How can I insert a title over a group of subplots?

I would like to place a title over a group of subplots.  How can I do this?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Starting in R2019b, you can use the tiledlayout and nexttile functions to create a configurable tiling of plots. The configuration options include: 

• Control over the spacing between the plots and around the edges of the layout 
• An option for a shared title at the top of the layout 
• Options for shared x- and y-axis labels 
• An option to control whether the tiling has a fixed size or variable size that can reflow 

An example of 'tiledlayout' used to create a 2x2 group of subplots is written below:

figure()
tcl = tiledlayout(2,2);

nexttile
title('First Subplot')
nexttile
title('Second Subplot')
nexttile
title('Third Subplot')
nexttile
title('Fourth Subplot')

title(tcl,'Subplot Grid Title')

For more information, see Combine Multiple Plots. 

 

Starting in R2018b, you can use the 'sgtitle' function to add a title to a group of subplots. For example: 

subplot(2,2,1) 
title('First Subplot') 
subplot(2,2,2) 
title('Second Subplot') 
subplot(2,2,3) 
title('Third Subplot') 
subplot(2,2,4) 
title('Fourth Subplot') 

sgtitle('Subplot Grid Title') 

For more information on the 'sgtitle' function, see https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/sgtitle.html.

In previous releases (before R2018b), you can create the appearance of a super title by creating the subplots in a panel and adding a title to the panel. For an example, see: 

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2018a/matlab/creating_plots/combine-multiple-plots.html#d119e2898

[Mariela Hernández]

Thanks, the function was helpful.

[James Brown]

Many versions ago, Matlab included the command 'suptitle.' This accomplished exactly what is desired here. What happened to suptitle?

[Image Analyst]

As far as I know (over 10 years) "suptitle" was never part of MATLAB.

Since 2010, "suplabel" has been a File Exchange submission. https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/7772-suplabel Perhaps you had suplabel on the search path and just used it, and it worked, so you thought it was a built-in function of MATLAB, and then misremembered what it was actually called.

[ANKUR KUMAR]

There is a command suptitle, which puts the title of all subplots.

[Walter Roberson]

suptitle() is part of the Bioinformatics toolbox.

[Joakim Wang Erlandsson]

>It is not possible to put a title over a group of subplots in MATLAB. >There is a user contributed function that places a title over a group of subplots

But good god just fix it then. Plotting in matlab is is joke (a sad one), always forced to resort to user provided workarounds...

[madhan ravi]

There’s a new feature in 2018b which makes it possible

[Eric Bernard Dilger]

Is it possbile to set more than one sgtitle? What I mean is: one title for subplot(2,2,1) and subplot(2,2,2) and then, another title for subplot(2,2,3) and subplot(2,2,4)?

[Mirza Faizaan]

sgtitle works fine and shows the title in the output window. However, the sgtitle is omitted when figure is opened as a window. Any idea how to fix this?

Answer 2

[jcjaimes]

Suptitle does the job

x=1:0.01:10;
subplot(2,2,1); plot(sin(x))
subplot(2,2,2); plot(cos(x))
subplot(2,2,3); plot(cos(x.^2))
subplot(2,2,4); plot(sin(x.^2))
suptitle('I am a super title')

[Chirag Parekh]

@jcjaimes Thanks!! 'suptitle' is not an inbuilt MATLAB function. It is part of a demo in Bioinformatics Toolbox, so it might not be available to all.

[Hannah West]

This worked for me.

Thanks!

[Abdoulaye SAADOU YAYE]

Worked pretty well. Thanks!

[Davd Morales]

it was very helpful,Thanks

[Souarv De]

Not working.

[Thiviya Navaneethan]

Hi Sourav,

Please try using sgtitle function, see: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/sgtitle.html

If this does not help, contact MathWorks Technical support. They may be able to assist you further. https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html

Answer 3

[Paul Huxel]

Starting in R2018b, you can use sgtitle to add a title to subplot grids:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/sgtitle.html

[Raviteja Vangara]

Cool!!! Thank you....

[Eduardo Rey]

This actually works, nice!

[LEONG SING YEW]

Thanks :D

Answer 4

[Jonathan Beard]

Here's a solution that doesn't require additional functions.

figure;  
subplot(2, 1, 1);
plot(nan, nan);
subplot(2, 1, 2);
plot(nan, nan);
currentFigure = gcf;
title(currentFigure.Children(end), 'blah');

[m]

Doesn't work with r2012b, gives "Attempt to reference field of non-structure array."

[Steven Lord]

That's correct. The ability to access properties of graphics objects with dot notation was one of the features of the graphics system upgrade in release R2014b. You could do something similar with:

currentFigure = gcf;
thekids = get(currentFigure, 'Children');
title(thekids, 'blah');

Note I have not tested that code, so it might not do exactly the same as Jonathan's code.

[Alex King]

These methods only work if the subplots don't already have titles of there own, as it is just adding a title to the first subplot. The nice part about `suptitle` is that it puts an additional title above all the subplots.

I'm still looking for an easy solution without the Bioinformatics toolbox, as it's rather ridiculous to add 500 Mb to my install for this one function. Please consider making this standard.

