September 23, 2014

MATLAB Installation Guide for Students (release 2008a and higher)

This is a step-by-step guide for undergraduate and graduate students at The Ohio State University, who wish to install
MATLAB on their personal machines.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: You will need a @osu.edu account to register at The MathWorks. Please read this page
completely.
YOU CANNOT USE YOUR @osumc.edu, @buckeyemail.osu.edu, @osc.edu, ... addresses.

Your Activation Key is: 18803-00948-44179-94011-50160

Renewals: Renew an existing copy by going to HELP => Licensing => Activate Software or running the activation from
the MATLAB folder in your Start Menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac). After logging into your MathWorks
account, choose Enter an Activation Key for a license not listed and enter your activation key there. There is a
complete walk-through with screenshots for renewals in the OCIO Knowledgebase. New users should see the steps that
begin on the second page.
The above activation key works for all current versions of MATLAB (releases 2008a and later, including future releases).
You may update to the latest release from inside the program if you already have it installed by going to HELP => Check
for Updates and choosing View Most Current Product Versions.
The College of Engineering currently recommends that first year students use MATLAB r2013a, as it will match with
their lessons in the standard Engineering curriculum.
If you are a GRA, GTA, or GAA student who wishes to use MATLAB on a university-owned machine, you must request the
Student Employee version of the codes through OCIO Self-Service. Graduate Fellows and undergraduate research
assistants are not eligible for Student Employee codes.

Common Errors and Solutions:

Always activate over the internet if you can.

Activation error 340 or 983: Resolved by changing your MathWorks account to Academic Use instead of Student Use:

http://www.mathworks.com/support/solutions/en/data/1-6N3VFV

License Manager Error -9: Typically resolved through re-activation. The error occurs when you activate a license that does
not match the HostID; most commonly, this is due to an incorrect computer name (Stage 3, Step 21, below) for students:

https://www.mathworks.com/support/solutions/en/data/1-17RCK/

My MathWorks Account says Im not allowed to activate; is that why Im having trouble? No: you are permitted to
activate with an Activation Key (provided above). Use that key to activate your software during the activation process following
installation.
No Products Available for Installation: If you download the software manually, you will need to follow the directions closely:
if you see a no products to install error this can be remedied using the steps here:

MathWorks Solution 1-2JE0GW

Downloading MATLAB
If you are downloading MATLAB for the first time or updating a previous version, you must have the most recent version
of Java installed. The download process relies on Java to install, and you must have Java turned on in your browser to do
the typical installation.
If you do not wish to install Java or have difficulty with it, you may use the manual download to download your version.

Downloading the Software

There are 3 main stages involved for registering an account and downloading the software. Skip to Stage 3 if you already
have a MathWorks Account:
1.

STAGE 1: Register with MathWorks (note requirements below):

o You will need a @osu.edu account to register at MathWorks.
o You will also need the latest Java Runtime Environment to proceed with the installation. If you do not
have the latest JRE, please download it from Oracle and install it before you begin (if you have not done
this, you will be prompted to do so during the installation).
2. STAGE 2: Associate your MathWorks account
o You will be required to have an OSU Username and password for this step.
3. STAGE 3: Download/Activate MATLAB (you will require approximately 4-5 GB of disk free, and administrative
access to your machine for any installations.)
o You will download the software directly from The MathWorks website.
This guide covers installation of MATLAB on all platforms. The installation screen shots are from a Windows install, but
these instructions will cover Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Once you have downloaded the License Code, the License Key, the MATLAB installer and MATLAB packages to your
computer, you no longer need to be connected to the internet.

Stage 1, Step 1: Visit www.mathworks.com

1. In a web browser, visit: http://www.mathworks.com

2. Click on "Create Account" (top-right corner)

Stage 1, Step 2: Create a Mathworks Account, Customize Account

1.
2.
3.
4.

In the Login field, enter your OSU e-mail

Enter a MathWorks password (twice) for this MathWorks Account (NOT your OSU password)
Choose "United States" for Country/Region
Select "Academic Use (including campus/site license use)" for "How will you use the
MathWorks Software?" Do not choose Student Use.
5. Fill in your contact information
6. Click "Continue"
7. You will move to a new screen, asking you to customize your account. Answer the questions
and click Continue again. You will be notified that an e-mail has been sent to your account
to verify your identity. Follow the instructions in the mailing.

