Matlab 2023b installation error WSL

Hi all,

I apologize for being new in this topic.

I am trying to install Matlab inside WSL while using Windows 11. After downloading matlab r2023b and unzipping the folder inside WSL, and running :

sudo ./install

i get the following error:

terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::runtime_error'
  what():  Failed to launch web window with error: Unable to launch the MATLABWindow application. The exit code was: 127
Aborted

After some googling, I either find that it may be related to graphics (i installed x11-apps and updated my nvidia graphic card with no success), or might be because of missing libraries (in that case what libraries should I install in my situation?). For other people it worked without issue.

Could someone help me through this issue step by step?

Thanks a lot ! :)

Answer 1

[Prasanna]

Hi Hamza,

I understand you're encountering an issue while trying to install MATLAB R2023b on WSL with Windows 11. The error you're seeing often relates to graphics or missing libraries.

One possible solution to solve the error can be to preload the Freetype library. The problem can often be fixed by preloading the Freetype library before launching MATLAB. This approach ensures that MATLAB uses the system's version of the library, which may resolve compatibility issues. You can preload the Library by using the LD_PRELOAD environment variable to preload the Freetype library. Run MATLAB with the following command in your bash shell:

env LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfreetype.so.6 matlab 

This command forces MATLAB to use the system version of the Freetype library instead of its own.

Some additional tips if the issue persists will be to check your graphic setup by ensuring that an X server on Windows is present. Also make sure that your system libraries are up to date. You can also check the following fix for more information:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/397138-why-do-i-get-a-matlabwindow-application-failed-to-launch-error-when-launching-live-editor-app-des

Hope this helps!