You can remove the background from an image for free without installing anything new. On Windows 11, open the picture in Paint and click Remove background. On an iPhone, touch and hold the subject in Photos and tap Copy or Share. On a Mac, open it in Preview and click the Remove Background button. If you need a web tool, Adobe Firefly’s free Remove Background quick action gives you a transparent PNG, and for hundreds of images the open-source tool rembg does the job in one command.
Below you’ll find each method step by step, what the free version really gives you, and which one to pick for product photos, profile pictures, thumbnails or batch jobs. One piece of news first: remove.bg, the site most people still search for, says its standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026, with its background removal moving into Canva.
Quick answer: the best free ways to remove a background in 2026
We ranked these on four things: what the free version costs you (money, limits, sign-ups), whether you get a full-resolution transparent PNG, whether the image stays on your device, and how many clicks it takes.
| # | Method | Where it works | Free limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Paint (Remove background) | Windows 11 | Built in, no account | Quick cut-outs on a PC |
| 2 | iPhone Photos cutouts + Mac Preview | iOS 16+ (iPhone XS/XR and later), macOS | Built in, no account | Phone photos, stickers, Mac users |
| 3 | Adobe Firefly Remove Background | Any browser | Free daily generations with an Adobe account | Clean web results, JPG/PNG/WEBP up to 50 MB |
| 4 | Canva BG Remover | Browser and apps | Limited on Canva Free; unlimited on Pro | Designs you finish inside Canva |
| 5 | rembg (open source) | Windows, Mac, Linux with Python | Free and unlimited, MIT licence | Batch jobs and developers |
1. Microsoft Paint on Windows 11 (best free option on a PC)
Most people don’t realise the old Paint app can do this. Microsoft added background removal to Paint for Windows 11 in 2023, and a later update added layers and transparency, including the ability to open and save transparent PNGs (Windows Insider Blog).
How to remove a background in Paint
- Right-click your image and choose Open with → Paint. If you don’t see the button below, update Paint from the Microsoft Store.
- Click Remove background in the toolbar. Paint detects the subject and removes everything else.
- To clean up only part of the picture, draw a box with the rectangle select tool first, then click Remove background. Microsoft says the tool works on the whole canvas or on a selection.
- Use the eraser for leftover bits, then go to File → Save as → PNG so the transparent area is kept. JPG has no transparency and will fill it with white.
Pros: free, already installed, no upload or account, keeps your original resolution.
Cons: Windows 11 only; fine edges such as hair or fur need manual touch-ups; no batch mode.
2. iPhone Photos and Mac Preview (best for Apple users)
Apple builds background removal into the system, so you don’t need a third-party app at all.
On iPhone: lift the subject
- Open the photo in Photos (it also works in Messages and Safari).
- Touch and hold the subject. A shiny white outline may appear.
- Let go and choose Copy, Add Sticker or Share. In Safari the option is called Copy Subject.
Apple says photo cutouts work in iOS 16 and later on iPhone XS, iPhone XR and newer models (Apple Support). Tip: use Share → Save to Files to keep the cut-out as an image file with a transparent background.
On Mac: Preview
- Open the image in Preview.
- Click the Remove Background button in the toolbar.
- If Preview asks to convert the file to PNG, click Convert, or click Cancel and use File → Duplicate first to keep your original. Edit → Undo brings the background back.
For a tricky picture, Preview’s Markup toolbar → Selection Tools → Smart Lasso lets you trace the edge yourself and copy just that part.
Pros: free, private, very fast, good at people and pets.
Cons: you can’t choose which object it picks when there are several; cutouts can’t be pasted onto another photo inside Photos.
3. Adobe Firefly Remove Background (best free web tool)
Adobe’s free background remover now runs inside Adobe Firefly; the old Adobe Express link redirects there. Adobe says you can remove backgrounds for free with an Adobe account, using the free daily generations every free user gets. Adobe doesn’t publish the exact daily number on that page, so expect a small daily allowance rather than unlimited use.
Steps
- Go to the Adobe remove background page and sign in with a free Adobe account.
- Upload a JPG, PNG or WEBP file up to 50 MB in the Image module’s Edit tab.
- Choose Remove Background from the Quick Actions menu on the left.
- Click Download (top right) to save a PNG with a transparent background.
Pros: works on any computer or Chromebook, handles large files, clean edges on product shots.
Cons: needs an account; free use is capped per day; your photo is uploaded to Adobe.
