Legends are essential for clear data visualization, but sometimes they clutter the plot. Matplotlib provides several ways to manage legends, allowing you to remove them entirely or simply hide them for cleaner visuals. This guide explores four effective techniques.
Table of Contents
- Directly Removing the Legend
- Hiding the Legend
- Preventing Legend Creation
- Removing the Legend via Attribute Assignment
1. Directly Removing the Legend
This approach uses matplotlib.axes.Axes.get_legend().remove() to eliminate the legend after it’s been created. It’s straightforward and leaves no trace.
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], label='Line 1')
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [7, 8, 9], label='Line 2')
legend = ax.legend() # Create the legend
legend.remove() # Remove it
plt.show()
2. Hiding the Legend
matplotlib.axes.Axes.get_legend().set_visible(False) provides more control. The legend remains in memory, allowing you to show it later using set_visible(True).
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], label='Line 1')
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [7, 8, 9], label='Line 2')
legend = ax.legend()
legend.set_visible(False)
plt.show()
3. Preventing Legend Creation
The most efficient method is to prevent legend generation. Use label='nolegend' (or any unused label) within the plot() function.
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], label='nolegend')
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [7, 8, 9], label='nolegend')
plt.show()
4. Removing the Legend via Attribute Assignment
Directly setting the legend_ attribute of the Axes object to None removes any existing legend and prevents future creation.
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], label='Line 1')
ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [7, 8, 9], label='Line 2')
ax.legend_ = None
plt.show()
Choosing the right method depends on your needs. For immediate removal, methods 1 and 4 are efficient. For potential re-display, method 2 is best. Preventing creation (method 3) is optimal when you know a legend is unnecessary.