How to hide ticks label in python but keep the ticks in place?

Question

I want to hide my ticks label on a plot I created, but keep this tick itself (the little marks on the axis). When I try to use what I've found here, for example, the entire tick is removed, and not just the labels. How can I remove only the labels then?

Mainis

Answer 1

Set the tick labels not to be an empty array, but to be a list of empty strings. In the example below, I've replaced the xtick labels with empty strings, leaving the y axis untouched. From here you can selectively keep certain labels if you wished.

import pylab as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1,2,3],[4,5,6])

labels = [item.get_text() for item in ax.get_xticklabels()]

empty_string_labels = ['']*len(labels)
ax.set_xticklabels(empty_string_labels)

plt.show()

This code is adapted from a previous answer.

Stocky

you can do ax.set_yticklabels([]) without having to initialise a list of empty strings. – Eulogist

Answer 2

Here is a slightly simpler answer, using ax.tick_params

import matplotlib.pylab as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
plt.plot([1,2,3],[4,5,6])

ax.tick_params(labelbottom=False)    

plt.show()

Here is the resulting output in Matplotlib 3

As commented by @chris, one can similarly hide the labels on any of the other axes using labeltop, labelleft, labelright, in the above example, instead of labelbottom.

Thermostatics

note for those arriving here to find out how to hide labels on other axes, ax.tick_params accepts the following keyword args: labelbottom, labeltop, labelleft, labelright – Holbrooke

Better than the accepted answer, IMO. – Carbolated

Also prefer this method, as the ax.set_xticklabels([]) method also disables the get_major_formatter().get_offset() – Granlund

Answer 3

I didn't find divenex's answer to work for me. This answer creates ticks without triggering any automatic labeling, hence no requirement to use "labelbottom= False":

if the bottom and left ticks already exist:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
plt.plot([1,2,3],[4,5,6])

ax.tick_params(right= True,top= True)

if no ticks already exist:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
plt.plot([1,2,3],[4,5,6])

ax.tick_params(right= True,top= True,left= True, bottom= True)

Featly

This answer does not hide the labels. It creates the ticks, leaving the labels unchanged. – Thermostatics

Answer 4

import matplotlib.pylab as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
plt.plot([1,2,3],[4,5,6])

ax.set_xticklabels([])

plt.show()

Anatomize

the most neat answer for this! – Corsica

Answer 5

matplotlib.ticker.NullFormatter seems to be a cleaner way to hide labels.

from matplotlib import ticker

# hide labels in minor ticks
ax.xaxis.set_minor_formatter(ticker.NullFormatter())
# hide labels in major ticks
ax.xaxis.set_major_formatter(ticker.NullFormatter())

Charlet