4. Canva BG Remover (best if you design in Canva)
If the cut-out is going straight into a thumbnail, social post or slide, removing it inside Canva saves a round trip. Canva’s page says to upload a JPG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF image, choose BG Remover under Tools, and download the result as a high-resolution PNG. Canva Free users get limited use; the page says to sign up for Canva Pro for unlimited usage, plus extras like the video background remover (Canva).
This matters more from December. remove.bg, which Canva owns, now shows a notice that its standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026 at 9:00 CET and that its background removal is moving to Canva. Until then, remove.bg is still free for personal use at low resolution, up to 0.25 megapixels, according to its own help page. That’s fine for an avatar and too small for a product photo.
Pros: one-click result right inside your design; easy to add a new background or shadow.
Cons: free-plan limits; the unlimited version is part of a paid plan.
5. rembg (best free option for batches and developers)
rembg is an open-source tool that removes image backgrounds from the command line, as a Python library, as an HTTP server or in Docker. The code is MIT-licensed; the AI models it downloads carry their own licences, so check the model’s terms before using results commercially.
Install and run
- Install Python 3.11–3.13, then run:
pip install "rembg[cpu,cli]" - Remove one background:
rembg i input.jpg output.png - Process a whole folder:
rembg p input_folder output_folder
Our test notes: we installed rembg 2.0.86 on a Linux machine. The default model (bria-rmbg) is a download of about 1 GB, and on our first try it produced an empty file. Switching to the classic model with rembg i -m u2net input.jpg output.png downloaded a 168 MB model and returned a correct transparent PNG at the original 1600×1200 size in a few seconds. If the default model gives you trouble, add -m u2net, or try -m birefnet-general for finer edges.
Pros: unlimited, offline after the model download, scriptable for thousands of files.
Cons: needs a terminal and Python; big model downloads; no visual editor for touch-ups.
Which free background remover should you use?
- Product photos for an online shop: Adobe Firefly for a few images, rembg for a full catalogue. Then add descriptive alt text; our guide on how to write alt text for SEO shows how.
- Profile pictures and stickers: iPhone Photos cutouts or Mac Preview.
- YouTube thumbnails and social posts: Canva or Paint, then finish the design. For a full editor, see our free Photoshop alternatives.
- A new background behind the subject: cut it out first, then generate a scene with one of the best free AI image generators.
- Video: background removal for video is a separate job (Canva lists its Video Background Remover as a Pro feature), and our free AI voiceover guide covers the audio side of the same workflow.
Tips for a cleaner cut-out
- Start with contrast. A subject against a plain, different-coloured wall gives every tool an easier job than a busy street.
- Save as PNG or WEBP, never JPG. JPG can’t store transparency, so the removed area turns white.
- Check the edges at 200% zoom. Hair, glass and shadows are where every remover struggles; a soft eraser fixes most of it in a minute.
- Keep the original. Work on a copy so you can try a second tool if the first one cuts off an ear or a product edge.
- Mind the licence. remove.bg’s free tier is for personal use; open-source models can have non-commercial terms. If the image is for a client, read the terms first.
Next step: once your subject is cut out, you can restyle it. See how to turn a photo into a cartoon free with Gemini, ChatGPT, Krea and more.
FAQ
How can I remove the background from a picture for free without a watermark?
Use a built-in tool: Paint on Windows 11, Photos on iPhone or Preview on Mac. None of them add a watermark, and none need an account. Adobe Firefly’s free Remove Background also downloads a transparent PNG.
Is remove.bg still free?
Yes, for now. remove.bg is free for personal use at low resolution (up to 0.25 megapixels) on its website, and higher resolution needs a paid plan. Its site says the standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026, with background removal moving to Canva.
How do I make the background of a picture transparent?
Remove the background with any of the tools above, then save or export the result as a PNG. The removed area is stored as transparent pixels, which you’ll see as a grey-and-white checkerboard in most editors.
Can I remove a background on my phone without an app?
On iPhone, yes: touch and hold the subject in Photos (iOS 16 or later, iPhone XS/XR and newer), then tap Copy, Add Sticker or Share. On Android, use a browser-based tool such as Adobe Firefly or Canva.
What’s the best free background remover for many images at once?
rembg. It’s free and open source, and rembg p input_folder output_folder processes a whole folder on your own computer with no daily cap.
Bottom line
For most people the best free background remover is the one already on their device: Paint on Windows 11, Photos on iPhone and Preview on Mac. Use Adobe Firefly when you’re on someone else’s computer, Canva when the image goes straight into a design, and rembg when you have a folder full of product shots. If you plan to rely on remove.bg, plan for its move into Canva in December.
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