Stage 2, Step 1: Login to Your Account

1. Enter the login and password of the MathWorks Account you just created in the previous stage.
2. Click "Log In"

Stage 2, Step 2: Associate Your Account With a License

1. Click on "Associate Now" (in the Account Services column)

2. Click "Close" on the pop-up dialog that appears

Stage 2, Step 3: Continued... Associate Your Account With a License

1. Select "Activation Key" and click "Continue"

Stage 2, Step 4: Supply the Activation Key

The Activation Key for Student use is:
18803-00948-44179-94011-50160

Stage 2, Step 5: Input Activation Key

1. Input the Activation Key above.

2. Click "Continue"

Stage 2, Step 6: Complete the Association

Click "Done"

Stage 2, Step 7: (Optional) Download Java

1. Click on "Get JRE" and install Java

2. You may need administrative rights on the machine to install Java.
3. Once Java is installed, return to Step 1, above ("Select Your Account")

Stage 3, Step 1: Login to Mathworks

1. Click "Log In"

1. Click "My Account"

1. Click "Download Now"

1. Click "Download"

Stage 3, Step 2: Select Release/Platform/Version

1. Check "XXXXX - Current Release" where XXXXX is the current release number.
First Year Engineering students are encouraged to download R2013a. Click Earlier
releases to obtain this option if you do not see it at the top.
2. Check "Windows" (or another platform of your choice)
3. Check "Custom" if you want to make your download as small as possible, or All if you want
all licensed products.
4. Click "Continue"

Stage 3, Step 3: Run Download Agent

1. Click "Run"

Stage 3, Step 4: Specify Download Directory

1. Choose a directory where Matlab Installer and Matlab packages will be downloaded to
(approximately 2 GB disk free required).
2. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 5: (Optional) If Directory Does Not Exist, Create It

1. Click "Yes"

Stage 3, Step 6: Begin Installer and Package Download

1. Click "Download"

Stage 3, Step 7: Wait for Download to Complete

1. Wait for Download to Complete

Stage 3, Step 8: Start Installer

1. Select "Start Installer"

2. You may require administrative privileges to run the installer.

Stage 3, Step 9: Install using the Internet

1. Select "Install using the Internet"

2. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 10: Read the License Agreement

1. Read the License Agreement and if you agree, ...

2. Select "Yes"
3. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 11: Select the license

1. Select the license marked Total Academic Headcount Campus TAH Standalone Named User.
Most students will find this or a similar license as the only license option.
2. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 12: Typical Installation

1. Select "Typical"
2. Click "Next"
1. If you attempt to install but the installer indicates no products available for
installation, please see http://8help.osu.edu/4283.html for more information on

resolving this issue.

Stage 3, Step 13: Specify Folder

1. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 14: Create the Folder

1. Click "Yes"

Stage 3, Step 15: Confirm Settings

1. Click "Install"

Stage 3, Step 16: Wait for the Installation

1. Wait for the installation to complete

Stage 3, Step 17: Confirm File Associations

1. Click "Yes"

Stage 3, Step 18: Product Configuration Notes

1. Click "Next"
2. You may choose to install any additional configuration steps by clicking on the supplied link.

Stage 3, Step 19: Complete Installation

1. Check "Activate Matlab"

2. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 20: Matlab Activation

1. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 21: Specify Who Will Use the Software

1. Unless you are installing the software for someone else to use, choose the first option: I will use the software
A. You may only install for another person if that person is also an OSU student, and has agreed to abide
by the license terms of our agreement with The MathWorks.
2. The User Name field should already be filled in: it is filled in by default with the username of the person
logged in to the machine during activation.
3. This username is generally not your OSU username, but is instead your computer username: the username
you use to log onto your computer. If you do not know this username, the best option is to accept the default
username and click Next on this screen.
4. Macintosh Users will enter their computer shortname in this space.
5. Attempting to use the MATLAB product under any computer username except the one entered here will result
in an error. You may activate for additional computer usernames if you will use a different computer account.
6. Click "Next"

Stage 3, Step 22: Confirm Activation

1. Click "Activate." The information in the screenshot may not match your activation exactly.

Stage 3, Step 23: Start Matlab

1. Click "Finish"

Problems?
Contact 8help@osu.edu or (614) 688-HELP for further help, or search our knowledgebase at http://go.osu.edu/it for
more information on specific errors.
Office of the Chief Information Officer
IT Service Desk
software@osu.edu
(614) 688-HELP
http://go.osu.edu/it