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Use Axes.tick_params() to control which sides show tick marks in Matplotlib. For example, set right=True to show right-side y-axis ticks, or right=False to hide them. Tick labels have separate controls, so you can show marks on both sides while keeping numbers on just one.

Show or hide left and right y-axis tick marks

Call tick_params() on the Axes you want to change. Set the left and right flags independently. This example shows y-axis tick marks on both sides, but keeps labels on the left:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

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

ax.tick_params(
    axis="y",
    left=True,
    right=True,
    labelleft=True,
    labelright=False,
)

plt.show()

To show ticks only on the right, use left=False, right=True. To show them only on the left, use left=True, right=False. Set both to False to hide tick marks on both sides.

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Control tick labels separately from tick marks

A tick mark is the small line at a tick location; a tick label is the adjacent number or text. Showing a mark on the right does not automatically require a right-side label. Use labelleft and labelright to choose which sides display y-axis labels. For example, right=True, labelright=False shows right-side marks without right-side numbers.

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For the x-axis, use the corresponding bottom and top flags for marks, and labelbottom and labeltop for labels:

ax.tick_params(
    axis="x",
    bottom=True,
    top=True,
    labelbottom=True,
    labeltop=False,
)

Choose an axis, tick class, and appearance

The axis argument scopes a call to "x", "y", or "both". Use which to apply settings to "major" ticks, "minor" ticks, or "both". For example, to show minor y-axis ticks on the right:

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ax.tick_params(axis="y", which="minor", right=True)

Appearance options include length, width, direction, color, label size and color, label rotation, label padding, and grid styling. These can be combined with side controls in the same call. Matplotlib’s Axis ticks guide documents these options and examples.

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Set tick-side defaults across figures

For a setting that should apply more broadly than one Axes, use Matplotlib configuration parameters or a style sheet. For example, ytick.right controls right-side y tick marks, while ytick.labelright controls right-side y tick labels. The configuration reference lists the available side-visibility, label, major/minor size and width, direction, and minor-tick settings. Configuration is useful for repeatable defaults; tick_params() is the direct choice when changing a particular plot.

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When to move the axis rather than just show ticks

Side flags control where marks and labels appear, but they do not by themselves relocate the axis presentation. If you want to move x-axis ticks and labels to the top or y-axis ticks and labels to the right, use Matplotlib’s dedicated Move x/y-axis ticks and labels on top and right example.

Why not edit individual Tick objects?

Matplotlib exposes lower-level tick components such as tick1line, tick2line, label1, and label2. However, it manages Tick objects as view limits change; ticks can be created, moved, or removed, so direct edits to individual objects may not persist. The official tick guide notes that “usually it is simplest to use tick_params to change all the objects at once.” Prefer that method for normal side-wide changes, reserving per-Tick edits for unusually specific cases where the axis will not later change.

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Documentation version

The linked stable documentation is labeled Matplotlib 3.11.2 and was accessed October 7, 2026. If you are using another release, check its documentation for version-specific behavior.

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