A busy background makes a product photo, profile picture, sticker, or slide look unfinished. You have current ways to remove it on iPhone, Mac, Windows, Office, Canva, Adobe Express, and in a browser. Start with the fastest option that matches your device, then use the cleanup steps when the first cutout needs a cleaner edge. The app paths here are current as of August 2026.
Start with a browser tool for the quickest result
Open remove.bg in your browser and upload or drop the image. Let automatic background removal run, then download the finished image.
Open the edit tools when the cutout needs refinement or a replacement background. Open Photoroom Background Remover when you want a browser upload flow for a JPEG or PNG. Choose transparent, white, or another background color, then download the result as PNG, JPEG, or WEBP.
Open Pixlr Remove Background for people, cars, objects, and animals. Upload the image, then download the result after Pixlr removes the background.
Open Photopea when you need a browser editor instead of a one-button remover. Choose File > Open, then choose Select > Remove BG. Export with File > Export As > PNG. Start with the one-button sites for simple photos, then move to Photopea when the subject needs hand cleanup.
Remove the background in Microsoft Paint
On Windows 11, open Paint and paste or import the image. Click Remove background in the toolbar. To work on one part of the picture, choose Rectangle select, select the area, then click Remove background. If Paint leaves rough edges or removes the wrong area, try Microsoft Photos next because its Background panel includes brush controls.
Clean up edges in Microsoft Photos
This fixes Windows cutouts that need brush cleanup before the background is removed. Open the image in Photos. Click Edit image (Ctrl + E).
Open the Background panel. Turn on the Background brush tool. Use Add mask to add missing background areas. Use Remove mask to take protected areas out of the mask.
Adjust Brush size, then adjust Brush softness. Click Remove, then click Apply.
Lift a subject from a photo on iPhone
Open the image in Photos, Messages, or Safari. Touch and hold the subject, then let go when the subject is selected. Tap Copy, Add Sticker, Share, or Copy Subject in Safari, then paste or share the lifted subject in the app where you need it. This iPhone cutout feature works on iOS 16 and later with iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later.
Work in Preview on Mac for one click or manual control
Use Preview on Mac when you want an edited image file instead of only a copied subject. Use Smart Lasso in the same app when one-click removal misses the edge.
Open the image in Preview. Click Remove Background. If Preview prompts you and you want to preserve the original, click Cancel. Choose File > Duplicate.
If a duplicate is unnecessary, click Convert. Use Edit > Undo to reverse the result. Click Show Markup Toolbar for a manual cutout. Open the Selection Tools menu.
Choose Smart Lasso. Trace the edge of the image to extract the subject. Choose Edit > Copy.
Edit the picture inside Office or iWork
In an Office app with Picture Format, select the picture. Open Picture Format. Click Remove Background. Use Background Removal > Mark Areas to Keep when Office removes part of the subject.
Use Background Removal > Mark Areas to Remove when Office leaves extra background. Click Keep Changes. Right-click the edited image and choose Save as Picture when you need a separate file.
In Pages, Numbers, or Keynote on Mac, select the image. Open the Format sidebar. Choose the Image tab. Click Remove Background.
On iPhone or iPad, tap the image in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote. Tap Show More Items if Remove Background is hidden. Tap Remove Background. Office background removal is not available for SVG, AI, WMF, or DRW vector graphic files.
Keep transparent downloads transparent
The most common cause of a nontransparent result is skipping the transparent-output step after the background is removed. In Adobe Express web, select the image and choose Remove Background. Click outside the canvas, set Background to No fill, then choose Transparent PNG when downloading.
In Adobe Express mobile, select the image and tap Remove background. Open Background color, choose No fill, then download as Transparent PNG.
In Canva, select the existing background. Tap Delete, or set the background color to white. Use Export, then use Download with transparent background with an eligible Canva plan.
In Photopea, export the finished cutout with File > Export As > PNG.
Finish the cutout inside design apps
Use these routes when the image already sits inside a design, slide, video, or creative document. Staying in the same app keeps the cutout in the project.
In Adobe Express web, open the design and select the image. Open the left Image panel, then click Remove Background. Select the image and click Remove Background again to restore the original background.
In Canva, select the photo or video. Click BG Remover in the editor toolbar, or open Image Tools and choose BG Remover. Use Canva's BG Remover with an eligible Canva plan.
In Clipchamp, import the image from the media tab or the content library. Drag the image to the timeline, then select the image. Right-click the image on the stage and choose remove background.
Use the three dots on the floating toolbar or the background removal effect in the effects tab for the same job. Use Clipchamp image background removal with a Clipchamp video editor subscription.
In Google Slides, Google Drawings, or Google Vids, click the image. Choose Edit image. Click Remove background. Use Format > Image > Edit image > Remove background for the menu path.
Use Google image background removal with an eligible Google Workspace or Google One AI Premium subscription. In Google Vids, image background removal is available only in English right now.
Skip outdated or limited methods
Older Windows tutorials point to Paint 3D and Magic Select. Microsoft deprecated Paint 3D in August 2024 and removed it from the Microsoft Store on November 4, 2024, so use Paint with Remove background instead.
Do not use Google Photos as a full transparent-background remover. Current Google Photos materials point to Magic Eraser and Magic Editor for object removal or background editing; for Google apps, use Edit image > Remove background in Slides, Drawings, or Vids.
On Samsung Galaxy devices that support Image Clipper, Gallery turns the main subject into a separate image, sticker, copied item, or shared item. Samsung's Gallery > Edit > Photo Assist > AI erase > Erase removes selected objects from a background, not the entire background to transparency.
Microsoft Photos Edit with Designer requires internet, a supported language, and a Microsoft account. Microsoft Entra accounts cannot be used for editing with Designer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file type keeps the background transparent?
Use PNG for transparent output. Adobe Express labels this Transparent PNG, Photopea exports with File > Export As > PNG, and Photoroom offers PNG alongside JPEG and WEBP.
Can I remove a background on iPhone without a third-party app?
Yes. Use Photos, Messages, or Safari to lift the subject, or, on an iPhone that runs iOS 26 (iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE 2nd generation and later), open the image in the Preview app and tap More > Remove Background for an image file.
Is Paint 3D still a good option?
No. Microsoft deprecated Paint 3D in August 2024 and removed it from the Microsoft Store on November 4, 2024. Use Paint > Remove background.
Can Google Photos make a fully transparent background?
No current vendor-supported path exists for full transparent-background removal in Google Photos. Use Edit image > Remove background in Google Slides, Google Drawings, or Google Vids.