# Save Matplotlib Plots to PNG, SVG, and PDF Files

> Call pyplot.savefig() to export Matplotlib plots as PNG, SVG, PostScript, or PDF files, using bbox_inches="tight" to remove surrounding whitespace

**URL:** https://sentry.io/answers/save-a-matplotlib-plot-to-a-file-in-python/

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## The Problem

How can I save a plot created with Matplotlib to an image file instead of displaying it?

## The Solution

We can do this using the [`savefig`](https://matplotlib.org/stable/api/_as_gen/matplotlib.pyplot.savefig.html) function:

```python
from matplotlib import pyplot

pyplot.savefig("myPlot.png", bbox_inches="tight")
```

This function will save the current plot as a PNG image file. By specifying a different file extension, we could instead save it as an SVG (`.svg`), PostScript file (`.ps`), or PDF (`.pdf`).

The argument `bbox_inches="tight"` ensures that the image is saved without surrounding whitespace. Additional arguments can be specified to change the colors and transparency of the saved image.

Note that `pyplot.show` clears the current plot, and should therefore only be called after `pyplot.savefig`, to avoid saving a blank image.

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*Source: [sentry.io/answers/save-a-matplotlib-plot-to-a-file-in-python/](https://sentry.io/answers/save-a-matplotlib-plot-to-a-file-in-python/)*