TL;DR

Use fig.write_html('chart.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs='cdn') to save a fully interactive Plotly figure as a standalone HTML file.

fig.write_html('plotly-figure.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs='cdn')

Why save Plotly figures as HTML?

A standalone HTML file keeps the interactive Plotly chart intact and portable. It can be opened in a browser, shared with colleagues, or embedded inside documentation without needing a Python environment.

Use fig.write_html()

The easiest export is fig.write_html().

import plotly.graph_objects as go

fig = go.Figure(data=[go.Scatter(x=[1, 2, 3], y=[2, 4, 3], mode='lines+markers')])
fig.write_html('plotly-figure.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs='cdn')

full_html=True writes a complete HTML page. include_plotlyjs='cdn' loads Plotly.js from the CDN, keeping the file smaller.

Export a completely self-contained HTML file

If you need a single file with Plotly.js embedded, use:

fig.write_html('plotly-figure-standalone.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs='cdn')

If you want to embed the JS inside the same file without depending on external resources, pass include_plotlyjs=True.

fig.write_html('plotly-figure-full.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs=True)

Save only the chart fragment

For embedding into an existing web page, export only the chart fragment.

fig.write_html('plotly-fragment.html', full_html=False, include_plotlyjs='cdn')

This creates an HTML snippet that can be inserted into a larger document.

Use auto_open=False for scripts

When exporting from a script or notebook, disable automatic browser opening.

fig.write_html('plotly-figure.html', auto_open=False)

Add a title and metadata

You can customize the exported HTML file with standard figure metadata.

fig.update_layout(title='Visitor and Signup Trends')
fig.write_html('plotly-figure.html', full_html=True, include_plotlyjs='cdn')

Summary

• Use fig.write_html() to save interactive Plotly charts.
• full_html=True writes a complete HTML page.
• include_plotlyjs='cdn' keeps the file smaller.
• include_plotlyjs=True embeds Plotly.js directly.
• auto_open=False is useful for automated exports.