MATLAB Installation: Download, Install and First Launch

Who this is for: a researcher, student or analyst who has a MATLAB license through an organization (or is about to start a trial) and needs to get MATLAB installed and running, including on a machine with no internet connection. After reading you can choose the right license route, run the installer on Windows, Linux or macOS, and confirm the first launch worked.

Short answer: download the installer from your MathWorks account’s Downloads page, sign in with the account that holds your license, and run the installer for your operating system. Offline machines use a download-only installer plus a license file and File Installation Key. Details and the exact commands follow, taken from MathWorks documentation read on 2026-11-07.

What MATLAB is used for in research

MATLAB is a numerical computing environment used for data analysis, signal and image processing, modelling and simulation. See what MATLAB is used for for the research use cases, and MATLAB Drive for MathWorks’ cloud file storage that syncs files with the desktop product.

Install or access: choose your license route first

The installer asks you to sign in, and which account you use depends on how you obtain MATLAB. MathWorks documents three routes:

• Organization license (university, institute or company): sign in with your organization email address. If your license is not listed during installation, or the installer asks only for an Activation Key, MathWorks tells organization users to contact their IT department.
• Individual purchase: sign in with the MathWorks account used for the MathWorks Store purchase.
• Trial: if you have no license, MathWorks directs you to the MathWorks Store to buy or start a trial.

Download the installer only from the MathWorks Downloads page (sign-in required), choosing your platform and release. This page does not state pricing; consult the MathWorks Store or your IT office for current terms.

Step-by-step: install MATLAB with an internet connection

1. Sign in to your MathWorks account and open the Downloads page. Choose your platform and the release you want (releases are named R20XXy, for example R2026b).
2. Download the installer and sign in again inside the installer with the same account.
3. Select your license when the installer lists it, then choose products (you can add toolboxes later using the documented “Add Toolboxes and Products to MATLAB Installation” procedure).
4. Let the installer finish. If the connection drops, MathWorks says to run the installer again.

Three operating systems side by side

Item	Windows	Linux	macOS
Start the installer	Double-click the installer	Unzip the download, change into the folder, run the commands below	Unzip the DMG, double-click to mount it, double-click the installer
Default install folder	C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R20XXy	/usr/local/MATLAB/R20XXy	/Applications/MATLAB_R20XXy.app
Extra notes	None documented	sudo only if you lack write permission to the folder; xhost lines only when running as root	On Apple silicon, also install a Java runtime (see MathWorks’ Apple silicon requirements page)

Linux commands, run from the unzipped installer folder (source: MathWorks, “Install Products with Internet Connection”):

xhost +SI:localuser:root
sudo -H ./install
xhost -SI:localuser:root

Install MATLAB with no internet connection

An online installer copied to an offline machine fails with an error that product files cannot be found. MathWorks documents this offline path instead (source: “Install Using a File Installation Key”, read 2026-11-07):

1. On an internet-connected computer, get the license file and the File Installation Key from your MathWorks license page (the License Center). The license file lists the products and releases you are entitled to; the File Installation Key is a numeric code that determines which products the installer installs. You need permission to install MathWorks software.
2. On the same connected computer, download the products without installing: either run the interactive installer, choose Advanced Options, and select “I want to download without installing”, or download the all-products ISO (Windows, Linux) or DMG (macOS) image from MathWorks’ “Download Products Without Installing” page.
3. Copy the product files, the license file and the File Installation Key to the offline computer and note where you saved them; the installer asks for them.
4. On the offline computer: on Windows, open the folder and double-click setup.exe; on Linux, unzip, change into the folder and run the same three xhost/sudo commands shown above; on macOS, unzip the DMG and double-click the installer.
5. When prompted, enter the File Installation Key and provide the license file. MathWorks does not describe a separate activation step on this path.

First launch and what to check

MathWorks documents several ways to start MATLAB on Windows (source: “Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms”, read 2026-11-07):

• Click the MATLAB icon.
• Type matlab at the Windows command prompt, or run !matlab from inside MATLAB.
• Double-click a .m file.
• Run matlab.exe directly.

The folder MATLAB starts in depends on the method: the icon or matlab.exe uses the last working folder or the “Initial working folder” setting; the command prompt uses the current folder; a .m file uses that file’s folder. Add -useStartupFolderPref (matlab -useStartupFolderPref) to start in the Initial working folder setting instead. On startup MATLAB adds your userpath folder to the search path and reopens the desktop components that were open when you last shut down.

A quick check that the installation works: open MATLAB, type a command such as x = linspace(0, 1, 5) in the Command Window and press Enter. See linspace in MATLAB for what it returns, and MATLAB graphing for a first plot.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Documented cause and fix
License not listed, or only an Activation Key is requested	Organization account: contact your IT department. Otherwise buy or start a trial in the MathWorks Store.
Download interrupted	Run the installer again.
Offline installer reports missing installation files	You likely used the online installer. Repeat the download using “I want to download without installing”.
Installer reports the tmp folder is too small	Change the installer’s temporary directory (MathWorks links a support article for this).
Toolbox missing after install	Add it with the documented “Add Toolboxes and Products to MATLAB Installation” procedure.

Free alternatives to MATLAB

MATLAB itself is licensed software; access in research is normally through an organization license or a trial. If you need a free tool, these projects describe themselves as follows (read on each project’s own site, 2026-11-07). They are alternatives, not drop-in guarantees: check your scripts.

Tool	What its site says	License
GNU Octave (octave.org)	Scientific programming language with built-in 2D and 3D plotting; syntax largely compatible with MATLAB, “drop-in compatible with many Matlab scripts”; runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, BSD and Windows	GNU General Public License
SciPy (scipy.org)	“Fundamental algorithms for scientific computing in Python”: optimization, integration, interpolation, eigenvalue problems, differential equations, statistics	BSD
Julia (julialang.org)	Dynamically typed language designed for high performance that compiles to efficient native code	MIT

For a comparison with another analysis language, see what R is used for.

FAQ

Is there a free MATLAB download?

MATLAB is not distributed as free software. MathWorks routes people without a license to its Store to buy or start a trial, and organization members use their organization’s license. Free alternatives are listed above.

How do I install MATLAB on Windows 10 or Windows 7?

Windows installation is the same procedure: double-click the installer, default folder C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R20XXy. Which Windows versions a given release supports is set per release on MathWorks’ system requirements page (mathworks.com/support/requirements), so check it for your release before downloading.

Can I install MATLAB on Android?

The desktop installer above does not apply. MathWorks provides MATLAB Mobile as a separate product with its own page, “Install MATLAB Mobile on Your Device”.

Can I install MATLAB without internet?

Yes. Use the download-only installer (or the ISO/DMG image) on a connected computer, then install on the offline computer with the File Installation Key and license file, as described above.

Where does MATLAB install by default?

Windows C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R20XXy; Linux /usr/local/MATLAB/R20XXy; macOS /Applications/MATLAB_R20XXy.app.

Sources

• MathWorks, “Install Products with Internet Connection”: mathworks.com/help/install/ug/install-products-with-internet-connection.html (read 2026-11-07)
• MathWorks, “Install Using a File Installation Key”: mathworks.com/help/install/ug/install-using-a-file-installation-key.html (read 2026-11-07)
• MathWorks, “Start MATLAB on Windows Platforms”: mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/start-matlab-on-windows-platforms.html (read 2026-11-07)
• GNU Octave octave.org, SciPy scipy.org, Julia julialang.org (read 2026-11-07)