Large MAT Files

Access and change variables without loading into memory

Use the matfile function to access MATLAB^® variables directly from MAT files on disk, without loading the full variables into memory. When you create a new file using matfile, the function creates a Version 7.3 MAT file that also lets you save variables larger than 2 GB.

Functions

matfile Access and change variables in MAT file without loading file into memory

Topics

Save and Load Workspace Variables
Save some or all variables in the current workspace and reload the variables later during the current MATLAB session, or during another session.
Save and Load Parts of Variables in MAT Files
Save and load parts of variables directly in MAT files without loading them into memory using the matfile function.
MAT File Versions
There are several versions of MAT files that support an increasing set of features, starting with MAT file Version 4.

Troubleshooting

Growing Arrays Using the matfile Function

When writing a large number of large values to a MAT file, the size of the file increases in a nonincremental way, which is expected.

Related Information

Load and Save Part of an Array with the MAT-file Object (6 min, 10 sec)