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

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

Accepted Answer

MathWorks Support Team
MathWorks Support Team on 8 Dec 2023
Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 14 Dec 2023
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 more information, 
.
  4 Comments
Walter Roberson
Walter Roberson on 18 Jun 2018
suptitle() is part of the Bioinformatics toolbox.

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More Answers (5)

jcjaimes
jcjaimes on 15 Dec 2016
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')

Paul Huxel
Paul Huxel on 9 Oct 2018
Starting in R2018b, you can use sgtitle to add a title to subplot grids:

Bradley Stiritz
Bradley Stiritz on 9 Sep 2018
>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.
  2 Comments
ANKUR KUMAR
ANKUR KUMAR on 10 Sep 2018
There is a function suptitle which may does our work. It puts perfectly the title over all subplots.
Cris LaPierre
Cris LaPierre on 25 Oct 2018
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.

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Eric Sargent
Eric Sargent on 9 Dec 2020
Edited: Eric Sargent on 9 Dec 2020
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');

Gouater Loic
Gouater Loic on 6 Oct 2020
This video clearly explains that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX-vPvcqoSw

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