Rstudio Matplotlib Crash QT - Python

Introduction

If you're working with Python and using Rstudio, you may experience a crash when trying to use matplotlib. This is due to a conflict between the version of QT used by Rstudio and the version required by matplotlib. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps you can take to solve the problem.

Steps to Solve the Problem

Step 1: Check Your QT Version

Before you start to try to solve the issue, you should check which version of QT you are using. You can do this by running the following in your Python console:

import PyQt5.QtCore

print(PyQt5.QtCore.__version__)

If you get an error when trying to import PyQt5, try installing it first with pip:

pip install PyQt5

Step 2: Upgrade QT

If you find that your QT version is outdated, try upgrading it with the following command:

pip install --upgrade PyQt5

This should update your QT version to the latest one.

Step 3: Make Changes to the Matplotlib Configuration

If upgrading your QT version does not work, there is a simple change that can be made to the matplotlib configuration to fix the issue. Add the following code to your script:

import matplotlib
matplotlib.use('Qt5Agg')

This sets the backend for matplotlib to use QT5.

Conclusion

Following these steps should solve the issue of Rstudio crashing when using matplotlib. By checking your QT version, upgrading it if necessary, and adjusting the matplotlib configuration, you can continue working with Python in Rstudio without any issues.