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How to Save a Matplotlib Graph as a PNG in Python

Use Matplotlib’s fig.savefig("plot.png") to export a figure as a PNG, with optional DPI, tight cropping, and transparency settings.
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Save a Matplotlib figure as a PNG with fig.savefig("plot.png"). The filename extension selects PNG automatically; set dpi for the raster resolution or use bbox_inches="tight" to trim the saved bounds.

Save a Matplotlib figure as a PNG

Keep a reference to the figure you create, then call its savefig method:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 4, 9])
ax.set(title="Example", xlabel="x", ylabel="y")

fig.savefig("plot.png")

This writes the plotted figure to plot.png in the program’s current working directory. The filename extension ordinarily determines the format. Saving through fig.savefig identifies exactly which figure to write, which is especially useful in scripts that create more than one. Save before closing the figure.

Choose PNG format, resolution, and dimensions

Make the format explicit when needed

If the filename does not end in .png, or you want to state the format unambiguously, pass format="png": fig.savefig("plot", format="png"). The explicit format controls the output even if the filename extension suggests something else. Matplotlib’s default format when it cannot infer one from the filename is configured by savefig.format and is documented as PNG. See the Figure.savefig API reference.

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Set raster resolution with DPI

For figure export, dpi controls the PNG’s raster resolution. If you do not pass it, Matplotlib uses rcParams["savefig.dpi"], documented as "figure". For example, fig.savefig("plot.png", dpi=300) requests 300 dots per inch. Pick a value that suits the image’s intended screen or print use; a larger value is not automatically better.

Relate figure size to pixel dimensions

Figure width and height are measured in inches. Before cropping, the approximate pixel dimensions are each figure dimension multiplied by the save DPI. A 6-by-4-inch figure saved at 100 DPI is nominally about 600 by 400 pixels. The figsize values in plt.subplots and the save DPI both matter.

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Trim margins or save a transparent background

Crop to the plotted content

Use bbox_inches="tight" to trim the output to the figure’s tight bounding box:

fig.savefig("plot.png", dpi=300, bbox_inches="tight")

The crop can change the final pixel dimensions, so it is not ideal when you need an exact canvas size. pad_inches controls the padding around the tight bounding box; its documented default is 0.1 inch. Matplotlib also notes that the inline Jupyter backend’s tight crop can make the actual size unpredictable. If dimensions matter, inspect the saved image rather than relying only on the nominal figure size and DPI. The figure lifecycle guide describes these saving options.

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Request transparency

Pass transparent=True to request transparent figure and axes patches where the output format supports it. Transparency is off by default:

fig.savefig("plot.png", transparent=True)

Use savefig for plots and imsave for image arrays

Figure.savefig exports a plotted figure. If you already have image-array data instead, use plt.imsave, for example plt.imsave("image.png", array). For a single-channel array, imsave applies a colormap and normalization; its dpi argument stores DPI metadata and does not change the array’s pixel resolution. The documentation recommends using an image I/O library directly when a single-channel array must be written as grayscale. See the imsave API reference.

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Fix common PNG export problems

  • Wrong or missing format: Use a .png filename or pass format="png". Remember that an explicit format determines the written format.
  • Unexpected image dimensions: Check the figure’s inch-based size and the save DPI. A tight bounding-box crop can alter the dimensions.
  • Blank output or the wrong plot: Save the intended figure object with fig.savefig(...), particularly when several figures are open. The API also accepts file-like objects as the target.
  • Trying to save array data as a chart: Use savefig for a plotted figure and imsave for image-array data.
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When PNG is not the right output

PNG is a raster image, so its detail is tied to its pixel dimensions. If your workflow needs scalable line art, consider a vector format such as PDF or SVG instead; Matplotlib supports multiple output formats through figure saving. For a PNG, decide the target dimensions or print resolution first, then choose the figure size and DPI, and use tight cropping or transparency only if the destination calls for them.

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