Migrate preferences to R2025a

I am in the process of upgrading from R2024b R2025a. For the past several Matlab releases, I have found that copying over the .xml files below from my prefdir would successfully transfer over my keyboard shortcut, layout, and favorite command preferences to the upgraded installation. This is not working now that I have upgraded to R2025a. Inserting these files has no effect. Is it because there has been a massive overhaul in how preference settings are implemented? Do I have any hope for an automatic procedure?

[Matt J]

Also, I find that the functionality allowing you to attach a personalized icon to a Quick Access Toolbar button is not present in R2025a. Is it gone for good?

Answer 1

[Benjamin Kraus]

When you start MATLAB, it first looks for a preferences directory that corresponds to your current release (in this case R2025a). If it cannot find a preferences directory for the current release, it will automatically look for an old MATLAB preferences directory and automatically import your settings and history from that old preferences directory. Your best bet, when upgrading MATLAB, is to not manually copy any files into the preference directory. Your best bet is to let MATLAB handle that for you.

Upgrading from R2024b to R2025a should be able to convert your R2024b preferences into the new R2025a format and that should happen automatically. This process should work when upgrading from R2024b to R2025a, but the format in which preferences are stored has changed, so you could be encountering an edge case.

I'm curious if you used the beta of the new desktop? I know some of the settings import/conversion process wasn't working perfectly in early beta releases, so I wonder if the issue you are encountering is because it is finding incomplete preference information from the R2024b beta. For example, MATLAB R2025a starts, it doesn't see an R2025a preference folder, so it looks for R2024b. In the R2024b preference directory it finds two sets of preferences: (1) the old desktop preferences and (2) the preferences from the beta that were not imported correctly. Because it sees preferences in the new format, it is using those instead of the preferences from the old desktop. This is just a theory.

Here is an experiment you can try:

1. Rename your R2024b and R2025a preferences directories to something different (effectively: give them a name so that MATLAB doesn't find them, but don't delete them so you maintain a backup).
2. Create a new empty preference directory with the name R2024b (not R2025a).
3. Copy XML files that have your preferences from your backed up R2024b preference directory into the new and empty R2024b preferences directory (instead of the R2025a directory).
4. Now start MATLAB R2025a.

In theory, this should detect that you don't have an R2025a preferences directory, look for an R2024b preferences directory, and find just the XML files, which it should then import into the new R2025a format.

I haven't tried this myself, so let me know if it works. However, another user had success doing something similar over on this thread, so I have hopes that it will work: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/2177285

[Benjamin Kraus]

A user from this thread had success with this solution.

[Matt J]

Hi @Benjamin Kraus

I'm curious if you used the beta of the new desktop?

On the contrary, I am using the old desktop. Does this provide any clues?

I

[Benjamin Kraus]

Let me rephrase my question: Have you ever tried the "new desktop" in any release in which it was available (even if you later switched back to the "old desktop")?

If so, the very first time you tried to use the "new desktop", MATLAB created preference files in the new format, which are stored in your R2024b preferences directory. Even if you switched back to the "old desktop", those preference files remained behind and live in parallel to your "old desktop" preference files.

When you open MATLAB R2025a:

1. It will first look for an R2025a preferences directory. If found, it will use that.
2. If no R2025a preferences directory is found, it will check for an R2024b preference directory.
3. If an R2024b preference directory is found, it will first check for preferences in the "new desktop" file format. These may be left behind by experimenting with the "new desktop", even if you later switched back. If it finds those new preference files, it will use those.
4. If an R2024b preference directory is found, but all it sees are preference files from the "old desktop", it will automatically migrate those files into the new format and store the new files in your R2025a preferences directory.

So, my question is basically: Is there any reason you might have existing preference files in the new format (created by experimenting with the new desktop at any point in time). If so, my solution above was an attempt to force MATLAB to ignore those files and use the "old desktop" files instead.

[Matt J]

Yes, I at one point experimented with the new desktop and switched back. That experimentation was for R2022b not R2024, but I guess you are saying those would have been carried forward when I upgraded to R2024b?

In any case, your procedure partially worked! It successfully transferred my Quick Access Toolbar buttons, but not my Layouts and Keyboard Shortcuts. Also, my personalized Quick Access button icons did not carry over and, as I mentioned above, the functionality to re-add them seems to have been removed. Is there no way to bring back the icons?

[Benjamin Kraus]

@Matt J: I spoke to a colleague who is more familiar with the desktop layout settings and he told me that because of the dramatic differences between the old desktop and the new desktop (specifically: There are layout configurations supported by the old desktop that are not supported by the new desktop, and vice versa), MATLAB won't port the layout settings from the old desktop to the new desktop.

This doc page has updated instructions regarding configuring the desktop layout: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/change-the-desktop-layout.html The page includes information about the Quick Access Toolbar at the bottom.

I'm not familiar with the status of the Quick Access Toolbar icons or keyboard shortcuts, but I can ask around about both those things.

[Andres]

@Matt J As a workaround, if you follow the instructions on https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025a/matlab/matlab_prog/add-items-to-quick-access-toolbar.html you can add a path to your personalized icon png file. Use / (slash) as file separator.