[Emily]

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/203703-is-it-possible-to-define-global-title-on-figures has a similar question with a slightly different way of putting a title over the subplots. Look at the answer by Brendan Hamm. Basically you create a new axes that takes up the whole plot, make it invisible, but make it's title visible.

[Jeffrey Roth]

A problem with sgtitle (at least on the linux distro) is that it seems to be persistent, meaning once you put an sgtitle into the figure you cannot get rid of it. How can one clear an sgtitle?

Not being able to clear it complicates making AVI videos using subplot.

I imagine there is a way to completetely delete the sgtitle using a handle to it (before writing the next one), but I haven't figured out yet how to do so. Can anyone provide guidance?

Thanks! Jeff

[Shyam Gouri Suresh]

One fix for the persistence of sgtitlte is given here: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/431189-sgtitle-drawing-overtop-of-previous-title

[PROSANJEET SARKAR]

sgtitile() function you cane used it provide in 2018 verison of matlab

Answer 5

[Anders Bertelsen]

figure;  
subplot(1, 2, 1);
plot(nan, nan);
subplot(1, 2, 2);
plot(nan, nan);
ha = axes('Position',[0 0 1 1],'Xlim',[0 1],'Ylim',[0  1],'Box','off','Visible','off','Units','normalized', 'clipping' , 'off');
text(0.5, 0.98,'Title')

[Khan Bahadar Khan]

how can i display images in MATLAB like this.

[Walter Roberson]

There are multiple possibilities. The ones I can think of off-hand include:

• create an axes for each of the images, and an axes for each of the titles above and each of the titles to the side. Using subplot() for this purpose is not great, as you do not want the axes to all be the same size. Each axes could been panned, scrolled, zoomed, or data cursored individiually.
• create the top left axes with room for title and ylabel and an image. Create 3 axes below that with room for ylabel and an image. Create top right axes with room for title and image. Create three axes below that with room for an image. Using subplot() for this purpose is not great, as you do not want the axes to all be the same size. Each axes could been panned, scrolled, zoomed, or data cursored individiually.
• create a 4 x 2 array of axes the same size, all large enough to accomodate title and ylabel. Then carefully "tuck" the axes in so only the wanted parts show. Using subplot() for this might not be bad, but you will need to move the axes carefully. Each axes could been panned, scrolled, zoomed, or data cursored individiually.
• Use montage or similar to create a 4 x 2 image array and display it in an axes that you put appropriate text labels on. It would not be possible to scroll or pan or zoom the images individually, and you would need extra work to data cursor them individually. On the other hand, a single movable graphics cursor covering multiple images would become easier than in the other approaches mentioned above

Answer 6

[Bradley Stiritz]

>Answer by MathWorks Support Team on 26 Apr 2010

>It is not possible to put a title over a group of subplots in MATLAB..

With respect, this is not a helpful comment, as it's apparently not true. It is possible, just not with built-in core Matlab functionality. Most people will hopefully continue reading the thread, and learn about the workarounds. Still, it's not an encouraging or precise statement to begin the group discussion, IMHO.

[ANKUR KUMAR]

There is a function suptitle which may does our work. It puts perfectly the title over all subplots.

[Cris LaPierre]

FYI: suptitle is only available to those who have the Bioinformatics toolbox, and then it was included in a demo file and is not an actual MathWorks maintained function.

However, as Paul Huxel points out, there is now (r2018b) a function in base MATLAB for this. It is called sgtitle.

Answer 7

[Eric Sargent]

Starting in R2019b, you can also use tiledlayout and nexttile instead of subplot, which has shared titles and labels. You can use the title, xlabel, and ylabel commands directly with tiledlayouts:

Alternatively, starting in R2018b, the sgtitle function will add a title over a group of subplots.

tl = tiledlayout(3,3);
for i = 1:9
    nexttile(tl)
    plot(rand(5,1));
end
title(tl,'Layout Title');
xlabel(tl,'Layout XLabel');
ylabel(tl,'Layout YLabel');

Answer 8

[Tahariet Sharon]

How would you insert multiple lines? \n won't work.

[Steven Lord]

x = 0:360;
subplot(2, 1, 1)
plot(x, sind(x))
subplot(2, 1, 2)
plot(x, cosd(x))
sgtitle("Trig functions" + newline + "First sine" + newline + "Second cosine")

or if for whatever reason you can't use a string array:

figure
x = 0:360;
subplot(2, 1, 1)
plot(x, sind(x))
subplot(2, 1, 2)
plot(x, cosd(x))
sgtitle(sprintf('%s\n%s', 'First plot is sine(x)', 'Second plot is cosine(x)'))

[Miguel D. Martinez]

This exactly what i was looking for. subtext for subplot subtitle haha thank you very much !

[Russell]

Late to the party, but you can do multiple lines in 'title' and 'sgtitle' by passing them as a cell array:

title( {'line one', 'line two'} );
sgtitle( {'line one', 'line two'} );

Answer 9

[Dan]

Thanks! This works great. I set did >set(h,'Position',[.5 1.05 .5]) to get place the supertitle above the titles of my subplots.

Answer 10

[JB]

A great big thank you to the writer of mtit! That worked great for me, being someone who is between 2018 and the version I originally wrote my code in where my title for the subplot was centered without having to do anything extra.

Answer 11

[Gouater Loic]

This video clearly explains that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX-vPvcqoSw