LaunchKernels
launches all currently configured parallel subkernels.
launches n local subkernels on the current computer.
LaunchKernels[ker]
launches the kernel specified by ker.
LaunchKernels[{ker1,ker2,…}]
launches the kernels keri.
Details and Options

- LaunchKernels[] uses $DefaultParallelKernels to determine the list of kernels to launch.
- The ProgressReporting option specifies whether to report the progress of kernel launching.
- The default value is ProgressReporting:>$ProgressReporting.
- Additional configurations for kernels on remote machines can be made available with the Wolfram Lightweight Grid and the Cluster Integration Package.
Examples
open allclose allBasic Examples (2)
Close all running kernels and start two new ones:
LaunchKernels by default displays information about its progress:
Scope (12)
Kernel Specifications (4)
Launch the default kernels as described in $DefaultParallelKernels:
Launch two more local kernels, in addition to those already running:
Launch kernels on a remote machine:
Use KernelConfiguration to specify additional details of the desired kernels:
Local Kernels (3)
Use a specific local kernel, given by its absolute path:
Alternatively, specify the properties with KernelConfiguration:
For local kernels, the default number of parallel kernels is equal to $ProcessorCount, license permitting:
SSH Kernels (3)
Give the path to the remote kernel and number of kernels as URL parameters:
Alternatively, specify the path and kernel count as properties of KernelConfiguration:
Specify the remote operating system to automatically choose a suitable kernel command:
When using a URL short form, the number of parallel kernels can be specified with "?n":
Generalizations & Extensions (1)
Options (2)
ProgressReporting (2)
Do not show a temporary progress report:
Show a progress report even if the default $ProgressReporting may be False:
Applications (1)
Properties & Relations (1)
Distributed definitions and shared variables apply to running kernels and new ones:
Packages read with ParallelNeeds also apply to running and new kernels:
Close all running kernels and launch new ones:
The new kernels inherit previously distributed definitions and shared variables:
Possible Issues (4)
If any kernels are already running, LaunchKernels[] does not launch the default kernels:

Close all running kernels, then launch the default set of kernels:
Kernels may be automatically launched when first needed:
Now, no kernels are launched automatically:

If no kernels are available, most parallel calculations are done sequentially:

No kernels are launched by default on a single-core computer:

Specify the number of desired kernels to launch them anyway:
Text
Wolfram Research (2008), LaunchKernels, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/LaunchKernels.html.
CMS
Wolfram Language. 2008. "LaunchKernels." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/LaunchKernels.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (2008). LaunchKernels. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/LaunchKernels.html