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Why does the MATLAB desktop look blurry when using MATLAB 8.2 (R2013b) on my Mac
with Retina display?
Asked by MathWorks Support Team on 13 Sep 2013
Latest activity Commented on by Bernie about 22 hours ago
Accepted Answer by MathWorks Support Team
The text in MATLAB R2013b and R2014a looks visually less crisp on my Mac computer with a Retina Display.

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Zachary on 18 Nov 2013
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Mathworks should really include this information in a pop-up window whenever a user tries to install the Mac version of R2013b. I spent a
while trying to figure it out, and this thread/question did not come up in my Google searches on the topic. (Maybe I need to use better
search terms, but I think my point is still valid.)

Sunke on 10 Jan 2014

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Is there an official recommended workaround by now, since several months have passed and continuously working with a blurry MatLab is
creating headaches!

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8 Answers
Answer by MathWorks Support Team on 18 Oct 2013
Accepted answer
The reason for this behavior is that MATLAB R2013b (or R2014a) includes a version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that does not
currently take advantage of the full display capabilities on MacBook Pros with Retina displays. As a result, MATLAB R2013b will look less
sharp than many other Mac applications, including earlier releases of MATLAB. A workaround is to install and use a newer JRE, and restrict
your desktop to certain fonts and sizes.

Here are some options for improving the visual appearance of MATLAB:

Open in Low Resolution

This option is the simplest to execute, but it only provides a slight improvement. After completion of these steps, the MATLAB Desktop will
appear pixelated, but not blurry. To use this option:

1. Open a new "Finder" window and navigate to the "Applications" directory.

2. Select the MATLAB icon and choose "File" > "Get Info".

3. Check the option "Open in Low Resolution".

4. Launch MATLAB.

Change the Display Settings

This option is also simple to execute, but it changes your Mac's display settings to shrink all content and give the appearance of more
space. Because the application is smaller, the blurriness (or pixelation, if combined with the "Open in Low Resolution" option) is less
noticeable. To use this option:

1. Choose "System Preferences" from the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.

2. Choose "Display" to open the display settings.

3. In the "Display" tab, ensure that the "Resolution" type is set to "Scaled".

4. Select the option for "More Space". This will decrease the size of the content on your screen and offer more space.

5. Launch MATLAB.

Change the JRE Used by MATLAB

This option requires more advanced steps, but it will enable MATLAB to use the full Retina Display capabilities. This procedure involves
downloading a different JRE and pointing MATLAB to use that JRE instead of the one that is shipped with MATLAB. It also applies only to
MATLAB that is launched from Terminal. To use this option:

1. Install Java Runtime 7u45 or newer (but not the forthcoming Java 8) from Oracle’s web site: (Some users experience the cursor
insertion pointer issue with u45 as well. But this was not observed in later releases like u60)

http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

2. Launch the "Terminal" application and set your MATLAB_JAVA environment variable to this JRE as described at:

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/103056

3. From that same "Terminal" window, execute the following command to launch MATLAB:

/Applications/MATLAB_R2013b.app/bin/matlab
The MATLAB Desktop should now appear crisp.

4. With MATLAB as the active application, choose "MATLAB" > "Preferences" from the menu bar. In the preferences window, navigate to
"MATLAB" > "Fonts".
5. For the "Desktop code font" preference, start with one of the following combinations that have been shown to work:

Monospaced, Courier, or Consolas plain, 8 point

This should give you a crisp display with a correctly drawn cursor in the Editor and Command Window. You will know you have a working
combination when the cursor placement is correct when typing a long line in the Command Window. There may be other fonts and font
sizes that work; you can continue to experiment until you find a setting that works well for you. Note that other windows that accept text
input may continue to draw the cursor at an incorrect location. This will be most noticeable when a line of text grows in length, beyond 40
characters or so.

Further Background Information:

R2013a and previous releases of MATLAB for Mac used Java that comes bundled with OS X; however, starting with MATLAB R2013b,
MathWorks migrated to Oracle's Java 7 instead of the one bundled with OS X. This is to ensure the continued availability of MATLAB on
Mac computers because Apple is in the process of deprecating its Java support.

R2013b is bundled with Java 7u11. This version lacks Retina display support as described in the following webpage.

http://bugs.sun.com/view_bug.do?bug_id=8009754

A subsequent update with support for Retina displays, Java 7u40, was released in September 2013. Unfortunately, this update contains
incomplete support for Retina displays—while visually attractive, the cursor insertion pointer is drawn at an incorrect location with many font
sizes.

This behavior is described on the following webpage:

http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=8020752

It is hard to know exactly where the cursor is, making editing text significantly more difficult. We now understand that choosing specific
fonts and font sizes can mitigate the issue. All text editing fields can be impacted to some degree, but it is most noticeable and bothersome
in the Editor and Command Window.

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Markus on 15 Nov 2013
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See my answer here: http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/86910 I do not seem to have that cursor issue, with Java7u45. Or
if I have it, just to an extend that it is barely noticeable. Just thought it would be good to know for other people who end up here.

