Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory

Every time I start up MATLAB, I receive this message:

Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\mexw32.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\special.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\sift.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\plotop.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\mser.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\misc.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\kmeans.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\imop.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\geometry.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\aib.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: xml_toolbox.
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:
C:\POSTDOC\Hand_Mathias\videoIO.

How do I fix this?

[Kevin Claytor]

Does the folder "C:\POSTDOC\vlfeat\toolbox\" exist on the machine? If you no longer want/need/have that path, it may still be referenced in you path variables, go to File->Set Path to find and remove the entries, or they may be referenced in a startup.m file, which you'll have to search for and modify.

[Jonathan]

None of these directories exist on the machine. When I try to edit the startup.m file, it tells me that startup.m does not exist.

[Lue XIONG]

Dear all programmer,

Please help me, how to solve this problem as the paste below:


In addpath (line 86)
In startup (line 2) 
Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: D:\solvers\cvx 
> In path (line 109)
In addpath (line 86)
In startup (line 3) 
Warning: Executing startup failed in matlabrc.
This indicates a potentially serious problem in your MATLAB setup, which should be resolved as soon as possible.  Error detected was:
MATLAB:UndefinedFunction
Unrecognized function or variable 'cvx_setup'. 

[Image Analyst]

Looks like your startup.m file is trying to cd to D:\solvers\cvx and that folder does not exist. Remmove line 2 from start.m and save it and then run it. It should not NOT try to go to that folder, and perhaps complete the rest of your startup.m code successfully.

[Simon Dawson]

I was getting the same issue along with a crash almost immediately. I mean within a handful of seconds. This was upon updating to r2021a on Mac OS from r2020b.

I fixed it by locating the pathdef.m file, moving it to the trash and everything is now happy again.

[Image Analyst]

@Simon Dawson, that is basically what restoredefaultpath does, except that restoredefaultpath doesn't require you to locate the file.

[Simon Dawson]

Yes, agreed. But, the near instantaneous crash would not allow me time to get the restoredefaultpath savepath in before it went kerboom. =>

[Image Analyst]

@Simon Dawson, So you had MATLAB itself crash and go away and you didn't even get a command window? Like MATLAB just shuts down and you aren't even left with a command window with red error messages in it? That's very serious and the Mathworks would want to know about it. It should just throw error messages and still be alive.

[Simon Dawson]

I launched Matlab. I got a whole set of "Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory:" messages. I pasted in the restore path and save path commands but it would always immediately crash like in <5 seconds and go away altogether. The only thing left was the error dialog box asking to send a crah report to Mathworks which I duly did maybe half a dozen times. Pressing send or ok on that meant that went away and so I was matlab free in terms of running applications. Restarted the Mac and it had the same pathology. So, pathdef to trash and then it was fine. I now have to add back my custom paths.

[Image Analyst]

@Simon Dawson, since you got an official crash report and MATLAB itself shutdown, it was a real crash and the Mathworks should be contacting you by email with some response.

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

METHOD #1

If there are some folders in the path you'd still like to keep on the path, and just remove the one folder that it is complaining about,

1. Go to the "Home" tab of the tool ribbon,
2. Click the SetPath icon.
3. Then locate the missing folder(s) and highlight them.
4. Click Remove, Save, and Close.

You should not see the missing folders listed the next time you start MATLAB. I think this is the preferred method.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

METHOD #2

If you'd rather do it by fixing the file in an editor window, instead of simply doing it via the toolbar button meant for this, then you can edit pathdef.m

>> edit pathdef.m

Then search for and locate the bad folder, delete that line in the file, and save the file. You should not see the missing folders listed the next time you start MATLAB.

If NEITHER of the above two methods work, then check your startup.m file by typing "edit startup.m" on the command line. See if everything looks fine there (i.e., there are no calls to addpath with non-existent folders). If non-existent folders are added to the path in your startup.m file, remove them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

METHOD #3

Finally, as a last resort, you can issue the line

restoredefaultpath
savepath

to get back to initial "right out of the box" conditions just as if you'd reinstalled MATLAB. This will remove any folders that you have added to the search path after you installed MATLAB and get you back to the original default path.

[Jonathan]

When I enter edit startup.m, it tells me that startup.m does not exist.

[Albert Yam]

You can also get to the pathing through

File > Set Path..

and manually remove (or default) the pathing there.

[Image Analyst]

Did you try restoredefaultpath? If so, I'm surprised that didn't fix it. Since this is an installation/startup issue, I think the Mathworks will give you free telephone help on it.

