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Use ax.axhline(y=value) to add a horizontal reference line across an Axes. Use ax.hlines(y, xmin, xmax) when the segment’s horizontal endpoints should be specific x-values in your data. The key difference: axhline uses Axes-width fractions for its horizontal extent, while hlines uses data coordinates for both endpoints.

Draw a horizontal line across an Axes

For a threshold, target, or baseline that spans the plot area, call ax.axhline() on the Axes:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([0, 1, 2], [1, 3, 2])
ax.axhline(y=2, color="red", linestyle="--", linewidth=1.5)
plt.show()

This places the line at y=2. By default, it spans the full Axes width. The Matplotlib axhline API documentation describes it as adding a horizontal line across the whole Axes or a fraction of it.

Limit the line to part of the Axes width

The xmin and xmax arguments to axhline are fractions of the Axes width, not x-values from your dataset. They range from 0 at the left edge to 1 at the right edge:

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ax.axhline(y=2, xmin=0.25, xmax=0.75)

This draws the line from one-quarter to three-quarters of the Axes width, at the data y-value 2.

Choose between axhline and hlines

Need Method Coordinates Return value
One line spanning the Axes or a fraction of its width ax.axhline(y=...) y is a data value; xmin and xmax are Axes-width fractions Line2D
One finite segment with specified x endpoints ax.hlines(y, xmin, xmax) y, xmin, and xmax are data values LineCollection
Several horizontal lines ax.hlines(ys, xmins, xmaxs) Accepts scalar or array-like positions and endpoints LineCollection

The hlines API documentation is the relevant reference when the segment’s x limits should be data coordinates.

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Draw a finite segment using data values

ax.hlines(y=2, xmin=0.5, xmax=1.5, colors="tab:blue", linestyles="dashed")

Here the line is at data y-value 2 and runs from data x-value 0.5 to data x-value 1.5.

Draw several lines

Pass a sequence of y-values to hlines to draw multiple segments. Scalar x endpoints can be shared across those lines; use per-line endpoint arrays when each segment needs its own range. With array inputs, check that the values have the intended shapes and pairings.

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Style or move the line

axhline accepts line properties such as color, linewidth, linestyle, alpha, and zorder. For example:

line = ax.axhline(y=2, color="tab:red", linewidth=2, linestyle=":", alpha=0.8)

Because axhline returns a Line2D, you can move it by setting both y-values to the new level:

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line.set_ydata([3, 3])

hlines returns a LineCollection instead, so its appearance is controlled through collection properties; see the Matplotlib hlines API.

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Keep the coordinate systems straight

The most common source of confusion is axhline‘s mixed coordinates: its y-position is a data value, but its horizontal start and end are fractions of the Axes. hlines uses data coordinates for y and for both x endpoints.

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For other cases, Matplotlib’s horizontal and vertical line gallery example demonstrates using an axis transform so that a coordinate of 0 maps to the bottom of an Axes and 1 to the top. This is useful when an extent should track the plotted area rather than data limits. The broader Matplotlib Axes API documents the Axes methods and transforms.

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