<divid="unreleased-message"> You are reading an old version of the documentation (v2.2.0). For the latest version see <ahref="https://matplotlib.org/stable/faq/troubleshooting_faq.html">https://matplotlib.org/stable/faq/troubleshooting_faq.html</a></div>
<spanid="matplotlib-version"></span><h2>Obtaining Matplotlib version<aclass="headerlink" href="#obtaining-matplotlib-version" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>To find out your Matplotlib version number, import it and print the
<spanid="locating-matplotlib-config-dir"></span><h2><codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">matplotlib</span></code> configuration and cache directory locations<aclass="headerlink" href="#matplotlib-configuration-and-cache-directory-locations" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>Each user has a Matplotlib configuration directory which may contain a
<aclass="reference internal" href="../tutorials/introductory/customizing.html#customizing-with-matplotlibrc-files"><spanclass="std std-ref">matplotlibrc</span></a> file. To
locate your <codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">matplotlib/</span></code> configuration directory, use
<p>On windows, both the config directory and the cache directory are
the same and are in your <codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">Documents</span><spanclass="pre">and</span><spanclass="pre">Settings</span></code> or <codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">Users</span></code>
<spanclass="go">'C:\\Documents and Settings\\jdhunter\\.matplotlib'</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you would like to use a different configuration directory, you can
do so by specifying the location in your <spanclass="target" id="index-1"></span><aclass="reference internal" href="environment_variables_faq.html#envvar-MPLCONFIGDIR"><codeclass="xref std std-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">MPLCONFIGDIR</span></code></a>
environment variable – see
<aclass="reference internal" href="environment_variables_faq.html#setting-linux-osx-environment-variables"><spanclass="std std-ref">Setting environment variables in Linux and OS-X</span></a>. Note that
<spanclass="target" id="index-2"></span><aclass="reference internal" href="environment_variables_faq.html#envvar-MPLCONFIGDIR"><codeclass="xref std std-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">MPLCONFIGDIR</span></code></a> sets the location of both the configuration
directory and the cache directory.</p>
</div>
<divclass="section" id="getting-help">
<spanid="reporting-problems"></span><h2>Getting help<aclass="headerlink" href="#getting-help" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>There are a number of good resources for getting help with Matplotlib.
There is a good chance your question has already been asked:</p>
<ulclass="simple">
<li>The <aclass="reference external" href="http://matplotlib.1069221.n5.nabble.com/">mailing list archive</a>.</li>
<p>If you are unable to find an answer to your question through search, please
provide the following information in your e-mail to the <aclass="reference external" href="https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/matplotlib-users">mailing list</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><pclass="first">Your operating system (Linux/UNIX users: post the output of <codeclass="docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">uname</span><spanclass="pre">-a</span></code>).</p>
<li><pclass="first">If the problem is reproducible, please try to provide a <em>minimal</em>, standalone
Python script that demonstrates the problem. This is <em>the</em> critical step.
If you can’t post a piece of code that we can run and reproduce your error,
the chances of getting help are significantly diminished. Very often, the
mere act of trying to minimize your code to the smallest bit that produces
the error will help you find a bug in <em>your</em> code that is causing the
problem.</p>
</li>
<li><pclass="first">You can get helpful debugging output from Matlotlib by using the <aclass="reference external" href="https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#module-logging" title="(in Python v3.6)"><codeclass="xref py py-obj docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">logging</span></code></a>
library in your code and posting the verbose output to the lists. For a
<p>Note that if you want to use <aclass="reference external" href="https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#module-logging" title="(in Python v3.6)"><codeclass="xref py py-obj docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">logging</span></code></a> in your own code, but do not
want verbose Matplotlib output, you can set the logging level
<p>The <aclass="reference external" href="https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#module-logging" title="(in Python v3.6)"><codeclass="xref py py-obj docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">logging</span></code></a> module is very flexible, and can be a valuable tool in chasing
down errors.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If you compiled Matplotlib yourself, please also provide:</p>
<ul>
<li><pclass="first">any changes you have made to <codeclass="docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">setup.py</span></code> or <codeclass="docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">setupext.py</span></code>.</p>
<spanid="git-trouble"></span><h2>Problems with recent git versions<aclass="headerlink" href="#problems-with-recent-git-versions" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>First make sure you have a clean build and install (see <aclass="reference internal" href="installing_faq.html#clean-install"><spanclass="std std-ref">How to completely remove Matplotlib</span></a>),
get the latest git update, install it and run a simple test script in debug
<p>and post <codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">build.out</span></code> and <codeclass="file docutils literal notranslate"><spanclass="pre">run.out</span></code> to the <aclass="reference external" href="https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/matplotlib-devel">matplotlib-devel</a>
mailing list (please do not post git problems to the <aclass="reference external" href="https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/matplotlib-users">users list</a>).</p>
<p>Of course, you will want to clearly describe your problem, what you
are expecting and what you are getting, but often a clean build and
install will help. See also <aclass="reference internal" href="#reporting-problems"><spanclass="std std-ref">Getting help</span></a>.</p>