New Desktop for MATLAB (Beta)

by MathWorks Desktop Team

Try new Beta features including dark theme, updated layout, expanded search capabilities, and more.

2.9

(62)

10.8K Downloads

Updated 20 Mar 2024

Overview

The next evolution of the MATLAB desktop is in Beta development. Try out a preview of MATLAB dark theme, the desktop layout sidebar and search capabilities, figure toolstrip, and more!

Please report feedback and issues directly to the development teams by using the feedback button in the MATLAB toolstrip.

What's new in R2024a

Workspace Browser loads MAT file with 50k+ variables 10x more quickly
Significant speed-up for the Current Folder Browser when previewing large MAT-files
An issue with variables not appearing in the Workspace Browser has been fixed
EXPORTAPP is now supported
The Figure Icon property is now supported
Use a setting to control the default value for the Figure Toolstrip "Show Code" option:

    s = settings; s.plottools.figuretoolstrip.showcode.PersonalValue = false; % Disables the Show Code option

Keyboard Shortcuts Preference Panel is available to customize shortcuts in the editor
Search for and replace text in filenames and file content
Find and replace across multiple files

What's new in R2023b update 3

Apps Dark Theme - Dark theme support by configuring a new Theme property on UI figure.
Graphics Dark Theme - Dark theme support introduced for your plots and charts.
Individual figures can be configured using the new figure Theme property:

        fig.Theme = "light"; %or
        fig.Theme = "dark";

Configurable Graphics Theme - Use a setting to choose a specific theme (light or dark) for figures, independent from the desktop theme:

        s = settings;
        s.matlab.appearance.figure.GraphicsTheme.TemporaryValue= 'light'; % Can be set to auto (default), light, or dark

Preserved Desktop Layout - MATLAB window location size and undocked Editor state are now restored on startup.
Performance Improvements
Scatter Plots - Improved responsiveness for scatter plot interactions using (".") point markers for plots with 1 million or more points.
Zooming in Plots - Graphics zooming using a multi-touch trackpad or mouse results in a smoother experience.
Panning Graphics Objects - Panning a plot containing ConstantLine or ConstantRegion objects is smoother and no longer shows blank areas when panning outside of the original axes limits.

What's new in R2023a / R2022b

Desktop Dark Theme - Change the colors of the desktop by selecting a dark theme.
Updated Desktop Layout - Quickly access tools and change your layout using the sidebar.
Expanded Search Capabilities - Easily find actions, settings, and resources using the new universal search box.
Figure Toolstrip - Use the new figure toolstrip to modify annotations, text, and line styles easily, and view generated code.
Keyboard and Screen Reader Accessibility - Use a screen reader to interact with the Command Window, Editor and desktop tools.
Enhanced MATLAB Projects Workflows - Collaborate using an improved user interface, manage multiple repositories using the Branch Manager, and investigate project hierarchies using the new Dependency Analyzer view.

Known Issues

Performance is a major area of focus, and we're working hard on enhancing it. This includes desktop and UI interaction, graphics, workspace browser, variable editor, and more.
App Designer does not support dark theme. Opening apps in App Designer will cause apps to display with partial theming or generate code with color values.
Simulink does not support dark theme yet.
Printing and some plotting functions are not fully supported in the dark theme.
The "Group by" function in Files temporarily groups by file extension.
Icons for non-MATLAB artifacts in Files are temporarily unavailable.
Command History, Keyboard shortcuts, Favorites and Quick Access Toolbar Controls are not transferred to the New Desktop yet.
Currently, apps that use the javacomponent function are not supported. We're working on this.