run code that creates dialog boxes that require user input, MATLAB throws an error. To test if a session of MATLAB is running in batch mode, call the batchStartupOptionUsed function. Example: -batch "myscript"
-r statement	Execute the MATLAB statement. Use this option for interactive workflows. Do not use this option with the -batch option. Note To set the initial working folder, use the -sd option. For example: -sd folder Example: -r "disp(['Current folder: ' pwd])" Example: -r "myscript"

Use Single Computational Thread

By default, MATLAB uses the multithreading capabilities of the computer on which it is running.

Option	Result
-singleCompThread	Limit MATLAB to a single computational thread. This option is for numerical computations only.

Disable Searching Custom Java Class Path

Option	Result
-nouserjavapath	Disable use of javaclasspath.txt and javalibrarypath.txt files. For more information, see Specifying Java Startup Options.

Specify License File

Option	Result
-c license	Use the specified license file, license, specified as a string, a colon-separated list of license file names, or a port@host entry. For more information, see Update or Modify Network License Files.

Help Options

Option	Result
-h	Display startup options without starting MATLAB.
-help	Same as -h option.

Examples

Start MATLAB R2015a from Applications Folder

Move to the bin folder within the application package for MATLAB installed in a folder named MyMATLAB.

cd /Applications/MyMATLAB/MATLAB_R2015a.app/bin

Preface the matlab script with ./ characters.

./matlab -nodisplay

Start MATLAB from Any Folder

Start MATLAB R2015a from any Terminal folder by specifying the full path name. Assume MATLAB is installed in a folder named MyMATLAB.

/Applications/MyMATLAB/MATLAB_R2015a.app/bin/matlab

Start MATLAB Without Desktop

matlab -nodisplay

Display Current Folder at Startup

matlab -r "disp(['Current folder: ' pwd])"

More About

.matlab7rc.sh Startup File

The .matlab7rc.sh shell script contains variable definitions used by the matlab script. To redefine variables defined in the matlab script, modify the .matlab7rc.sh file. The .matlab7rc.sh file applies only when starting MATLAB from Terminal; it does not apply when starting MATLAB by double-clicking the MATLAB icon in the Applications folder.

matlab looks in these folders for the first occurrence of .matlab7rc.sh in the following order:

1. Current folder

2. Home folder ($HOME)

3. matlabroot/bin folder

To edit the .matlab7rc.sh file, use the template located in the matlabroot/bin folder.

The following table lists the variables. For more information, see the comments in the .matlab7rc.sh file.

.matlab7rc.sh Variable	Definition and Standard Assignment Behavior
ARCH	Machine architecture MATLAB checks these values in this order: The value ARCH passed with the -arch or -arch/ext argument to the script. The value of the environment variable MATLAB_ARCH.
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH	Final Load library path The final value is normally a colon-separated list of four sublists, each of which could be empty. The sublists are: Defined in .matlab7rc.sh as LDPATH_PREFIX Computed in the script and includes folders inside the MATLAB root folder and relevant Java folders Contains any nonempty value of DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH from the environment possibly augmented in .matlab7rc.sh Defined in .matlab7rc.sh as LDPATH_SUFFIX
MATLAB	MATLAB root folder
MATLABPATH	MATLAB search path The final value is a colon-separated list with the MATLABPATH from the environment prepended to a list of computed defaults. At startup, you can add subfolders of userpath to the MATLAB search path. See userpath for details.
SHELL	Shell to use with MATLAB “!” or unix commands This value is taken from the environment, unless SHELL is reset in .matlab7rc.sh. The default .matlab7rc.sh file does not reset SHELL.
MATLAB_SHELL	Shell to use instead of SHELL MATLAB checks for MATLAB_SHELL first and, if empty or not defined, checks SHELL. If SHELL is also empty or not defined, MATLAB uses the Bourne shell, /bin/sh. Use an absolute path for the value of MATLAB_SHELL, that is, /bin/sh, not simply sh. The default .matlab7rc.sh file does not reference or set MATLAB_SHELL.
TOOLBOX	Path of the toolbox folder Value in the environment, if not empty Value of TOOLBOX in .matlab7rc.sh, if reset Value of matlabroot/toolbox computed by the script The MATLAB version of .matlab7rc.sh does not reset TOOLBOX.

The matlab script determines the path of the MATLAB root folder by looking up the folder tree from the matlabroot/bin folder (where the matlab script is located). MATLAB use the MATLAB variable to locate all files within the MATLAB folder tree.

You can change the definition of MATLAB. For example, you might change the definition:

• To run a different version of MATLAB

• When your system uses certain types of automounting schemes and the path determined by the matlab script is not correct

Version History

R2025a: -nojvm startup option supports desktop tools and graphics

If you start MATLAB using the matlab function with the -nojvm startup option, desktop tools and graphics appear as expected. In previous releases, desktop tools and graphics were not supported when MATLAB was started using the -nojvm startup option.

To prevent desktop tools and graphics from appearing, use the -nodisplay or -nodesktop options. For example:

matlab -nojvm -nodisplay

R2025a: -nosplash startup option no longer supported

The matlab command -nosplash startup option is no longer supported. If you specify the -nosplash option at startup, MATLAB ignores the option. Previously, you could use the -nosplash startup option to suppress the display of the splash screen.

R2025a: Creating dialog boxes that require user input is not supported with -batch option

If you use the -batch option and run code that creates dialog boxes that require user input, MATLAB throws an error. The exception is if you create the dialog box in a test created using the app testing framework, such as matlab.uitest.TestCase.chooseDialog, in which case the code runs without an error.

R2019a: -r option for non-interactive use is not recommended

To start MATLAB non-interactively, use the -batch option. To start MATLAB interactively, use the -r option.