# How to remove a background in Canva > To remove a background in Canva, select the photo in your design and click BG Remover in the editor toolbar, then refine with the Erase and Restore brushes. BG Remover is only on paid Canva plans — on Canva Free, cut the photo out with a free tool like Kenerate and upload the transparent PNG to Canva. URL: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-canva Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com) Last updated: 26 September 2026 ## Key facts - Plan needed: Paid Canva plans only - Max photo size: Under 9 MB - Resolution: Over 10 MP is downscaled to 10 MP - Bulk: Up to 50 images per folder ## Steps 1. Select the photo — Open your design in Canva and click the photo you want to edit. 2. Click BG Remover — In the editor toolbar, select BG Remover (on a paid Canva plan). 3. Wait for it to process — Canva removes the background in a few seconds. 4. Refine the edges — Use the Erase and Restore brushes to fix any spots the AI missed. ## In depth ### From remove.bg to Canva Canva launched its Background Remover in 2019 [1]. In February 2021 it bought Kaleido, the Austrian start-up behind remove.bg, which Canva said was removing more than 150 million backgrounds a month [2]; remove.bg itself dates from 2018 and is now a Canva Austria brand [3]. From 1 December 2026 remove.bg's website removal moves into Canva, while its self-service API moves to Leonardo.Ai [4] — which Canva acquired in 2024 [1]. ### What the current tool needs Canva's help centre lists Background Remover as included with paid plans only. In the editor you select the photo and choose BG Remover from the toolbar; from Projects you can remove backgrounds from up to 50 uploaded images at a time [5]. Canva also notes the remover doesn't add AI-generated content metadata to your design [5]. ### On Canva Free Without a paid plan, make the transparent PNG elsewhere and upload it — PNG keeps the soft edges that make hair look natural [6]. References: [1] Canva Newsroom — Canva acquires Leonardo.Ai (2024): https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/leonardo-ai/ [2] Canva Newsroom — Canva acquires Kaleido and Smartmockups (2021): https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/kaleido-smartmockups/ [3] remove.bg — About us: https://www.remove.bg/about-us [4] remove.bg — FAQ: https://www.remove.bg/faq [5] Canva Help — Background Remover: https://www.canva.com/help/background-remover/ [6] W3C — PNG Specification, Third Edition (2025): https://www.w3.org/TR/png-3/ ## FAQ Q: How do I remove a background in Canva? A: Select the photo in your design, click BG Remover in the editor toolbar and wait a few seconds. Refine the result with the Erase and Restore brushes if needed. Q: Is Canva's background remover free? A: No. Canva's help centre says Background Remover is included with paid plans. On Canva Free, cut the photo out in a free tool such as Kenerate and upload the transparent PNG to Canva. Q: How do I remove a background in Canva for free? A: Remove the background outside Canva first: upload the photo to Kenerate (25 free credits on sign-up), download the transparent PNG, then upload that PNG to Canva and use it in any design. Q: Why is BG Remover greyed out or missing? A: The usual reasons are a free plan, a file over 9 MB, or a vector graphic instead of a photo. Canva's help centre lists all three limits. Q: Does Canva reduce the quality of cut-outs? A: Canva says photos over 10 MP are downscaled to 10 MP after the background is removed. For large prints, cut out the photo elsewhere and upload the full-size PNG. Q: Can I remove backgrounds from many photos at once in Canva? A: Yes, on paid plans. Canva can remove backgrounds for up to 50 images in a folder at a time and saves the results in a new folder. Q: Is the Transparency slider the same as removing the background? A: No. The Transparency slider makes the whole image see-through. BG Remover deletes only the background and keeps the subject solid. Q: Does Background Remover add an AI label to my design? A: Canva says Background Remover is treated as an editing tool and does not add its AI-generated content metadata on its own. ## Related pages - Free AI background remover: https://kenerateai.com/free-ai-background-remover - Transparent background maker: https://kenerateai.com/transparent-background-maker - Free PNG maker: https://kenerateai.com/png-maker - White background: https://kenerateai.com/white-background - Remove white background: https://kenerateai.com/remove-white-background - Black background: https://kenerateai.com/black-background - Transparent logo: https://kenerateai.com/remove-background-from-logo - Signature PNG: https://kenerateai.com/remove-background-from-signature - Remove shadow: https://kenerateai.com/remove-shadow-from-photo - Remove glare: https://kenerateai.com/remove-glare-from-photo - Remove text: https://kenerateai.com/remove-text-from-image - Make an image transparent: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-make-an-image-transparent - Remove background in Photoshop: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-photoshop - Remove background in GIMP: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-gimp - Remove background on iPhone: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-on-iphone - Remove a person from a photo: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-a-person-from-a-photo - All background remover alternatives: https://kenerateai.com/background-remover-alternatives - remove.bg alternative: https://kenerateai.com/remove-bg-alternative - Photoroom alternative: https://kenerateai.com/photoroom-alternative - Pixelcut alternative: https://kenerateai.com/pixelcut-alternative - Canva BG Remover alternative: https://kenerateai.com/canva-background-remover-alternative - Adobe Express alternative: https://kenerateai.com/adobe-express-background-remover-alternative - erase.bg alternative: https://kenerateai.com/erase-bg-alternative - removal.ai alternative: https://kenerateai.com/removal-ai-alternative - Picsart alternative: https://kenerateai.com/picsart-background-remover-alternative - Pixlr alternative: https://kenerateai.com/pixlr-background-remover-alternative - Clipping Magic alternative: https://kenerateai.com/clipping-magic-alternative - PhotoScissors alternative: https://kenerateai.com/photoscissors-alternative - PicWish alternative: https://kenerateai.com/picwish-alternative - Slazzer alternative: https://kenerateai.com/slazzer-alternative - Fotor alternative: https://kenerateai.com/fotor-background-remover-alternative ## Sources - Canva Help — Remove photo and video backgrounds: https://www.canva.com/help/background-remover/