Word and PowerPoint (Microsoft 365)
Works well for simple objects on plain backgrounds; hair and complex edges are hard to fix with its tools.
- Select the picture and open the Picture Format tab.
- Click Remove Background — the area to be removed turns magenta.
- Use Mark Areas to Keep and Mark Areas to Remove to correct it.
- Click Keep Changes. To reuse the result elsewhere, right-click the picture → Save as Picture → PNG.
Canva
Select a photo → Edit → BG Remover. The result is usually good, but the background remover is a paid feature of Canva Pro (and Canva for Teams, Education and nonprofits). Free accounts cannot use it.
Photoshop
- Fastest: open the Properties panel and choose Quick Actions → Remove Background. Photoshop adds a layer mask you can paint on.
- More control: Select → Subject, refine with Select and Mask, then add a layer mask.
Windows Paint and macOS
Recent versions of Paint in Windows 11 have a Remove background button. On recent macOS versions you can use Preview or the Finder Quick Action “Remove Background”. Both are one-click tools without refinement.
When a dedicated tool is better
Use Remove background when you need many photos at once, a new background or shadow, square images for a shop, or a brush to fix edges — for free and without uploading. Logos and signatures on white come out cleaner with the logo background remover.
Frequently asked questions
Is the background really removed in Word?
Inside the document, yes. If you need the image elsewhere, save it as PNG (Save as Picture) — otherwise copying it may bring the original back in some apps.
Can I remove a background in Canva for free?
Not with Canva’s own remover — it requires Canva Pro. You can cut the image out here for free and upload the PNG to Canva.