Erik Johnson on 18 Nov 2013

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Using Java7u45, the text spacing in the editor is really goofed up (seems to be worse the longer the line is) and the cursor is not displayed
where MATLAB seems to think it is.

Hannes Greim on 16 Dec 2013

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I think this is related to http://bugs.sun.com/view_bug.do?bug_id=8020752, which doesn't seem to be getting any attention. The latest dev
release of the JDK (jdk1.7.0_60) does not address the cursor issue either.

Hannes Greim on 16 Dec 2013

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It looks like JDK 8 (still in development) resolves this cursor issue.

Andrew Janke on 21 Mar 2014

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This hack fixed it for me. I'm using Oracle's JDK 1.7.0_51, and that cleared up the Retina display problems.

But it causes instability for me; apparently R2014a isn't fully compatible with JDK 1.7.0_51. After I switched over, Matlab tends to hang
once every couple hours under heavy usage. And in particular, the help browser is completely broken. Using the "help" command on
anything will hang the Matlab session. But for me it's worth it to fix the Retina display; it is fugly out of the box.

Is 1.7.0_45 in particular known to be stable with Matlab, or is that just one that's known to fix the Retina blurriness? I'm running Matlab
R2014a on OS X 10.9.2 on a mid 2012 Retina MacBook Pro.

Please fix this for R2014b!

@Erik Johnson - I'm not seeing the text spacing and cursor issue. I'm using Meslo LG as my editor font, and all the text editing areas work
great. Maybe give that or some other font a try?

the cyclist on 23 Mar 2014

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This works for me, but it seems that on a Mac it only works for MATLAB called from the shell prompt, and not from the icon on the dock. Is
that correct?

Ken Atwell on 3 Apr 2014

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@cyclist, creating a "global" environment variable (one that is in effect from the Dock and persists across reboots) is unfortunately
somewhat tricky to do. There is a lengthy discussion of options in the comments of
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/103056

Bernie about 22 hours ago

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Does this answer apply to Mac OS X Yosemite?

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Answer by florian on 3 Apr 2014
Edited by florian on 4 Apr 2014
Mac only

Inspired by this post here I created the following AppleScript to run Matlab2014a

do shell script "export MATLAB_JAVA=\"/Library/Internet Plug-

Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home\"" & ";/Applications/MATLAB_R2014a.app/bin/matlab -desktop
&> /dev/null &"
This should remove the blur on retina Macs. You can also download the script from attachment and drag it to your dock.

PS:

more detailed description: http://floriko.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/fix-matlab-2014a-looks-blurry-on-your-mac-with-retina-display/

Note that you ofc first need to install the new JRE following the guide above and that Matlab needs to be installed here:
/Applications/MATLAB_R2014a.app

the download is huge because of the Matlab Icon

MatlabR2014a_retina.app.zip

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Bob on 16 Apr 2014
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This seems to work well with R2013b, thanks. FYI a cut/paste from your website didn’t work, but cut/paste from above did compile.

Matthew Masarik on 16 Apr 2014

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This seems to work with 2014a. The MATLAB documentation also works for me on this. Thanks for posting.

Dongeun Lee on 21 Apr 2014

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Thanks, florian, for a neat solution! But running MATLAB with the above solution makes the startup folder "/", not "~/Documents/MATLAB".
This can be annoying to some people like me who stores most relevant files on MATLAB folder. Adding "export
MATLAB_USE_USERWORK=1" to the above script will solve this problem. So the above script should be

do shell script "export MATLAB_JAVA=\"/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home\"" & "; export

MATLAB_USE_USERWORK=1" & ";/Applications/MATLAB_R2014a.app/bin/matlab -desktop &> /dev/null &"

. And for those who want to use the MATLAB icon above, right-click the MATLAB icon and see package inside and find
"Contents/Resources/Scripts/main.scpt". Double-click this script file and modify it accordingly. Then compile and save. DONE. Now you will
see your original startup folder when you launch.

Matthew Gunn on 12 May 2014

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Great answers by Florian, Dongeun Lee, and others.

An alternative to export MATLAB_USE_USERWORK=1 is to simply change directory to your regular Matlab userpath before invoking
matlab. This may be a small advantage if you invoke matlab from the terminal on occasion and want it to start in the shell's working
directory when you do that.

do shell script "cd ~/Documents/MATLAB; export MATLAB_JAVA=\"/Library/Internet Plug-

Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home\";/Applications/MATLAB_R2014a.app/bin/matlab -desktop &> /dev/null &"

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Answer by David Malling on 23 Mar 2014

I had success with fixing the blurriness with the following:

1. In the Finder, select the Matlab application

2. From the File menu, select Get Info
3. Expand the General section, and check Open in Low Resolution
4. Close the Info window
5. Open Matlab

I did not do any manual changes to the Matlab Java settings.

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the cyclist on 26 Mar 2014
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This solution worked for me, and is vastly simpler than the accepted solution.

