# Plotting

xlwings Lite lets you create plots with the usual Python plotting libraries and bring them into Excel. Depending on where your code runs—a custom function, a script, or the notebook—the way you display a plot differs slightly. This page gives you an overview of all three.

At a glance:

| Where                | How the plot is shown                                                                     | Libraries                                        |
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| [Custom functions]() | Returned as an in-cell image into the calling cell. An over-the-cells image can be added. | Matplotlib<sub>\*</sub>                          |
| [Scripts]()          | Embedded as a picture on the sheet                                                        | Matplotlib<sub>\*</sub>                          |
| [Notebooks]()        | Rendered inline in the output pane.                                                       | Matplotlib<sub>\*</sub>, Plotly, and many others |

<sub>\*</sub> This includes all libraries that are built on top of Matplotlib, including pandas, Seaborn, Plotnine, etc.

## Custom functions

See [Plots](custom_functions.md#plots) in the custom functions tutorial.

## Scripts

In a [script](custom_scripts.md), you have access to the Excel object model, so you can embed a plot as a picture directly onto a sheet via `sheet.pictures.add()`:

```python
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import xlwings as xw
from xlwings import script

@script
def add_plot(book: xw.Book):
    sheet = book.sheets[0]

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

    sheet.pictures.add(fig, name="MyPlot", update=True, anchor=sheet["A1"])
```

A few things to note:

- Use `name` together with `update=True` to replace an existing picture with the same name instead of adding a new one on every run.
- You can fine-tune the export with `export_options`, which is passed on to Matplotlib’s `savefig()`, e.g. `export_options={"dpi": 300}`.

## Notebooks

See [Plots](notebooks.md#plots) in the notebooks docs.