How to change the default path for "save the figure" in Matplotlib?

To change the default path for "save the figure" in Matplotlib, you can use rcParams["savefig.directory"] to set the directory path. This allows you to specify where figures are saved by default without providing the full path each time.

Setting Default Save Directory

The most straightforward approach is to set the rcParams directory directly ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import os

# Set default save directory
plt.rcParams["savefig.directory"] = "/tmp"

# Create sample data and plot
data = np.random.rand(5, 5)
plt.figure(figsize=(6, 4))
plt.imshow(data, cmap="viridis")
plt.title("Sample Heatmap")
plt.colorbar()

# This will save to the default directory set above
plt.savefig("sample_plot.png")
plt.show()

Using os.chdir() Method

You can also change the working directory, which affects where files are saved ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import os

# Change working directory
original_dir = os.getcwd()
new_dir = "/tmp"

try:
    os.chdir(new_dir)
    
    # Create and save plot
    data = np.random.rand(4, 4)
    plt.figure(figsize=(5, 4))
    plt.imshow(data, cmap="plasma")
    plt.title("Changed Directory Example")
    
    plt.savefig("plot_in_new_dir.png")
    plt.show()
    
finally:
    # Restore original directory
    os.chdir(original_dir)

Specifying Full Path

For more control, you can specify the complete file path in savefig() ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import os

# Create sample plot
data = np.random.rand(3, 3)
plt.figure(figsize=(5, 4))
plt.imshow(data, cmap="coolwarm")
plt.title("Full Path Example")

# Save with full path specification
save_path = os.path.join("/tmp", "custom_plot.png")
plt.savefig(save_path)
plt.show()

print(f"Plot saved to: {save_path}")

Plot saved to: /tmp/custom_plot.png

Comparison of Methods

Conclusion

Use rcParams["savefig.directory"] to set a global default save directory for all plots. For individual plots, specify the full path directly in savefig() for maximum control.