How to Install `matplotlib` in Python

v3.10.8 Data & Science Python >=3.10 Apache-2.0

Python plotting package

Install pip install matplotlib

What is matplotlib?

Python plotting package

Matplotlib is a comprehensive library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations in Python.

Check out our home page for more information.

Matplotlib produces publication-quality figures in a variety of hardcopy formats and interactive environments across platforms. Matplotlib can be used in Python scripts, Python/IPython shells, web application servers, and various graphical user interface toolkits.

PyPI page → Author: John D. Hunter, Michael Droettboom

Quick Start

Minimal example to get started with matplotlib:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(0, 2 * np.pi, 100)
plt.plot(x, np.sin(x), label="sin(x)")
plt.plot(x, np.cos(x), label="cos(x)")
plt.legend()
plt.title("Trigonometric Functions")
plt.show()

Installation

pip (standard)

pip install matplotlib

Virtual environment (recommended)

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate   # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install matplotlib

pip3

pip3 install matplotlib

conda

conda install -c conda-forge matplotlib

Poetry

poetry add matplotlib

Dependencies

Installing matplotlib will also install these packages:

contourpy cycler fonttools kiwisolver numpy packaging pillow pyparsing python-dateutil

Verify the Installation

After installing, confirm the package is available:

python -c "import matplotlib; print(matplotlib.__version__)"

If this prints a version number, installation succeeded. If you see a ModuleNotFoundError, see the errors section below.

Installation Errors

Common errors when installing matplotlib with pip.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'matplotlib'

Cause: The package is not installed in the current Python environment.

Fix: Run pip install matplotlib. If using a virtual environment, ensure it is activated first.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'matplotlib' (installed but still failing)

Cause: pip installed the package into a different Python than the one running your script.

Fix: Use python -m pip install matplotlib to install into the interpreter you are running.

ImportError: cannot import name 'X' from 'matplotlib'

Cause: The function or class does not exist in the installed version.

Fix: Check the version with pip show matplotlib and upgrade with pip install --upgrade matplotlib.

pip: command not found

Cause: pip is not in PATH or Python was not added to PATH during installation.

Fix: Try python -m pip install matplotlib. On macOS/Linux try pip3.

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

Cause: No write access to the system Python package directory.

Fix: Use a virtual environment, or add --user: pip install --user matplotlib

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

Cause: pip cannot verify PyPI's SSL certificate — common behind corporate proxies.

Fix: Try: pip install --trusted-host pypi.org --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org matplotlib

MemoryError when loading data

Cause: Dataset is too large to fit in RAM.

Fix: Read in chunks, filter columns on load, or consider Polars/Dask for out-of-core processing.

Recent Releases

Version	Released
`3.10.8` latest	2025-12-10
`3.10.7`	2025-10-09
`3.10.6`	2025-08-30
`3.10.5`	2025-07-31
`3.10.3`	2025-05-08

Full release history on PyPI →

Manage matplotlib

Upgrade to latest version

pip install --upgrade matplotlib

Install a specific version

pip install matplotlib==3.10.8

Uninstall

pip uninstall matplotlib

Check what is installed

pip show matplotlib

Last updated: 2026-04-11 • Data from PyPI

How to Install matplotlib in Python