Wlodek Tych on 3 Apr 2014

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I run the first solution - it did not break anything, but it did not really help (it did look different after that, but still not quite right). The
Application/Info/Open in Low Res (after that) route from David Malling worked just fine.

Many thanks to all the authors, W.

Matlab 2013b, Java jdk1.7.0_40 (just installed as per instructions above)

Ken Atwell on 3 Apr 2014

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@David, thanks for the suggestion! I'm up-voting this because it is a simply thing to try and may be satisfactory for some users. However,
you will not really be running MATLAB with full resolution -- I believe this is turning off anti-aliasing. If you want true Retina-quality text, I
believe the using an alternate JRE is still your best bet.
florian on 3 Apr 2014
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Looks different but still blurry to me with David's solution.

First Generation 15" Retina with newest OSX

Anthony on 11 Jul 2014

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This suggestion works great for r2014a. Super easy, and I don't want to upgrade my java version for compatibility reasons. Thanks so
much!

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Answer by Dongeun Lee on 17 May 2014

Edited by Dongeun Lee on 20 May 2014
For those who use R2014a and downloaded new Java runtime to resolve the blurry screen issue.

You may get crisp screen; but calling help browser (either from the menu or typing 'doc') will result in MATLAB hang. So you have to quit
the MATLAB via 'command+option+ESC.'

Since I often use the help browser, I contacted MathWorks support team. And after lots of e-mails going back and forth, I finally settled with
the following solution.

(Note that this applies to R2014a users. I am using MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch Late 2013)

1. Refer to this link and apply the patch as explained. (During the unzip, you should overwrite existing files when prompted.)

http://www.mathworks.com/support/bugreports/870843

2. After the patch, try typing 'doc' on 'crisp' MATLAB. If MATLAB does not hang, you are lucky.

3. If MATLAB hangs, open up 'Terminal' app and do the following:

cd ~

rm -r .matlab

(These commands delete MATLAB configuration directory hidden in your home directory.)

4. If you launch MATLAB again, new '.matlab' will be generated automatically. Now type 'doc' on MATLAB command line and you will see
the Help Browser without causing MATLAB hang.

This is it. But there's still an issue: do not maximize the help browser by pressing green + button on the top-left. You can manually adjust
the size of the help browser but maximizing the window will again cause MATLAB hang. In this case you can go back to the Step 3 and the
problem will be fixed.

I just reported this new issue to MathWorks support team and if I get a final solution, I'll probably post that here. But in the meantime, we
can at least use the help browser.

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Zhuhao on 10 Jun 2014
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Hi, where can I download the patch? The only attachment I can download in that page is a zip file contains a bugreport folder, which has
only two file, license.txt and another empty txt file. Is this some mistake or I missed something?

Dongeun Lee on 2 Jul 2014

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Maybe your download was not successful. How about trying it again? I just downloaded and checked that the zip file contains four different
folders: one is the bug report folder you mentioned; another folders are "java", "sys", and "toolbox".

paula on 19 Jul 2014

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Hi Dongeun, thanks for your contribution.

I followed your instructions. After resetting the config folder, at first Matlab seemed to be still hanging with a doc call... But no: the second
trial worked just fine!

This is so much better now! Thanks!

Daniel on 26 Aug 2014

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edit: I was using Java 8, not 7, as was clearly stated being a requirement in the top accepted post. Now working, with Java 7u67. Now
Eclipse is complaining about Java's version, but at least Matlab is mex'ing for me, and text looks awesome.

Old: I have attempted this fix three times now, and can't figure out why it still doesn't work for me. I really like 2014a in retina rendered
mode, but doc calls freeze matlab hard, despite patching and deleting the .matlab folder. What I have done:

1. fresh download and install of 2014a

2. fresh download and install of patch 870843
3. open matlab in crisp mode, try doc, freezes, force quit
4. rm -r ~/.matlab (which blows away my previous preferences :( )
5. reopen in crisp mode, try doc, freezes
6. ?, complain, post this.
7. fix: uninstall java 8, install java 7u67. OSX 10.9.4, Mid 2012 Retina 15" MBPr

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Answer by Andrew Janke on 4 Oct 2014 at 22:27

This is fixed in R2014b after all! They got the JVM upgraded to 1.7.0_55 between the prerelease and final release version, and the retina
blurriness is fixed now. You can upgrade to R2014b to get the fix.

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the cyclist on 5 Oct 2014 at 3:06
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Most excellent.

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Answer by florian on 11 May 2014

Edited by florian on 11 May 2014
@Bob thank you for reporting the website issue I fixed it

@Matthew glad it works, I am happy I can finally give something back to the community

@Dongeun Lee thank you for adding this, I added it to the code on my website

Best, florian

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Answer by yukyung on 21 Jul 2014

Thx, all!

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Answer by Andrew Janke on 16 Aug 2014

FYI, this is still broken in R2014b as of the R2014b Prerelease. It's still using the same Java 1.7.0_11 JVM that has the retina display
issues.

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