MATLAB editor shows files have no contents (blank)

Hello,

When I try to open an m-file or script in the editor, it opens up blank. The file, however, is clearly not empty - I can open it with a generic text editor and the code appears fine. This also happens if I try to create a new script in the editor. The editor opens a new 'untitled' file, but I can not enter any text in the editor.

I am running R2022b on an Apple M1 Max macOS 13.1

thanks

Answer 1

[Dvarkesh Madhu]

Hi Daniel,

1. Are you trying to open the .m file as a live script?

In that case, save .m as a UTF-8 format, or save it as a live script code(.MLX).

2. Or are you connecting to MATLAB via remote desktop applications? In that case, try starting MATLAB using the "-cefdisablegpu" flag from your system command prompt:

matlab -cefdisablegpu

3. Another thing you can try is to update your graphics driver and see if that resolves the issue.

4. Or start MATLAB using the”-softwareopengl” flag from your system command prompt:

matlab -softwareopengl

If the issue still persists, feel free to contact our Technical Support team for further assistance.

Hope this helps!

[Daniel]

Thanks for the response.

My issues seemed to resolve themselves after a couple days and a few reboots of my machine. I never tried to open the files as live scripts or was I using remote desktop applications.

It was an unfortunate behavior - hope it does not occur again.

[Walter Roberson]

You cannot update your graphics driver in any recent version of MacOS, except by installing the latest MacOS security patch (if it just happens to have a driver update). Apple moved graphics drivers down a ring in security, and now insists that third-party graphics drivers be bundled in each application rather than being installed system-wide... and MacOS does not provide any separate update process for the system supplied drivers.

It would not be unreasonable to suspect that the intent of the change in driver implementation was to drive Nvidia out of the Mac market. This of course would not be the official rationale, but if you look at the history of the relationship between Nvidia and Apple, with multiple anonymous sources supposedly saying that very high level Apple executives ordered engineering not to approve any new Nvidia drivers...

Answer 2

[Evg]

I have exactly same problem. Very frequently when i open Matlab 2022b (same was for 2021 and 2023a) all previosly open .m files appear blank. The only solution is to quit matlab, delete the ~/Library/Application Support/MathWorks/MATLAB/R2022b and start again. This is very frustrating (especially giving license price of Matlab) looks like a clear Matlab bug (otherwise deleting the R2022b folder would not help)

Also i see same problem is reported here:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/1804630-existing-matlab-files-opening-blank-on-m1-macbook-pro

Using Macos 13.2.1 on M1 Max

[Tim]

Here it is 2024, and I still have this problem with my trial version. This doesn't exactly make me want to recommend this product to Mac developers.

But the above fix worked.

Answer 3

[Geoff Martin]

Same problem here with R2022b Beta and R2023a on a MacBook Pro (16", 2021, M1) running 13.4.1.

For me, the problem is intermittent. Sometimes, quitting and re-starting solves the issue. Sometimes it helps to wait long enough to get a coffee between quitting and re-starting...

Thanks for the suggestion regarding deleting the ~/Library/... directory. I'll use that next time if I've already gotten a coffee.

Answer 4

[GGWB]

This issue crosses platforms. I'm running R2021b on Linux (RHEL 8), HP Z6, with Nvidia graphics and also see this. I had no such issue on this box with R2019b and may have to revert, although 19b is missing some needed toolbox upgrades for me.

Answer 5

[mathieu perton]

Same happening in Centos, any matlab version from 2021.

Answer 6

[Norbert]

samie issue in 2024a on win, really annoying

only the -cefdisablegpu works as i am aiming to train models on the gpu this solution is really useless