The following graphics devices are currently available:
windows The graphics device for Windows (on screen,
to printer and to Windows metafile).
pdf Write PDF graphics commands to a file
postscript Writes PostScript graphics commands to
a file
xfig Device for XFIG graphics file format
bitmap bitmap pseudo-device via
Ghostscript (if available).
pictex Writes TeX/PicTeX graphics commands to a
file (of historical interest only)
The following devices will be functional if R was compiled to use them (they exist but will return with a warning on other systems):
X11 The graphics device for the X11 windowing system
cairo_pdf, cairo_ps PDF and PostScript
devices based on cairo graphics.
svg SVG device based on cairo graphics.
png PNG bitmap device
jpeg JPEG bitmap device
bmp BMP bitmap device
tiff TIFF bitmap device
quartz The graphics device for the macOS
native Quartz 2d graphics system. (This is only functional on
macOS where it can be used from the R.app GUI and from the
command line: but it will display on the local screen even for a
remote session.)
If no device is open, using a high-level graphics function will cause
a device to be opened. Which device is given by
options("device") which is initially set as the most
appropriate for each platform: a screen device for most interactive use and
pdf (or the setting of R_DEFAULT_DEVICE)
otherwise. The exception is interactive use under Unix if no screen
device is known to be available, when pdf() is used.
It is possible for an R package to provide further graphics devices and several packages on CRAN do so. These include other devices outputting SVG and PGF/TiKZ (TeX-based graphics, see http://pgf.sourceforge.net/).
The individual help files for further information on any of the
devices listed here;
windows.options,
X11.options, quartz.options,
ps.options and pdf.options for how to
customize devices.
dev.interactive,
dev.cur, dev.print,
graphics.off, image,
dev2bitmap.
capabilities to see if X11,
jpeg png, tiff,
quartz and the cairo-based devices are available.