Comprehensive Analysis of MATLAB Crashing Issues: Step-by-Step Examination of 7 Common Causes, Thoroughly Resolving the Crash Troubles

# ***prehensive Analysis of MATLAB Crashing Issues: Thoroughly Investigating 7 Common Causes to Solve Crashing Puzzles

MATLAB crashing can stem from a variety of reasons, including insufficient memory, graphics card drivers, compatibility issues, coding errors, and virus or malware infections. Here, we dissect the common problems.

# 2. Clicking on MATLAB Doesn't Start It

If MATLAB fails to start properly and you haven't received any license manager errors, you might be encountering one of the following issues:

***puter needs a restart
2. Preference settings are corrupted
3. Security software or other third-party software is interfering with MATLAB
4. Java environment issues
5. Installation directory problems
6. Username contains non-ASCII characters
7. Single Sign-On (SSO) software is interfering with MATLAB
8. Cleaning the TEMP directory

### Issue 1: Computer Needs a Restart
Sometimes, issues with other programs or the computer itself might prevent MATLAB from starting. Restarting the computer could resolve these interferences.

### Issue 2: Corrupted Preference Settings
One of the most common reasons MATLAB can't start is if the MATLAB preference settings directory is corrupted. You need to reset the preferences to fix this issue.

1. Close MATLAB.
2. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
3. In the new window that opens on the lower left corner, type: `%appdata%`.
4. Press Enter. This will take you to a folder called "Roaming".
5. Go into the "MathWorks" folder, then into the "MATLAB" folder.
6. Rename your MATLAB version folder, for example, change R2024a to R2024a_old. Do not delete any folders ending with "_licenses".
7. Start MATLAB.
8. When you start MATLAB, preferences will be automatically regenerated.

### Issue 3: Security Software or Other Third-Party Software Interfering with MATLAB
Check your security software logs to see if MATLAB's normal startup is being blocked. Programs such as Symantec, McAfee, Kaspersky, AVAST, TrendMicro, BitDefender, and Webroot are known to prevent MATLAB from starting.

If necessary, set exceptions to allow MATLAB to start. You might need to consult with IT personnel or security software vendors for assistance in creating exceptions.

In some cases, issues with common antivirus software can be diagnosed through Windows Error Reporting logs. These log files can be found in the following directories and can be read using a text editor such as Notepad:
- `C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER\*`
- `C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive`

Check the folders (e.g., ReportArchive) in these directories for files created when MATLAB failed to start, or files containing MATLAB or JAVA names.

Additionally, third-party software such as AppSense, DeviceLock, NVIDIA RTX Desktop Manager Software, and LastPass are known to cause issues. Disabling these programs might solve MATLAB's startup problems.

### Issue 4: Java Environment Issues
In addition to the normal MATLAB desktop environment, MATLAB has a command-line environment that does not rely on Java and is very useful for troubleshooting MATLAB. To start MATLAB without the desktop environment:

Try launching MATLAB from the Windows command prompt using the following commands:
- `matlab -nojvm`
- `matlab -softwareopengl`
- `matlab -nodesktop`

If "matlab" is an unknown command, use the following command to first navigate to the MATLAB installation directory. Adjust the version number according to your MATLAB version, if you're not using R2023a.

cd "C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2023a\bin"

If MATLAB starts with the `-nodesktop` flag, try typing `desktop` in the command prompt after opening MATLAB, to see if it can open in full graphical mode. If MATLAB starts in any of these modes, it may indicate a problem with your Java configuration. You can check if the MATLAB_JAVA environment variable exists, which might be changing the JVM MATLAB uses. If this variable exists, try deleting it.

If MATLAB cannot start in any of these modes, you can get more information from MATLAB's crash dump files. To find these files, check your Temp folder:
- `C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Temp`

File names are similar to:
- `matlab_crash*.XXXX`
- `java.log.*`

### Issue 5: Single Sign-On (SSO) Software Interfering with MATLAB
If SSO software is installed on the relevant computer, temporarily disable SSO software and then try opening MATLAB. If MATLAB starts, contact your IT department to allow/whitelist MATLAB with the SSO software or disable SSO entirely.

Configuring Oracle SSO to troubleshoot MATLAB:
1. Open the Oracle Enter