Documentation

Initial working folder

Select the last working folder from your previous MATLAB session, or specify the full path to a folder on your system. For more information, see MATLAB Startup Folder.

If you create a startup.m file, cd commands in that file override the preference option.

Deleting files

Select an option to specify what MATLAB does with files you delete using the delete function.

Selecting Delete permanently makes the delete function run faster.

On Linux^® systems, if you select Move to a temporary folder, MATLAB moves files to a subfolder with the prefix MATLAB_Files_ in the system temporary folder, as returned by the tempdir function.

Toolbox path caching

Select Enable toolbox path caching to have MATLAB cache matlabroot folder information across sessions for quicker startup performance.

Click Update Toolbox Path Cache to add files to the matlabroot folder. (Use after you use tools not provided with MATLAB to create MATLAB files.)

For details, see Toolbox Path Caching in MATLAB.

Select the language in which the MATLAB desktop appears. Supported languages include Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. This option affects the text in dialog boxes, button names, menu items, and error and warning messages. For more information, see MATLAB Desktop Language Preference.

This option is only available for selected non-English systems.

Warn before deleting Command History items

When you delete entries from the Command History window.

For details, see Command History Window.

Warn before clearing the Command Window

When, on the Home tab, in the Code section, you click Clear Commands. Does not appear when you use the clc function.

Confirm when overwriting variables in MAT-files

When you save variables by dragging them from the Workspace browser onto a MAT-file in the Current Folder browser.

Confirm when overwriting workspace variables via drag-and-drop

When you load variables by dragging them from the Details Panel of the Current Folder browser to the Workspace browser or Command Window.

Prompt when editing files that do not exist

When you type edit filename and filename does not exist in the current folder or on the search path.

Prompt to exit debug mode when saving file

When you try to save a modified file while in debug mode.

For details, see End Debugging Session.

Prompt to save on activate

When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you activate the UI by clicking the Run button, for example.

For details, see GUIDE Preferences.

Prompt to save on export

When you have unsaved changes to a figure and program file and you select File > Export.

For details, see GUIDE Preferences.

Confirm changing default callback implementation

When you have modified a callback signature in GUIDE.

For details, see GUIDE Preferences.

Confirm before exiting MATLAB

When you quit MATLAB.

Confirm when deleting variables

When you delete variables from the workspace using menu items. Does not appear with the clear function.

For details, see Save and Load Workspace Variables.

Select or import a set of predefined keyboard shortcuts.

Select any one of these options:

Search the list of displayed actions.

View the keyboard shortcut assigned to a selected action.

Add or delete a keyboard shortcut to a selected action.

Display conflicts when two or more different actions have the same shortcut.

Remove the keyboard shortcut from the selection in the All possible conflicts list.

Specify that desktop tools use the same text and background colors that your platform uses for other applications by selecting Use system colors.

Customize colors by clearing Use system colors, and then choose Text and Background colors from the drop-down menus.

The colors that you specify also apply to the Import Wizard, but do not apply to the Live Editor, the Help display pane or the web browser.

For details, see Change Text and Background Colors in Desktop Tools.

Set colors to help you quickly identify elements of MATLAB syntax in the Editor, Live Editor, Command Window, Command History window, and the MATLAB shortcuts callback area.

For details, see Change Syntax Highlighting Colors.

Set colors to help you quickly identify errors, warnings, and hyperlinks in the Command Window.

For details, see Automatically Check Code in the Editor and Live Editor — Code Analyzer.

Highlight sections— Specifies the color the Editor uses to shade code sections.

Show lines between sections— Specifies that code section divisions appear with a gray line between each section in the Editor. These lines do not appear in the published or printed file.

See also Code Sections.

Set colors to help you quickly identify differences, modifications, and merges in comparison reports. Choose colors from the drop-down menus. View the colors in the Sample pane. To use your modified settings in comparisons, click Apply. Refresh any open comparison reports to use the new colors.

To save your modified color preferences for use in future MATLAB sessions, click Save As. Enter a name for your color settings profile and click OK.

After saving settings, you can select them in the Active Settings list.

For details, see Comparison Report Tools and Options.

Select the toolbar you want to customize.

Rearrange controls in the toolbar by dragging and dropping them to a new location in the Layout.

Select which buttons appear on the selected toolbar.