Why does a second MATLAB instance start when I call "readcell" and "writecell" with "UseExcel" set to true when Spreadsheet Link is installed?

I am using "readcell" and "writecell" in MATLAB R2023a to work with data in Excel. I have also installed Spreadsheet Link in Excel.

Why does a second MATLAB instance start when I call "readcell" and "writecell" in MATLAB with "UseExcel" set to true?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Setting "UseExcel" to true will start an instance of Microsoft Excel on Windows. When Excel starts, Spreadsheet Link may start a MATLAB instance, depending on the preference settings.

To stop this second MATLAB instance from appearing, navigate to Spreadsheet Link preferences in Excel and uncheck the box next to "Start MATLAB at Excel startup".

For more details on changing Spreadsheet Link preferences please refer to the following documentation page:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2023a/exlink/set-spreadsheet-link-preferences.html