A Full Guide on How to Make Background Transparent in Paint

Imagine you have taken a photo of a person, animal, or object. Now you need to extract the subject of the photo and insert it into another poster or PowerPoint presentation. To avoid cluttering the image with multiple overlapping elements and to seamlessly integrate these elements, you will need to first make each element transparent before inserting it.

If you are using a Windows computer, the process is straightforward—you can simply use the system-provided Microsoft Paint.

To help you better understand this software and how to make the background transparent in Paint, we've prepared this guide, which explains the actual steps for using Paint and Paint 3D.

Part 1. How to Make Background Transparent in MS Paint

The Paint tool built into the Windows system has a tab called Select in the upper left corner. Click on it, and you will see the Transparent selection function required for this operation. The principle of this function is to cut out the image you want to keep from the background and then paste it onto the new image you have prepared.

Here is how to make image transparent in Paint.

Step 1. Click the Start icon, find and launch Microsoft Paint.

Step 2. Click File > Open to upload the image you want to edit.

Step 3. Choose Select and ensure the Transparent selection option.

Step 4. Back to the Select menu and choose Free-form selection.

Step 5. Use the Free-form selection tool to mark the item you want to keep.

Step 6. After marking, right-click on the selected item and choose Cut. Now, the item will be removed from the image.

Step 7. Use Microsoft Paint to open your prepared new image. Press Ctrl + V to paste the cropped image on it.

Part 2. How Do I Make Background Transparent in Paint 3D

Can I make a transparent background in Paint 3D?

Of course. This software can be considered an advanced version of Microsoft Paint. Not only can it handle flat images, but it can also create 3D models. Please note that it is only compatible with Windows 10 or 11 systems. It is no longer installed by default on computers. You can download the latest version from the Microsoft Store.

To create a transparent background in Paint 3D, you need to follow a completely different set of steps.

Here is how to make a picture background transparent in Paint 3D.

Step 1. Ensure you have Paint 3D installed on your computer. Launch the main interface, click Menu > Open > Browse files to add the image you want to edit.

Step 2. Click Magic Select and drag a bounding box around the object you want to cut out.

Step 3. Click Next > Done. The selected object will appear—move it aside.

Step 4. Select all, right-click the bounding box, and choose Delete to remove the background.

Step 5. Move your cut-out object back onto the canvas.

Step 6. Click Crop, adjust the canvas around the object, and click Done.

Step 7. Go to Menu > Save As > Image, choose PNG, tick Transparent option, and click Save.

Part 3. How to Make a Picture Background Transparent Online for Free

How do I make the background transparent in Paint? A complete guide has already been provided in the previous section.

However, have you noticed? While both of the above methods are effective, they require a significant amount of manual work. When using MS Paint to make the background transparent, you must manually select the perimeter of the graphic you wish to extract, and this must be done with precision. Even then, the extracted item's boundaries may still appear blurry, with unpredictable areas added or missing.

Actually, you might want to try a smarter, more automated tool: FVC Free Background Remover. This is an online tool that supports automatically removing backgrounds from PNG, JPG, and JPEG images or creating transparent backgrounds. You can even add a new background to the processed image directly here, such as the solid color options provided by the platform or an image you upload from your local device as the background.

This online tool also supports basic editing of images after background removal.

Of course, everything is not set in stone. If you wish to customize the removal area, you can use the brush tool provided by the platform. Simple to use, 100% free, with preview functionality... From many perspectives, FVC Free Background Remover is the most suitable product.

Here is how to make a picture background transparent online with FVC Free Background Remover.

Step 1. Launch the FVC Free Background Remover with your browser. Click Upload Image to add the file you want to edit.

Step 2. FVC Free Background Remover will run automatically to make the picture background transparent. Preview the result and make some edition as you like.

Step 3. Click Download to save your edited image.

Part 4. FAQs of How to Make Background Transparent in Paint

Conclusion

This article provides a detailed explanation of how to make the background transparent in Paint and Paint 3D. For both features, we have provided simple descriptions and detailed step-by-step instructions. We hope this helps you create images with transparent backgrounds locally.

If you prefer not to manually select the background, you can try the FVC Free Background Remover, which supports automatic background removal. It is free, easy to use, and a great option.