How to set the spacing between subplots in Matplotlib in Python?

Last Updated : 16 Dec, 2024

Let’s learn how to set the spacing between the subplots in Matplotlib to ensure clarity and prevent the overlapping of plot elements, such as axes labels and titles.

Let’s create a simple plot with the default spacing to see how subplots can sometimes become congested.

Python

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x=np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
fig, ax = plt.subplots(2, 2)

ax[0, 0].plot(x, x)
ax[0, 1].plot(x, x*2)
ax[1, 0].plot(x, x*x)
ax[1, 1].plot(x, x*x*x)
plt.show()

Output:

Too much congested and very confusing

As, we can see that the above figure axes values are too congested and very confusing. To solve this problem we need to set the spacing between subplots.

Setting the Space between Subplots using fig.tight_layout()

The fig.tight_layout() method automatically adjusts subplot parameters to give specified padding and prevent overlap of subplot elements such as axes labels and titles.

Example 1: Basic tight_layout without padding

Python

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
x = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
fig, ax = plt.subplots(2, 2, figsize=(6, 6))  

ax[0, 0].plot(x, x)
ax[0, 1].plot(x, x * 2)
ax[1, 0].plot(x, x * x)
ax[1, 1].plot(x, x * x * x)
# set the spacing between subplots
fig.tight_layout()
plt.show()

Output:

Setting the Space between Subplots using fig.tight_layout()

Example 2: Using padding with tight_layout

Python

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])

fig, ax = plt.subplots(2, 2, figsize=(6, 6))  

ax[0, 0].plot(x, x)
ax[0, 1].plot(x, x * 2)
ax[1, 0].plot(x, x * x)
ax[1, 1].plot(x, x * x * x)
fig.tight_layout(pad=5.0)

plt.show()

Output:

Setting the Space between Subplots using fig.tight_layout() with padding

Here, pad=5.0 increases the space around the subplots. This will give more room between the subplots and the figure edges, preventing overlap of labels or titles.

Using plt.subplots_adjust() to set spacing between Subplots

plt.subplots_adjust() method provides fine control over the spacing between subplots and the positioning of the subplots within the figure overall. You can adjust the space using left, right, top, bottom, wspace, and hspace parameters.

Python

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
fig, ax = plt.subplots(2, 2, figsize=(6, 6))  

ax[0, 0].plot(x, x)
ax[0, 1].plot(x, x * 2)
ax[1, 0].plot(x, x * x)
ax[1, 1].plot(x, x * x * x)

# Adjust spacing
plt.subplots_adjust(left=0.1, right=0.9, 
                    top=0.9, bottom=0.1, 
                    wspace=0.4, hspace=0.4)
plt.show()

Output:

Using plt.subplots_adjust() to set spacing between Subplots

Using `constrained_layout=True to set spacing between Subplots`

For a more automated approach, constrained_layout automatically adjusts subplots and decorations like legends and colorbars to fit in the figure window.

Python

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
y = np.sin(x)
fig, ax = plt.subplots(2, 2, constrained_layout = True)

ax[0, 0].plot(x, x)
ax[0, 1].plot(x, x*2)
ax[1, 0].plot(x, x*x)
ax[1, 1].plot(x, x*x*x)
plt.show()