Using Matlab 32 and 64 bit on the same machine, how do you store settings in a different place?

Question

For various reasons I need to do things in 64 bit and 32 bit Matlab.

Much to my chagrin... I found out recently that settings for both 32 and 64 bit Matlab are both stored in the same folder:

C:\Users\$USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\MathWorks\MATLAB\$MATLAB_VERSION

Here is a simple thing that I try to do... and it fails because they share the same settings folder!:

• open Matlab 32 bit
• choose a 32 bit C/C++ compiler
• compile some code
• close Matlab 32 bit
• open Matlab 64 bit
• compile the same code
• ERROR... your compiler is not 64 bits...

I get an error in the 64 bit matlab... because !ARG! as soon as I change something in matlab 32 bit... it changes the same setting in Matlab 64 bit! In this case the setting is the C/C++ compiler.

---

Is there any way to have all your settings for Matlab 32 bit and 64 bit in separate folders?

• If yes, how?
• If no, using the same settings folder is there a workaround for this specific setting (compopts.bat stores the C/C++ compiler you choose)?

Here is an example of what I would like to have:

C:\Users\$USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\MathWorks\MATLAB\$MATLAB_VERSION\32bit
C:\Users\$USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\MathWorks\MATLAB\$MATLAB_VERSION\64bit

Answer 1

You can change the location of the preferences directory using the MATLAB_PREFDIR environment variables. Refer to this technical solution for a complete instructions.