How to Change Legend Font Size in Matplotlib

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You can easily add a plot to a Matplotlib plot by using the following code:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

#add legend to plot
plt.legend()

And you can easily change the font size of the text in the legend by using one of the following methods:

Method 1: Specify a Size in Numbers

You can specify font size by using a number:

plt.legend(fontsize=18)

Method 2: Specify a Size in Strings

You can also specify font size by using strings:

plt.legend(fontsize="small")

Options include:

• xx-small
• x-small
• small
• medium
• large
• x-large
• xx-large

The following examples show how to use each of these methods in practice:

Example 1: Specify Font Size Using a Number

The following example shows how to specify a legend font size using a number:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

#create data
plt.plot([2, 4, 6, 11], label="First Line")
plt.plot([1, 4, 5, 9], label="Second Line")

#add legend
plt.legend(fontsize=18)

#show plot
plt.show()

Example 2: Specify Font Size Using a String

The following example shows how to specify a legend font size using a string:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

#create data
plt.plot([2, 4, 6, 11], label="First Line")
plt.plot([1, 4, 5, 9], label="Second Line")

#add legend
plt.legend(fontsize="small")

#show plot
plt.show()

Additional Resources

How to Change Font Sizes on a Matplotlib Plot
How to Add Text to Matplotlib Plots