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Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center
SetOptions
  • See Also
    • Options
    • CurrentValue
    • Protected
    • SetAttributes
  • Related Guides
    • Options Management
    • Low-Level Notebook Programming
    • Session Customization
    • Programmatic Notebook & Interface Customization
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  • Workflows
    • Put a Frame around a Cell
    • Set Detailed Properties of a Notebook
    • Change the Background Color of a Cell
    • Put a Dingbat on a Cell
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    • Add a Banner to a Notebook
  • Tech Notes
    • Manipulating Options
    • See Also
      • Options
      • CurrentValue
      • Protected
      • SetAttributes
    • Related Guides
      • Options Management
      • Low-Level Notebook Programming
      • Session Customization
      • Programmatic Notebook & Interface Customization
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    • Workflows
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      • Set Detailed Properties of a Notebook
      • Change the Background Color of a Cell
      • Put a Dingbat on a Cell
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      • Add a Banner to a Notebook
    • Tech Notes
      • Manipulating Options

SetOptions[s,name1value1,name2value2,…]

sets the specified default options for a symbol s.

SetOptions[stream,…] or SetOptions["name",…]

sets options associated with a particular stream.

SetOptions[object,…]

sets options associated with an external object such as a NotebookObject or CloudObject.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Properties & Relations  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Workflows
Related Links
History
Cite this Page
BUILT-IN SYMBOL
  • See Also
    • Options
    • CurrentValue
    • Protected
    • SetAttributes
  • Related Guides
    • Options Management
    • Low-Level Notebook Programming
    • Session Customization
    • Programmatic Notebook & Interface Customization
    • Sharing & Embedding Content
    • Creating Form Interfaces & Apps
    • Creating Instant APIs
    • Low-Level System Optimization
    • Package Development
    • Wolfram System Setup
    • Palettes
    • Persistent Storage
    • Toolbars
    • Cloud Permissions Control
    • Wolfram Data Repository
    • Wolfram Resource System
    • Structured Data in the Cloud
  • Workflows
    • Put a Frame around a Cell
    • Set Detailed Properties of a Notebook
    • Change the Background Color of a Cell
    • Put a Dingbat on a Cell
    • Set Up a Default Style to Use for Cells
    • Add a Banner to a Notebook
  • Tech Notes
    • Manipulating Options
    • See Also
      • Options
      • CurrentValue
      • Protected
      • SetAttributes
    • Related Guides
      • Options Management
      • Low-Level Notebook Programming
      • Session Customization
      • Programmatic Notebook & Interface Customization
      • Sharing & Embedding Content
      • Creating Form Interfaces & Apps
      • Creating Instant APIs
      • Low-Level System Optimization
      • Package Development
      • Wolfram System Setup
      • Palettes
      • Persistent Storage
      • Toolbars
      • Cloud Permissions Control
      • Wolfram Data Repository
      • Wolfram Resource System
      • Structured Data in the Cloud
    • Workflows
      • Put a Frame around a Cell
      • Set Detailed Properties of a Notebook
      • Change the Background Color of a Cell
      • Put a Dingbat on a Cell
      • Set Up a Default Style to Use for Cells
      • Add a Banner to a Notebook
    • Tech Notes
      • Manipulating Options

SetOptions

SetOptions[s,name1value1,name2value2,…]

sets the specified default options for a symbol s.

SetOptions[stream,…] or SetOptions["name",…]

sets options associated with a particular stream.

SetOptions[object,…]

sets options associated with an external object such as a NotebookObject or CloudObject.

Details

  • SetOptions is equivalent to an assignment that redefines certain elements of the list Options[s] of default options.
  • SetOptions can be used on Protected symbols that do not also have the Locked attribute.
  • SetOptions returns the new form of Options[s].
  • You can use SetOptions on InputStream and OutputStream objects. If there is only one stream with a particular name, you can give the name as a string as the argument of Options.
  • SetOptions can be used on a list of streams, such as the value of $Output.
  • If object refers to a front end object such as $FrontEnd, NotebookObject, or CellObject, the kernel will send a request to the front end that will immediately make the change specified.

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (1)

Change the style for plots to dashed curves:

Restore the system default:

Scope  (4)

Reset the default precision for HilbertMatrix:

Now HilbertMatrix uses machine numbers by default:

A specific option setting overrides the new default:

Restore the system default:

Start writing to a temporary file:

Set the page width to 10 characters:

Write Range[10] to the file and close the stream:

Line breaks occur at the 10th column:

Create a reference to the input cell:

Change the background of the cell to red:

Restore the setting of the cell, which will cause it to inherit from the notebook:

Change the Permissions of a CloudObject:

Properties & Relations  (2)

SetOptions can be used to modify protected symbols:

The option has been modified:

The symbol still has attribute Protected:

Restore the system default:

SetOptions resets the Permissions value entirely (except for the owner's permissions):

SetPermissions only resets the capabilities of the given user groups:

Possible Issues  (2)

SetOptions can only be used to change the default value of an option, not to add a new one:

Use AppendTo, PrependTo and similar functions to add additional options to a function:

For notebook options with rules, it can be awkward to make a targeted change to a specific rule:

CurrentValue provides a better way of adding or changing specific rules:

See Also

Options  CurrentValue  Protected  SetAttributes

Tech Notes

    ▪
  • Manipulating Options

Related Guides

    ▪
  • Options Management
  • ▪
  • Low-Level Notebook Programming
  • ▪
  • Session Customization
  • ▪
  • Programmatic Notebook & Interface Customization
  • ▪
  • Sharing & Embedding Content
  • ▪
  • Creating Form Interfaces & Apps
  • ▪
  • Creating Instant APIs
  • ▪
  • Low-Level System Optimization
  • ▪
  • Package Development
  • ▪
  • Wolfram System Setup
  • ▪
  • Palettes
  • ▪
  • Persistent Storage
  • ▪
  • Toolbars
  • ▪
  • Cloud Permissions Control
  • ▪
  • Wolfram Data Repository
  • ▪
  • Wolfram Resource System
  • ▪
  • Structured Data in the Cloud

Related Workflows

    Related Workflows
    ▪
  • Put a Frame around a Cell
  • ▪
  • Set Detailed Properties of a Notebook
  • ▪
  • Change the Background Color of a Cell
  • ▪
  • Put a Dingbat on a Cell
  • ▪
  • Set Up a Default Style to Use for Cells
  • ▪
  • Add a Banner to a Notebook

Related Links

  • Fast Introduction for Programmers: Options
  • An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language : Options

History

Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1996 (3.0) ▪ 2012 (9.0)

Wolfram Research (1988), SetOptions, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html (updated 2012).

Text

Wolfram Research (1988), SetOptions, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html (updated 2012).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 1988. "SetOptions." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2012. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (1988). SetOptions. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_setoptions, author="Wolfram Research", title="{SetOptions}", year="2012", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html}", note=[Accessed: 01-December-2025]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_setoptions, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={SetOptions}, year={2012}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SetOptions.html}, note=[Accessed: 01-December-2025]}

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