| MATLAB Function Reference | ![]() |
This table shows the file formats that the MATLAB® software is capable of reading.
File Format | Extension | File Content | Read Command | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Text | MAT | Saved MATLAB workspace | Variables in file | |
CSV | Comma-separated numbers | Double array | ||
| DAT | Formatted text | importdata | Double array | |
DLM | Delimited text | Double array | ||
TAB | Tab-separated text | Double array | ||
Scientific Data | CDF | Data in Common Data Format | Cell array of CDF records | |
FITS | Flexible Image Transport System data | Primary or extension table data | ||
HDF4 | Data in Hierarchical Data Format, version 4 | HDF 4 or HDF-EOS 2 data set | ||
HDF5 | Data in Hierarchical Data Format, version 5 | HDF5 or HDF-EOS 5 data set | ||
Spreadsheet | XLS | Microsoft® Excel® worksheet | Double or cell array | |
WK1 | Lotus 123 worksheet | Double or cell array | ||
| Image | BMP | BMP image | True color or indexed image | |
CUR | Cursor image | Indexed image | ||
GIF | GIF image | Indexed image | ||
HDF4 | HDF4 image | True color, grayscale, or indexed image(s) | ||
ICO | Icon image | Indexed image | ||
JPEG | JPEG image | True color or grayscale image | ||
| PBM | PBM image | imread | Grayscale image | |
PCX | PCX image | Indexed image | ||
| PGM | PGM image | imread | Grayscale image | |
PNG | PNG image | True color, grayscale, or indexed image | ||
| PPM | PPM image | imread | True color image | |
| RAS | SUN raster image | imread | True color or indexed | |
TIFF | TIFF image | True color, grayscale, or indexed image(s) | ||
XWD | XWD image | Indexed image | ||
Video (all platforms) | AVI | AVI movie | MATLAB movie | |
| Video (Windows®and Mac® platforms) | AVI | AVI movie | mmreader | True color image(s) |
| MPG | MPEG 1 | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| MPEG | MPEG 1 and MPEG 2 videos | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| Video (Windows platform only) | ASF | Windows Media video | mmreader | True color image(s) |
| ASX | Windows Media video | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| WMV | Windows Media video | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| Video (Mac platform only) | 3GP | 3GPP mobile video | mmreader | True color image(s) |
| 3G2 | 3GPP2 mobile video | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| DV | Digital video stream | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| MP4 | MPEG-4 video | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| M4V | MPEG-4 video | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
| MOV | Quicktime movie | mmreader | True color image(s) | |
Audio file | AU | NeXT/SUN sound | Sound data and sample rate | |
| SND | NeXT/SUN sound | auread | Sound data and sample rate | |
WAV | Microsoft WAVE sound | Sound data and sample rate |
imformats, fscanf, fread, textread, importdata, hdf, hdf5
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