Why does the MATLAB update fail with “Access denied”?

Why does the MATLAB update fail with “Access denied”?

ERROR: Update FailedAccess is denied. You do not have write permissions to the folder /local/install/testUpdate. For more information, see this MATLAB Answer.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Permissions are rules associated with files and folders that determine who can access them and what actions they can perform. This message indicates that the account running MATLAB does not have permission to write to the target installation directory. Before modifying ownership or permissions, check with your IT help desk or system administrator to verify that you have the required permissions, as some organizations restrict user access to software installation directories. 

Linux

You can check the ownership and permissions of the installation directory by navigating to its parent directory and running

ls -ld /path/to/installation/directory

If the MATLAB installation directory is owned by another user or by root, the account running the update may not have sufficient permissions to modify the installation.

If appropriate for your environment, you can transfer ownership of the installation directory and its contents to your user account by running:

sudo chown -R $LOGNAME:$LOGNAME /path/to/installation/directory

where /path/to/installation/directory is your MATLAB installation directory.

The command changes the owner and group of the specified directory and all files and subdirectories beneath it to the current user, allowing that user to modify the installation. 

Note: Some MATLAB installations are intentionally managed by a system administrator and owned by root. Consult your IT department or system administrator before modifying the ownership or permissions of an administrator-managed installation.

 

Windows

Make sure you are an Administrator, or you are part of the Domain Admins group if you are in a domain.

To check the permission of the file or folder, follow these steps:  

• Right-click the file or folder, and then select Properties.
• Select the Security tab.
• Under Group or User names, click your name to see the permissions you have.
• Select Edit, and then select to check the check boxes for the permissions that you need, and then select OK.

Mac

To assign permissions to users and groups

• Select a disk, folder, or file, then choose File > Get Info.
• If the information in Sharing & Permissions isn’t visible, click the disclosure triangle.
• If necessary, click the lock icon to unlock it, then enter an administrator name and password.
• Click a user or group in the Name column, then choose a privilege setting from the pop-up menu.
• Read & Write: Allows a user to open the item and change it.
• Read Only: Allows a user to open the item, but not change its contents.
• Write Only: Makes a folder into a drop box. Users can copy items to the drop box but can’t open it. Only the owner of the drop box can open it.
• No Access: Blocks all access to the item.