[Alexandra Braig]

I had the same problem. Your solution (restoredefaultpath; savepath) worked. After setting the path at the next run the warnings did not appear again. Thank you!

[David Walker]

I had the same problem as well and could not see the paths in Set Path so I could not delete them there. Your solution worked great for me. Thank you!

[Lisa Hailey]

Thank you, fixed it!

[Abdullah bin Amin]

Thank You, Greatfull

I Fixed it.

[Rastislav Lagana]

Thank you too. The last resort helped.

[Mehdi Dehghan]

Thank you for this comment. It was great.

[Bryan Mackey]

Thanks. Interesting that the set path window did not contain my defective path; however, the pathdef.m file did. Simple edit and it's fixed.

Answer 2

[Srichakradhar Reddy Nagireddy]

>> edit pathdef.m

• Remove the directories that are causing the error.
• Save the file and restart matlab, you will notice that you no longer have the error.

[Michael]

Good tip.

With mine, the two offending directories were at the top of the list. I couldn't find them via the normal Set path menu.

Thanks!

[TG]

easiest way to do this. Thanks!

[Gordon]

This has been bugging me for a while. This fixed it. Thanks for posting this!

[Fat Dragon]

That's it! Thanks!

[Walter Roberson]

Laercio Barbosa comments to Srichakradhar Reddy Nagireddy:

This solved my problem. Also stated by a Mathworks guy in: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/94040-why-do-i-receive-the-warning-message-warning-name-is-nonexistent-or-not-a-directory-when-i#answer_103391

[William Cressler]

I had the same problem and this is the only answer that worked for me without having to resort to restoredefaultpath. Thanks for posting

[Walter Roberson]

You can also use pathtool to edit the path.

[Shuya Zhong]

Also solved my problem.

I have changed the initial working folder when MATLAB starts but still had the error. After trying your way, it totally solved my problem. Thanks!

[Kepler]

very good solution!

the bad path is not in the "set path" GUI but still in "pathdef.m".

[Warwick]

thanks very much. simple and effective process.

[asd asd]

thanksssssss!!!!

[sana bilal]

Thanks a Million I had the same issue

[Image Analyst]

@sana bilal, you can also do this from the Set Path button like I mentioned in my answer. Just locate the problematic folder and delete it. If you do it that way, there is no need to restart MATLAB since it fixes it immediately.

[Steven Lord]

Hassan Sultan flagged this as "The best answer"

Please use comments to offer opinions about the answer. Flags are generally intended to alert people with editing privileges of spam or other violations of the MATLAB Answers rules that need to be reviewed.

[DGM]

This actually works. Beats having to restore the defaults again and again. To clarify, using the pathtool() or rmpath() has never worked for me once this happens at startup. The offending directories are simply not displayed in pathtool, and rmpath claims that they aren't in the path file. It seems like the path file is checked at startup and any erroneous entries are simply not copied to what's in memory, and so the user has no means to fix it with those tools.

[Danh Phí Thành]

This also worked for me!

[Maurizio Bollini]

This worked for me, thanks.

Answer 3

[omid]

Go to File>set path> Defaults> save> close then restart matlab

Answer 4

[JRMel]

I am having a very similar problem. I get the error below every time I start matlab. I no longer have the crp toolbox. However, the problem paths are not listed when I go to File > Set Path or in pathdef.m

restoredefaultpath savepath --> This doesn't fix the problem

Here are the errors:

[Image Analyst]

Does that folder exist? Start a new question and attach your startup.m file. You're probably cd'ing to that folder and it's not there.

[JRMel]

Oh that actually helped me solve the problem! The startup file had a couple of addpath lines to those non-existing files. Thank you very much!

Answer 5

[Vicente]

I have a similar problem. When I first open MATLAB, I see those same warnings, name non existant or not a directory, but I know what's the cause. I have formatted my pc, and somehow Microsoft managed to change my computer User name from what it was previously. Now, I can't run any of my models. Can anyone help me with fixing this problem please?

[Walter Roberson]

Vicente, consider making a shortcut or symbolic link for the old directory name to point to your current directory name.

