How to disable WebGL and use OpenGL

I'm trying to use siteviewer for some things, but it times out and doesn't give me anything. Comparing to other PCs that I know they work I've noticed they use a different graphics rendered, OpenGL, while my system uses WebGL. I've tried using commands for changing it such as: opengl('save','software') or matlab -softwareopengl, but it doesn't work. My pc has a 3060Ti and the others don't even have a graphic card and I also tried to change nvidia graphic options but to no avail.

Is there any other form of changing it?

Answer 1

[Chetan]

Hi @Miguel Ángel Bonilla Rojas,

It seems like you're encountering problems with `siteviewer` in MATLAB because of a WebGL and OpenGL conflict.

You can follow the following steps to fix this issue:

• Force Software OpenGL: Add `-softwareopengl` to the MATLAB shortcut's target to default to software OpenGL.
• Update NVIDIA Drivers: Ensure your NVIDIA drivers are current to avoid compatibility issues.
• Address libstdc++.so.6 Incompatibility: Follow the workaround if you encounter library compatibility issues: https://www.mathworks.com/support/bugreports/1297894
• Use MATLAB with Software OpenGL: If changing the graphics driver isn't an option, start MATLAB with from the Linux Terminal:

matlab -softwareopengl

To always start MATLAB in this mode, use the following in the MATLAB Command Window:

opengl('save','software')

To revert, use:

opengl('save','none')

If problems persist, try these workarounds:

Hardware OpenGL Renderer : Create a 'java.opts' file in MATLAB's start directory with:

-Djogl.disable.openglarbcontext=1

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/java-opts-file.html

Painters Renderer: Start MATLAB with the `-noopengl` option from the terminal:

matlab -noopengl

For further assistance, refer to these MathWorks Documentation links:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/342906

https://www.mathworks.com/help/parallel-computing/identify-and-select-a-gpu-device.html

Thanks

Chetan

[Ferdinando]

Unfortunately all of the above didn't work for me. I've just installed R2025a on Ubuntu v. 24.04.2 and because of lack of proper drivers for my AMD GPU, WebGL does not work (lots of artefacts and corrupted graphics when opening figures). R2024b was working perfectly with the -softwareopengl flag. It looks like the latest version is actually worse than the previous one as far as handling GPU rendering in adverse conditions is concerned.

[Walter Roberson]

@Ferdinando

Note that as of R2025a, OpenGL is completely removed; the rendering engine for figure() has changed.

[Ferdinando]

Thank you Walter for your kind reply. I knew that and I thought that by scrapping OpenGL Matlab had found a more clever way to work around graphic acceleration problems, which doesn't seem to be the case. That essentially means that people like me, running Ubuntu on Mac Pros (Ubuntu 22 has exactly the same problem) will be stuck with version R2024b for the foreseeable future, since there it seems to be no way to install AMD drivers (using the amdgpu-install utility and drivers from the AMD site) compatible with WebGL (whic requires graphic acceleration). This is obvioulsy not the ritght place to discuss issues related to how to fix the problem of AMD GPUs in Ubuntu, but people thinking to upgrade to R2025a should be warned about this issue.

[Benjamin Kraus]

@Ferdinando: Please contact technical support and let them know about the issues you are having with MATLAB R2025a and AMD GPUs on Ubuntu.