MATLAB command window on High DPI screens

I'm trying to use the MATLAB command window on windows because sometimes I just want to run a few calculations without having to wait forever for MATLAB to start up. I found I can launch the command window from the Windows command line using:

matlab -nodisplay -nojvm -nosplash

However, because I have a high resolution / DPI screen, the letters in the command window are really hard to read. Is there a way to launch the command window with high DPI settings, scaled or just run MATLAB commands from the windows command line (like Python)?

Alternatively, if there's a better way to run a light-weight version of MATLAB that can do basic matrix operations and doesn't take forever to start, please let me know!

I'm using MATLAB R2018b Academic if that matters.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[Rik]

I believe there are settings you can modify to make the font bigger in the command prompt. I'll have a look around for a link.

Also, Matlab 6.5 is what you're looking for if you want lighting fast. Not all windows machines actually support it, and getting a license might be a problem, but it is extremely fast in starting up.

Answer 1

[Rik]

1. right-click on the title bar of your command window (you can open a fresh one by using windows+R and entering cmd)
2. go to properties
3. go to the font tab
4. select the size you like
5. profit

[Andrew Glick]

Unfortunately, that just changes the size of my command prompt, not the MATLAB command window. I've attached a picture below of my issue; the text in the MATLAB command window is too small to read. I've tried right clicking the title bar on the MATLAB window, but there is no "properties" button.

[Rik]

I presume the internal ('normal') preferences of your Matlab don't affect this? I believe I have seen some options to edit aspects of the command window, but those rely on Java, which you've turned off with the -nojvm switch.

You could consider using GNU Octave as well. That actually better without its GUI. The lack of debugging tools are one of the main downsides compared to Matlab, but if you're not using them anyway, that is a moot point. It also has a relatively fast startup time (a feeling, not measured, and only when using the CLI). If you're only going to do basic things, that should be enough. For more complex things (and a marked speedup for a lot of function), I would suggest switching back to Matlab and just accept the 20 second wait until Matlab has started.

[Andrew Glick]

Thanks! I'll look into those options.