MATLAB: How to uninstall or reinstall MATLAB on a Windows computer

MATLAB

I would like to know how to uninstall or reinstall MATLAB on a computer running Microsoft Windows.

Best Answer

The following instructions explain how to uninstall and then reinstall MATLAB on Windows:
NOTE: If you have saved any personal files within your MATLAB directory, be sure to place those files elsewhere before uninstalling MATLAB.
1. Stop the network license manager as described below. If you are uninstalling a standalone installation, skip to step #2.
a. Open lmtools.exe, which is located in $MATLAB\etc\win{32|64} ($MATLAB\flexlm for releases prior to 2010b).
b. Click on the 'Start/Stop/Reread' tab.
c. Click the 'Stop Server' Button
2. Run uninstall.exe from the $MATLAB\uninstall directory to uninstall MATLAB.
3. The uninstaller may leave files behind. To make sure everything has been deleted, go to the directory where MATLAB and the network license manager were installed and delete the entire folder.
4. If MATLAB cannot be uninstalled using the uninstaller or by removing MATLAB with the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool, you can simply delete the MATLAB directory and all of its contents.
5. Reboot the machine.
6. Reinstall MATLAB in a new/fresh directory. Make sure that no applications are running when you install.
NOTE: This is the procedure you should follow if you have a Prerelease of MATLAB installed and would like to start using the full release of the new version.
For information on uninstalling MATLAB on a Mac or UNIX/Linux machine, see the Related Solutions listed below.
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