Install MATLAB Engine API for Python
MATLAB® Engine API for Python® allows you to call MATLAB functions and execute MATLAB commands from within a Python environment. To use the MATLAB engine, you must have a supported version of Python installed on your machine, and you must install MATLAB Engine API for Python as a Python package.
Verify Your Configuration
If you already have Python installed, verify that you are using a version that is supported by
the MATLAB engine. You can check which version of Python you have installed by entering python -V
at your
operating system prompt. Then determine if your Python version is compatible with your MATLAB release by checking the Versions of Python Compatible with MATLAB Products by Release
page.
In addition, verify that you are using a 64-bit version of Python. A 64-bit version of Python is necessary to match the architecture of MATLAB. To test whether your version of Python is 32-bit or 64-bit, enter this code at the Python prompt. This code returns True
if the version is
64-bit and False
if the version is 32-bit.
import sys
print(sys.maxsize > 2**32)
If you do not yet have Python installed or need a different version, see Configure Your System to Use Python.
Ways to Install MATLAB Engine API for Python
MATLAB provides various methods for installing MATLAB Engine API for Python.
Install from MATLAB
You can install the MATLAB engine directly from MATLAB. Start MATLAB and run the following commands.
System | MATLAB Commands |
---|---|
Windows® |
cd (fullfile(matlabroot,"extern","engines","python")) system("python -m pip install .") |
Linux® and macOS |
cd (fullfile(matlabroot,"extern","engines","python")) system("python3 -m pip install .") |
Install from Operating System
Alternatively, you can install the MATLAB engine from the operating system prompt. First, you need the path
to the MATLAB Engine API for Python folder. To locate this folder, start MATLAB and enter matlabroot
in the Command Window.
Then replace matlabroot
in
the following commands with the path value that MATLAB returned.
Make sure that you have sufficient privileges to execute the
install
command from the operating system prompt. On
Windows, if necessary, open the command prompt with the Run as administrator option.
System | System Commands |
---|---|
Windows |
cd "matlabroot\extern\engines\python"
python -m pip install .
|
Linux and macOS |
cd "matlabroot/extern/engines/python"
python3 -m pip install .
|
Install from Python Package Index
Alternatively, you can install the MATLAB engine from the Python Package Index (PyPI). Unlike the other install options, you do not need to navigate to the MATLAB Engine API for Python folder first. To install from PyPI, run this command at your operating system prompt.
python -m pip install matlabengine
Where to Install MATLAB Engine API for Python
You can install from MATLAB, the operating system, or the Python Package Index, and you can install to the default location under your
Python interpreter, another nondefault location, or a virtual environment. By
default, the installer builds MATLAB Engine API for Python in the
matlabroot/extern/engines/python
folder.
The installer then installs the MATLAB engine in the default Python folder. If you use the installation methods in the Install from MATLAB, Install from Operating
System, or Install from Python Package Index sections, then the MATLAB engine builds and installs in the default locations.
Install in Nondefault Folder Using setup.py
If you do not have write permission for the default install folder or want to install the MATLAB engine in a different folder, you can specify a different location.
To build and install the engine in a nondefault folder
builddir
, run these commands
from your operating system prompt.
cd "matlabroot/extern/engines/python" python setup.py build --build-base="builddir"
builddir
on
the search path for Python packages, add builddir
to
the PYTHONPATH
environment variable.Install in Nondefault Folder Using Python Package Index
To install the engine in a nondefault folder
installdir
, run this command
from your operating system prompt. This installation method uses the Python Package Index.
python -m pip install --target installdir matlabengine
To include installdir
on
the search path for Python packages, add installdir
to
the PYTHONPATH
environment variable.
Install in Virtual Environment
You can install MATLAB Engine API for Python in a virtual environment. For detailed instructions on installing MATLAB Engine API for Python in a virtual environment, see the MATLAB Answers™ article Use the MATLAB Engine API for Python with a Virtual Environment. For information about virtual Python environments, see the Python tutorial Virtual Environments and Packages. You must activate the virtual environment before running the installation commands.
Start MATLAB Engine in Python
To import the MATLAB Engine API for Python package and start the MATLAB engine, run these commands from the Python prompt.
import matlab.engine
eng = matlab.engine.start_matlab()
For more information, see Start and Stop MATLAB Engine for Python.