{"id":59256,"date":"2021-06-12T10:35:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-12T05:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=59256"},"modified":"2026-10-08T18:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:19:09","slug":"remove-background-using-powerpoint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Remove Background Using PowerPoint (Free, No Photoshop)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Need to remove the background from an image but don&#8217;t have Photoshop? You can remove background using PowerPoint, which you probably already have. Its built-in background remover finds the main subject automatically, and for most photos it&#8217;s a one-click job. It&#8217;s perfect for presentations, product photos, YouTube thumbnails and social media images where you want the subject to pop out on a clean, transparent background.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Insert the image in PowerPoint, select it and go to <strong>Picture Format &gt; Remove Background<\/strong>. PowerPoint marks the background in pink. Use <strong>Mark Areas to Keep<\/strong> or <strong>Mark Areas to Remove<\/strong> to fix any mistakes, then click <strong>Keep Changes<\/strong>. To save it, right-click the picture, choose <strong>Save as Picture<\/strong> and pick PNG to keep the transparent background.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ada70c255d6b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ada70c255d6b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#How_to_remove_background_using_PowerPoint\" >How to remove background using PowerPoint<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#1_Insert_the_image_and_open_Remove_Background\" >1. Insert the image and open Remove Background<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#2_Check_what_PowerPoint_selected\" >2. Check what PowerPoint selected<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#3_Fine-tune_the_selection\" >3. Fine-tune the selection<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#4_Keep_the_changes\" >4. Keep the changes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#5_Save_the_image_with_a_transparent_background\" >5. Save the image with a transparent background<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Tips_for_better_background_removal\" >Tips for better background removal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Other_free_ways_to_remove_a_background\" >Other free ways to remove a background<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Is_PowerPoints_Remove_Background_free\" >Is PowerPoint&#8217;s Remove Background free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Why_is_Remove_Background_greyed_out\" >Why is Remove Background greyed out?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#How_do_I_save_the_image_without_the_background\" >How do I save the image without the background?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/06\/remove-background-using-powerpoint\/#Can_I_undo_the_background_removal_later\" >Can I undo the background removal later?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_remove_background_using_PowerPoint\"><\/span>How to remove background using PowerPoint<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These steps work in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2024, 2021 and 2019 on Windows and Mac.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Insert_the_image_and_open_Remove_Background\"><\/span>1. Insert the image and open Remove Background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Insert or paste your image into a slide, then click it once to select it (or double-click it). The <strong>Picture Format<\/strong> tab opens. Click <strong>Remove Background<\/strong> at the far left of the toolbar.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-59269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-icon.png\" alt=\"Remove Background button in PowerPoint\" width=\"520\" height=\"230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-icon.png 520w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-icon-300x133.png 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-icon-150x66.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Check_what_PowerPoint_selected\"><\/span>2. Check what PowerPoint selected<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>PowerPoint analyses the image, detects the main subject, and colours the background it plans to remove in <strong>magenta (pink)<\/strong>. Everything that isn&#8217;t pink will be kept.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-59271\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-1024x574.jpg\" alt=\"Remove background from image with PowerPoint\" width=\"760\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-1024x574.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/remove-background-2048x1149.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For a simple image with a clear subject and sharp edges, the selection is usually right first time.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Fine-tune_the_selection\"><\/span>3. Fine-tune the selection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If the image is more complex, or the subject blends into the background, use the tools on the <strong>Background Removal<\/strong> tab:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mark Areas to Keep<\/strong>: draw over parts of the subject that turned pink by mistake.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mark Areas to Remove<\/strong>: draw over background areas that PowerPoint missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-59270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/background-removal-tool.png\" alt=\"PowerPoint background removal tool\" width=\"610\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/background-removal-tool.png 610w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/background-removal-tool-300x111.png 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/background-removal-tool-150x56.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Zoom in on the slide for more precise marks. Short strokes work better than large scribbles.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Keep_the_changes\"><\/span>4. Keep the changes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When you&#8217;re happy, click <strong>Keep Changes<\/strong> (or just click outside the picture). The background disappears, and you can move the image over any colour or slide design. Click <strong>Discard All Changes<\/strong> to start again.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Save_the_image_with_a_transparent_background\"><\/span>5. Save the image with a transparent background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To use the image outside PowerPoint, right-click it and choose <strong>Save as Picture<\/strong>. Pick <strong>PNG<\/strong> as the file type. PNG keeps the transparent background; JPG would fill it with white.<\/p>\n<p>This step-by-step video shows the whole process:<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset videofit\"><iframe title=\"How to Remove Background with Powerpoint\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gM4KTVYTTwo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_better_background_removal\"><\/span>Tips for better background removal<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with a high-resolution photo with good contrast between the subject and the background.<\/li>\n<li>Crop the image close to the subject first. PowerPoint detects the subject more accurately with less background.<\/li>\n<li>Hair, fur and glass are hard for any tool. Expect to use Mark Areas to Keep around fine edges.<\/li>\n<li>Use <strong>Picture Format &gt; Artistic Effects<\/strong> or <strong>Corrections<\/strong> afterwards to blend the subject into a new background.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_free_ways_to_remove_a_background\"><\/span>Other free ways to remove a background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>PowerPoint isn&#8217;t the only option, and some are even faster:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Microsoft Paint<\/strong> on Windows 11 has a one-click <strong>Remove background<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Word and Excel<\/strong> have the same Remove Background tool as PowerPoint, under Picture Format.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac Preview and Photos<\/strong>: on recent macOS versions you can right-click the subject in a photo and copy it without its background.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.remove.bg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remove.bg<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canva.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canva<\/a>: online tools that remove backgrounds automatically with AI, with free and paid options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For quick edits like these, you don&#8217;t need expensive software such as Photoshop. Looking for more image tools? See our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/ai-art-generators\/\">AI art generators<\/a> for creating images from text.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_PowerPoints_Remove_Background_free\"><\/span>Is PowerPoint&#8217;s Remove Background free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. It&#8217;s included in every desktop version of PowerPoint, Word and Excel, at no extra cost.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_Remove_Background_greyed_out\"><\/span>Why is Remove Background greyed out?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t work on vector images (SVG), icons, or multiple selected pictures. Select a single photo (JPG or PNG). Some older PowerPoint versions also lack the feature.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_save_the_image_without_the_background\"><\/span>How do I save the image without the background?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Right-click the picture, choose <strong>Save as Picture<\/strong> and save it as a PNG file to keep the transparent background.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_undo_the_background_removal_later\"><\/span>Can I undo the background removal later?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. PowerPoint keeps the original image. Select it and click <strong>Picture Format &gt; Reset Picture<\/strong> to restore it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Need to remove the background from an image but don&#8217;t have Photoshop? You can remove background using PowerPoint, which you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":59271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-59256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59256"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63635,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59256\/revisions\/63635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}