Hello, I am experiencing a persistent activation issue with my MATLAB installation on Ubuntu, despite having an active academic license. Here is a summary of the situation and the troubleshooting steps I have already taken: License Status: I recently renewed my academic MATLAB license. On the MathWorks website, everything appears to be in order, and the license is valid until April 2027. Installation: During the installation on Ubuntu, I entered my credentials, and my license was displayed correctly. The installation finished without errors. The Issue: When I try to run MATLAB, I receive Error 5005, stating that there is no valid license file. However, as you can see in the attached screenshot, my user account is clearly logged into the software. Troubleshooting Attempt 1: I searched for a solution and tried deleting all files inside the licenses folder. Upon restarting MATLAB, it prompted me for my credentials again. It displayed my license and the "Activate" button. The activation failed at this step, likely because the licenses folder requires root write permissions. Troubleshooting Attempt 2: To bypass the permission issue, I ran the application as root using sudo ./matlab. This allowed me to click "Activate" successfully. I checked the "Run MATLAB" box at the end of the activation prompt. Unfortunately, when the software opened, it immediately displayed the exact same Error 5005. Symbolic Link Issue: During the setup, I checked the option to create a symbolic link in /usr/bin, but the installer failed to create it. I am not sure what is causing this loop or how to resolve it. Could you please provide guidance on how to fix this specific permission/activation mismatch on Ubuntu? Thank you for your assistance. Best regards

License Error 5005 after install

Adriano

15 Jun 2026

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Updated 15 Jun 2026

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Hello,

I am experiencing a persistent activation issue with my MATLAB installation on Ubuntu, despite having an active academic license.

Here is a summary of the situation and the troubleshooting steps I have already taken:

License Status: I recently renewed my academic MATLAB license. On the MathWorks website, everything appears to be in order, and the license is valid until April 2027.
Installation: During the installation on Ubuntu, I entered my credentials, and my license was displayed correctly. The installation finished without errors.
The Issue: When I try to run MATLAB, I receive Error 5005, stating that there is no valid license file. However, as you can see in the attached screenshot, my user account is clearly logged into the software.
Troubleshooting Attempt 1: I searched for a solution and tried deleting all files inside the licenses folder. Upon restarting MATLAB, it prompted me for my credentials again. It displayed my license and the "Activate" button. The activation failed at this step, likely because the licenses folder requires root write permissions.
Troubleshooting Attempt 2: To bypass the permission issue, I ran the application as root using sudo ./matlab. This allowed me to click "Activate" successfully. I checked the "Run MATLAB" box at the end of the activation prompt. Unfortunately, when the software opened, it immediately displayed the exact same Error 5005.
Symbolic Link Issue: During the setup, I checked the option to create a symbolic link in /usr/bin, but the installer failed to create it.

I am not sure what is causing this loop or how to resolve it. Could you please provide guidance on how to fix this specific permission/activation mismatch on Ubuntu?

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards