【MATLAB Uninstallation Guide】: Step-by-Step Instructions to Completely Remove MATLAB and Bid Farewell to Uninstallation Hassles

# **MATLAB Uninstallation Guide**: Step-by-Step Instructions to Completely Remove MATLAB and Say Goodbye to Uninstallation Hassles

# 1. Overview of MATLAB Uninstallation

Uninstalling MATLAB is a process to remove MATLAB software and its related components to free up disk space or resolve software issues. The wrong approach is to directly delete the entire old version MATLAB installation directory folder! The result of this is that the C drive installation files and registry residues remain, causing secondary installation failure. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a certain method to completely uninstall MATLAB.

# 2. Pre-Installation Instructions

MATLAB is a commercial mathematics software that creates the following major components during installation:

- **Application files:** These files contain MATLAB's executable code and user interface.
- **Library files:** These files contain the implementation of MATLAB functions and toolboxes.
- **Support files:** These files include help documentation, example code, and configuration settings.

The uninstallation program will delete these components and clean up any residual files or registry entries (Windows only) when uninstalling MATLAB correctly.

### 2.2 Possible Problems During Uninstallation and Solutions

During the uninstallation of MATLAB, the following problems may be encountered:

- **Residual files:** The uninstallation program may not be able to delete all residual files, such as temporary files or cache files.
- **Registry entries:** In Windows systems, the uninstallation program may not be able to delete all registry entries, causing problems when reinstalling. (This is the most common!)
- **Third-party dependencies:** MATLAB may rely on other third-party software, which may need to be uninstalled when uninstalling MATLAB.

The steps to solve these problems are as follows:

- **Manually delete residual files:** Use the file resource manager or terminal to navigate to the MATLAB installation directory and manually delete any residual files.
- **Clean the registry:** Use the registry editor (Windows only) to delete any MATLAB-related registry entries.
- **Uninstall third-party dependencies:** Determine which third-party software MATLAB relies on and uninstall them.

# 3. Practical Guide to Uninstalling MATLAB

### **3.1 Uninstalling MATLAB**

Uninstalling MATLAB: Please refer to the following 3.4 Windows system deletion operations / 3.5 MacOS system deletion operations.

### **3.2 Manually Deleting Installation Folders (Windows Only)**

After completing this operation, open the file resource manager window and navigate to the MATLAB root folder. By default, this folder in Windows is located at:

C:\Program Files\MATLAB\

### **3.3 Deleting User Preset Folders**

**Windows:**

In the file resource manager window, type the following in the address bar and then press Enter: %appdata%

This will take you to a folder named "Roaming" in the current logged-in user account. Open "MathWorks," then open "MATLAB."

**macOS:**

1. Open Finder, the blue face on the Dock.
2. In the Finder window, click on the "Go" menu and click "Go to Folder."
3. Go to the following folder: ~