Can I programmatically undock the HTML Viewer opened by the "web" function in MATLAB R2025b?

In MATLAB R2025b, calling the "web" function with a local HTML file opens the content inside a docked tab within the MATLAB environment. In older versions, this would often launch in a separate, undocked browser window.

Is there a way to programmatically undock the HTML Viewer or prevent it from affecting the layout of the MATLAB desktop?

To reproduce this observation, follow these steps:

1. In MATLAB R2025b, run:

>> web('C:\Path\To\AnyLocalHTMLFile.html')

2. The file will open in a docked HTML Viewer tab, adjusting the layout of the MATLAB desktop.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Starting in release version R2025a, MATLAB has replaced the internal Web Browser with a new HTML Viewer for displaying local and internal HTML content. As a result, when you call the "web" function with a local file, the page now opens in a docked tab within the MATLAB desktop, rather than in a separate window as in earlier versions.

Currently, the HTML Viewer does not support programmatic undocking.

To avoid this and preserve your layout, you can use the "-browser" option to open the file in your system’s default web browser instead:

>> web('C:\Path\To\AnyLocalHTMLFile.html', '-browser');

This will open the content externally, without affecting the MATLAB interface.