Is it possible to preview the contents of MAT files in R2025a?

I can't seem to be able to preview the contents of a MAT file in the Current folder pane in R2025a. Is it ineed one of the "advanced features" of this release?

Answer 1

[Matt J]

If you right-click on the .mat file in the Current Folder pane, you will see a Preview option:

You can also set one of the columns of the Current Folder pane to show a previewer button:

[Grzegorz Klosowski]

According to me, the dedicated panel, as it was in the previous version, was more helpful.

[Steven Lord]

I'm not 100% certain but I suspect that MATLAB no longer automatically previews those MAT-files because very large MAT-files may have taken a very long time to preview in previous releases, and so not previewing MAT-files by default would avoid taking that time unless the user explicitly asked for it.

But if you feel the old behavior was more useful for your workflow, I recommend using the Feedback button on the Toolstrip to report that feedback to us. I cannot promise it will be actioned (there may be other reasons why that older behavior is not available) but it will be reviewed.

[Matt J]

so not previewing MAT-files by default would avoid taking that time unless the user explicitly asked for it.

I don't see any difference in the previewers in that regard. Only .mat files that are expressly selected in the Current Folder pane are previewed in pre-2025 releases. Now, in R2025a, it just takes more mouse clicks to get to it.

[Toshihiko Aso]

Thank you all. I'm uninstalling this version as a feedback.

[Matt J]

I'm uninstalling this version as a feedback.

I'm doubtful that will relay feedback. I doubt MathWorks has any kind of telemetry that would let them know you are uninstalling, and they certainly wouldn't be able to deduce why.

[Toshihiko Aso]

Thank you for the feedback!

[王]

Mr Matt J is right，and I really think it is stupid in 2025

[Youri]

Is the function to automatically show the preview in a seperate tab completely gone?

[Matt J]

@Youri not sure what you mean by "automatically". It was always necessary to select the .mat file you want to preview. Also not sure what you mean by "separate tab". The preview still occupies a sub-window of its own, only now it's a pop-up window.

In any case, the pre-R2025 preview style is gone.

[Youri]

Thanks for the reply, yeah I meant the sub-window in the pre 2025 version, my comment was a bit vague for sure. Too bad though, I really prefered that over the floating window it has been replaced by.

Thanks again for the clarification

[Riccardo]

This is just another absurd and useless feature of the 2025 update. Honestly, I'm speechless.

[EMILIANO]

yep quite absurd...

[Stephen23]

@Riccardo @EMILIANO @Youri @Peter Nagy: if you do not tell TMW then they will not know how you feel about changes made to the IDE. Tell them:

https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html