Can MATLAB only be downloaded on one computer?

I have an onlder version of MATLAB (2018 or 2019) and i tried to install MATLAB 2020 on my laptop. The installer popped an error that I already had MATLAB installed on another computer. Am i not allowed to have more than 1 version of MATLAB tied to my account and downloaded on another computer?

Answer 1

[Rik]

That depends on your license. I have understood that some home licenses will allow you to have Matlab activated on up to three computers, but student licenses tend to be limited to a single computer.

So if you want to use Matlab on two computers you will need a license that allows you to do that, or buy an extra license. I haven't heard that the release matters (as long as your license covers it, you can't get a new license for R2006b, to name an example).

[Walter Roberson]

Home license limit in the terms and conditions is the same as student version: you can download on multiple computers but you can only activate on one at a time and you can only change activation a small number of times per year.

Answer 2

[Image Analyst]

You can install on more than one computer, even for students. This is needed because people/students often get new computers. You just need to deactivate the software on your old computer that you're not using anymore. Login to the Mathworks website or use the Start menu to deactivate the copy you're not going to use anymore. If you have a Student version, you might have to do this before you install in on your new computer.

Answer 3

[Walter Roberson]

There are different types of licenses.

Student licences and home licenses are always Standalone Named User. They are licensed to an individual for use on any number of operating systems on the same host. The user can activate them on one host at a time.

"Standard" licenses, also known as Commercial or Professional, default to Standalone Named users. They can be activated on 4 hosts at a time and in use on two simultaneously.

Education licenses default to Standalone Named User. They can be activated on two hosts simultaneously. The two host limit also applies to students using a university provided Total Academic Headcount license.

There are also Designated Host licenses. They permit any number of different people to use the same physical host, one at a time. The model is someone sitting at the host console. These are restricted to one host at a time.

There are also Network licenses in various flavors. They are not restricted to use on any one host. One variation permits naming a number of users who can access MATLAB from whatever host they are using. Another variation permits just limiting the total number of simultaneous users but not requiring them to be named in advance. This kind of "floating network license" is the most expensive.