ggplot2 ggtitle() in R: Add Titles and Subtitles

The ggtitle() function in ggplot2 adds a title (and optionally a subtitle) to a plot in a single short call. It is the title-only shortcut for labs(), useful when you do not need to set captions, tags, or axis labels.

ggtitle("My title")                                                  # title only
ggtitle("My title", subtitle = "My subtitle")                        # title + subtitle
ggtitle("Line one\nLine two")                                        # multi-line title
ggtitle(NULL)                                                        # remove the title
p + ggtitle("T") + theme(plot.title = element_text(hjust = 0.5))     # center the title
p + ggtitle("T") + theme(plot.title = element_text(face = "bold"))   # bold the title
labs(title = "My title")                                             # the long form

What ggtitle() does in one sentence

ggtitle() writes the title and subtitle slots of a ggplot2 plot, and only those slots. Every other label (caption, tag, axis names, legend titles, alt text) needs labs() or one of the axis shortcuts.

It is a thin wrapper around labs(). The two calls ggtitle("T", subtitle = "S") and labs(title = "T", subtitle = "S") produce identical output. Reach for ggtitle() when a title is the only label you need to change, because the call reads cleanly.

Syntax

ggtitle(label, subtitle = waiver()). The first argument is the title text; the second is the subtitle. Pass NULL to clear a slot, or omit the subtitle argument to leave it untouched.

The base plot p is reusable, so you can keep adding labels to the same object across examples.

Six common ggtitle() patterns

1. Title only

2. Title plus subtitle

The subtitle renders directly below the title in a slightly smaller, lighter font.

3. Multi-line title via newline

A \n inside the string forces a line break inside the title slot. Useful when the title would otherwise be clipped on narrow plots.

4. Center the title

hjust = 0 is left, 0.5 is center, 1 is right. The default in current ggplot2 is left-aligned.

5. Style the title font

face accepts "plain", "bold", "italic", or "bold.italic". Color takes any valid R color string. Size is in points.

6. Remove a default title

NULL removes the slot completely; an empty string "" keeps an empty gap above the plot.

ggtitle() vs labs() vs xlab()/ylab()

ggtitle() is a shortcut for the two title slots; labs() covers every slot at once. Pick ggtitle() when title is the only label you are changing, and labs() when you also need axis labels, captions, tags, or legend titles.

Under the hood, every shortcut calls labs(). Mixing them in one plot works (each writes its own slot), but a single labs() call is easier to maintain than four scattered calls. See the official ggplot2 reference for labs().

Common pitfalls

Pitfall 1: long titles get clipped. A title wider than the plot panel is cut off when the plot is exported small. Add \n for a manual line break, or shrink the font with theme(plot.title = element_text(size = 12)).

Pitfall 2: ggtitle("", "Subtitle") leaves an empty title line. Passing an empty string keeps the slot and reserves vertical space. Use NULL to remove the slot, or just omit the argument.

Pitfall 3: positional vs named arguments. ggtitle("A", "B") works because subtitle is the second positional argument, but ggtitle("A", subtitle = "B") is more readable and avoids surprises when the function signature changes.

Pitfall 4: setting alignment on the wrong element. theme(text = element_text(hjust = 0.5)) does NOT center the title; it targets every text element. Target the title specifically with theme(plot.title = element_text(hjust = 0.5)).

Try it yourself

Related ggplot2 functions

After mastering ggtitle(), look at:

• labs(): set every label (title, subtitle, caption, tag, axis, legend) in one call
• xlab(), ylab(): single-axis shortcuts
• theme(): control font size, color, weight, and position of every label
• element_text(): the building block passed to theme() to style any text element
• annotate(): add free-floating text inside the plot panel rather than above it

FAQ

How do I add a title to a ggplot in R?

Use ggtitle("Your title") and add it to the plot with +. For example, ggplot(mtcars, aes(wt, mpg)) + geom_point() + ggtitle("MPG vs weight") builds a scatter plot with a title above it. To add a subtitle as well, pass subtitle = "..." as the second argument.

What is the difference between ggtitle() and labs()?

ggtitle() sets only the title and subtitle slots; labs() sets every label on the plot (title, subtitle, caption, tag, axis labels, alt text, legend titles). Both produce identical output when only the title slot is involved. ggtitle() is just a shortcut around labs(title = ..., subtitle = ...).

How do I center a ggplot title?

Add theme(plot.title = element_text(hjust = 0.5)). hjust = 0 is left-aligned (the default), 0.5 is centered, and 1 is right-aligned. If you also have a subtitle, set plot.subtitle = element_text(hjust = 0.5) to center it as well; the two are independent theme elements.

How do I add a subtitle in ggplot2?

Pass subtitle = "..." as the second argument to ggtitle(), for example ggtitle("Main title", subtitle = "Below the main title"). The subtitle renders directly below the title in a slightly smaller, lighter font. To style it, add theme(plot.subtitle = element_text(face = "italic")).

How do I make a multi-line title in ggplot2?

Insert a \n inside the title string: ggtitle("Line one\nLine two"). The plot panel renders each segment on its own line and the slot expands vertically to fit. This is useful when the title is too long for the plot width and would otherwise be clipped.

How do I remove a title from a ggplot?

Pass NULL: ggtitle(NULL). This removes the title slot completely and the plot reclaims that vertical space. Passing an empty string (ggtitle("")) is different: it keeps an empty slot above the plot, which usually looks like a layout bug.