How To Change ggplot2 theme?

Last updated on December 15, 2019

ggplot2 offers 8 themes for making plots using ggplot2. By default, ggplot2 uses the grey theme. Here, we will examples of how to change the plot theme from the default grey ggplot2 theme.

Let us first make a simple scatter plot with default grey ggplot theme

library(ggplot2)

Let us create data frame with two variables to make a scatter plot in default ggplot2 theme.

x <- rnorm(500, mean=65, sd=20)
y <- rnorm(500, mean=2, sd=20) - x
df <- data.frame(x=x, y=y)

Let us create a simple scatter plot with default grey theme.

df %>% 
  ggplot(aes(x=x,y=y)) + geom_point()

Let us change the default theme to a simple black and white theme. ggplot2 black and white theme is called theme_bw(). Let us make the scatter in ggplot theme_bw()

df %>% 
   ggplot(aes(x=x,y=y)) + geom_point()+  theme_bw()

Explore the Complete ggplot2 Guide

35+ tutorials with code: scatterplots, boxplots, themes, annotations, facets, and more—tested and beginner-friendly.

Visit the ggplot2 Hub → No fluff—just code and visuals.