Matlab IDE with VS Code or Jupyter

The official Mathworks MATLAB extension for VS Code brings powerful MATLAB support directly into Visual Studio Code.

  • Edit .m files with rich syntax highlighting, code snippets, folding, and linting/code analysis.
  • Run and debug MATLAB scripts and functions straight from the editor.
  • An integrated MATLAB terminal for interactive commands.

One of the standout productivity features is Go to Definition (also available as Peek Definition and Find All References). For most supported languages in VS Code — and specifically with the MATLAB extension when paired with a full MATLAB installation — Ctrl+Click (or F12) on a function, variable, or class name to instantly jump to its definition, even if it’s in another file or referenced project.

While Matlab has comprehensive Git support built in, VS Code’s rich array of Git extensions and integrations can provide a more seamless experience for version control, especially for users already familiar with VS Code’s interface.

MATLAB in Jupyter Notebooks

Separate from, or along with VS Code, MathWorks provides the MATLAB Integration for Jupyter notebooks:

  • Run MATLAB code cells directly in notebooks.
  • Mix MATLAB with Python (or other kernels) in the same notebook.
  • Access browser-based MATLAB capabilities for interactive tools and apps.

This is ideal for exploratory analysis, documentation, and sharing reproducible workflows. Matlab itself has a script-based notebook feature “Live Scripts” as well.