Answer 6

[Manoj Shukla]

Hi Team,

Please provide the solution for step by step

I am having a very similar problem. I get the error below every time I start matlab. I no longer have the crp toolbox. However, the problem paths are not listed when I go to File > Set Path or in pathdef.m

restoredefaultpath savepath --> This doesn't fix the problem

Here are the errors: Offline & Online

>> submit()

Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: C:\Users\lenovo\MATLAB Drive\.\lib

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In submit (line 2)

Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: C:\Users\lenovo\MATLAB Drive\.\lib\jsonlab

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In submitWithConfiguration (line 2)

In submit (line 45)

'parts' requires one of the following:

Automated Driving Toolbox

Navigation Toolbox

Robotics System Toolbox

Sensor Fusion and Tracking Toolbox

Error in submitWithConfiguration (line 4)

parts = parts(conf);

Error in submit (line 45)

submitWithConfiguration(conf);

Thanks & Regards,

Manoj Shukla

[Image Analyst]

Open the files it tells you to and change any occurrence of "C:\Users\lenovo\MATLAB Drive" to some folder that you actually DO have.

[Walter Roberson]

The code for some of the functions for submitWithConfiguration has some lines in which parts is a function, and also has some lines in which parts is a variable. Recent changes in the way MATLAB finds functions and variables say that when you use a single name as a function and a variable in the same routine, that MATLAB is permitted to assume that the name only refers to a variable, and then to complain when the variable does not yet exist at the time that the name was intended to be a function call. You need to edit the code so that uses some other variable name rather than parts

Answer 7

[Alp utku iyidilli]

Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: C:\Users\maila\AppData\Local\Temp\Editor_yviar

Is my error when I run Matlab. I can't understand what the problem is. And plus as I was trying to

cd ~/Desktop

mkdir CONN_Demo

To learn functional connectivity on CONN-Toolbox, I had another problem:

"Cannot CD to C:\Users\maila\Documents\~\Desktop (Name is nonexistent or not a directory)."

Could you tell me what I should do as a non-programmer user?

Thank you in advance...

[Walter Roberson]

For the first message see

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/514545-why-do-i-get-a-warning-name-is-nonexistent-or-not-a-directory-about-the-editor_vxdxq-folder?s_tid=srchtitle

For the other part:

You appear to be going through the tutorial https://andysbrainbook.readthedocs.io/en/latest/FunctionalConnectivity/CONN_ShortCourse/CONN_02_DataDownload.html which is written expecting that the user is using Mac (or possibly Linux). You will need to replace

cd ~/Desktop

with

cd C:\Users\maila\Desktop

In the place it says

movefile('~/Downloads/sub-01_func_sub-01_task-rest_bold.nii.gz', 'sub-01/func')
movefile('~/Downloads/sub-01_anat_sub-01_T1w.nii', 'sub-01/anat')

then instead of ~/Downloads you should give the path to the place you downloaded the .nii.gz and .nii files which might possibly be

movefile('C:\Users\maila\Downloads/sub-01_func_sub-01_task-rest_bold.nii.gz', 'sub-01/func')
movefile('C:\Users\maila/Downloads/sub-01_anat_sub-01_T1w.nii', 'sub-01/anat')

for your particular account -- here the maila refers to your account name which happened to be stated in the error message about C:\Users\maila\Documents\~\Desktop

[Alp utku iyidilli]

Thank you, I appreciate

Answer 8

[Maneesa Mustharif TP]

Warning: Function Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: /MATLAB Drive/./lib

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In addpath (line 49)

In submit (line 2)

Warning: Function Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: /MATLAB Drive/./lib/jsonlab

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In addpath (line 49)

In submitWithConfiguration (line 2)

In submit (line 45)

'parts' requires one of the following:

Automated Driving Toolbox

Navigation Toolbox

Robotics System Toolbox

Sensor Fusion and Tracking Toolbox

UAV Toolbox

Error in submitWithConfiguration (line 4)

parts = parts(conf);

Error in submit (line 45)

submitWithConfiguration(conf);

i have this error when i tried to submit my assignment on matlab.

can you find solution for this?

Answer 9

[Walter Roberson]

See https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/481388-how-do-i-resolve?s_tid=srchtitle for a technical explanation.

You need to get corrected code from the courseware system; if corrected code is not available, then the responses at the above link describe how to modify the code yourself.

Answer 10

[Priya Priya]

Warning: Function Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: /MATLAB Drive/./lib

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In addpath (line 49)

In submit (line 2)

Warning: Function Warning: Name is nonexistent or not a directory: /MATLAB Drive/./lib/jsonlab

> In path (line 109)

In addpath (line 86)

In addpath (line 49)

In submitWithConfiguration (line 2)

In submit (line 45)

[Walter Roberson]

You need to reinstall

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/33381-jsonlab-a-toolbox-to-encode-decode-json-files

Answer 11

[Jose Hancco]

I had the same problem. I've just open by console

open startup.m

and delete directories there. Then save the file and that's all.

[Image Analyst]

Yes -- you used method #2 in the Accepted answer.