How to Hide or Remove Axis Ticks and Labels in Matplotlib

TL;DR

To remove both tick marks and tick labels, set the ticks to an empty list:

ax.set_xticks([])
ax.set_yticks([])

Two Matplotlib scatter plots showing regular axes and axes with ticks and tick labels removed

This keeps the plotted data and the axis spines visible.

Keep the tick marks but hide their numbers or text with tick_params():

ax.tick_params(axis="x", labelbottom=False)
ax.tick_params(axis="y", labelleft=False)

Use labeltop=True, labelright=True, or the corresponding False values when you need to control a particular side.

To retain the tick labels but remove the small tick marks:

ax.tick_params(bottom=False, left=False)

The x-axis and y-axis labels are separate from tick labels. Clear them like this:

ax.set_xlabel("")
ax.set_ylabel("")

For an image-like plot with no spines, ticks, tick labels, or axis labels:

ax.axis("off")