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Use Magic select. Open your photo, click Magic select, drag the blue box close around the object, and click Next. Fix the edges with Add and Remove, then click Done. To keep only the object, copy it onto a new transparent canvas and save it as a PNG with Transparency ticked.
Here is how to remove background in Paint 3D, checked step by step in the app itself. The screenshots come from a real test on Windows 11, with a living room photo and a wooden table as the object.
Before you start
You need Paint 3D installed and one photo. Microsoft no longer offers the app in its Store. If it is missing from your PC, get it from our download page. Then follow the install steps.
Magic select works best when the object stands out from what is behind it. A dark chair on a light floor is easy. A gray cat on a gray sofa is harder. You can still get a clean result in both cases. The hard one just needs more touch-up work in Step 4.
Step 1: Open your photo
Click Menu in the top left corner, then Open, then Browse files. Pick your photo and it opens as the canvas.
If a project is already open and you want to add the photo to it, use Menu, then Insert instead.
Step 2: Start Magic select
Click Magic select in the bar just under the top tabs. The right panel changes and asks you to choose an area to cut out.
There is a second way in. Click Select, click the photo, and a Magic select button appears in the right panel. Both routes open the same tool.
Step 3: Tighten the blue box
A blue box appears around the whole photo, with round handles on its corners and sides. Drag the handles in until the box sits close around your object. Leave a small gap. Do not cut into the object itself.
A tight box matters. It tells the tool what to focus on, so the tool has less background to guess about. When the box looks right, click Next. Click Cancel if you want to leave Magic select.
Step 4: Fix what Paint 3D picked
The app now outlines what it thinks the object is. The rest of the photo goes dark, so the selection is easy to see. Check the edges closely before you do anything else.
In our test, it picked the table and the rug under it too. That is common, and it takes seconds to fix.
Two buttons fix this:
- Add puts missing parts back. Choose it, then draw over any part of the object that was left out.
- Remove takes extra parts away. Choose it, then draw over anything that should not be there. In our test, that meant drawing over the rug.
Short strokes are easier to control. Zoom in with Zoom in or the zoom slider at the top right to work on small edges. Thin or fuzzy edges, such as hair or fur, are the hardest part for any automatic cutout, so expect to spend most of your time there.
Click Go back if you want to redraw the blue box.
Step 5: Choose Autofill background, then click Done
Below the two buttons is a checkbox called Autofill background. It was ticked by default in our test.
When it is on, the app fills the hole where your object used to be. That matters if you want to keep the original photo too, for example to move the object somewhere else in the same picture. If you only want the object, the setting makes no difference, and you can leave it as it is.
Click Done. The object is now a separate piece. You can drag it, resize it and copy it.
Step 6: Move the cutout to a clean canvas
This step catches most people out. Your cutout now sits on top of the original photo. The photo is still the canvas. If you save now, you save the photo as well.
To keep only the object:
- Make sure the cutout is selected, then press
Ctrl+Cto copy it. - Click Menu, then New. The app asks "Do you want to save your work?" Choose Save if you want to keep the original project, or Don't save if you do not.
- Click the Canvas tab and switch Transparent canvas to On.
- Press
Ctrl+Vto paste the cutout. - Still in the Canvas tab, drag the canvas edges in until they sit close around the object. You can also type exact sizes in Width and Height.
Do not worry that you see no checkerboard pattern on screen. The app shows a transparent canvas as see-through, with the gray workspace behind it. The checkerboard only shows up in the save preview in the next step. There is more on this in our guide to a transparent background in Paint 3D.
Step 7: Save it as a transparent PNG
Click Menu, then Save as, then Image. On the right, set Save as type to PNG (image) and make sure Transparency is ticked.
The preview now shows a checkerboard behind your object. That pattern is how the preview shows empty space. It will not appear in the saved file. Click Save, choose a folder and a file name, and you are done.
Pick PNG, not JPEG. JPEG files cannot store transparency, so the empty area comes out as a solid color. Our guide on how to save in Paint 3D covers every format the app offers and what each one is for.
What else you can do with the cutout
After Done, click Select and then click your cutout. The right panel shows the 2D selection tools.
- Make sticker turns the cutout into a sticker. See our guide to Paint 3D stickers and textures.
- Make 3D turns the flat cutout into a 3D object.
- Crop cuts the canvas down to your selection. Our crop guide explains the other ways to crop.
- The rotate and flip buttons at the bottom of the panel work on the cutout alone. See how to rotate and flip in Paint 3D.
Common problems and fixes
It picked too much. Use Remove and draw over the extra area. The app's own hint says the same: "Too much selected? Mark unwanted areas to remove them from your cutout."
It missed part of the object. Use Add and draw over the missing part. Zoom in first if the part is small.
The background came back white after saving. Check these first. You saved as JPEG instead of PNG. Transparency was not ticked. Or you saved while the cutout was still on top of the original photo. Go back to Step 6 and move the cutout to a clean, transparent canvas first.
The edges look rough. Zoom in and clean up with short Add and Remove strokes. A photo with a clear gap between object and background gives cleaner edges from the start.
Paint 3D says "Sorry, that didn't work." This means it could not create a cutout from your box. Redraw the box so it fits the object more closely and try again. If it keeps failing, the object probably blends into the background too much. Try a photo with more contrast. If the app itself is misbehaving, our guide to Paint 3D not working walks through real fixes.
Is there a faster way?
If you use Windows 11, classic Paint now has its own background removal tool, and Microsoft still updates Paint. Open the photo in Paint and click Remove background in the Image group of the toolbar. Paint 3D gets no updates at all.
Magic select still works well, though, and you control the result with the blue box and the Add and Remove buttons. Our comparison of Paint vs Paint 3D shows where each app is stronger today.
FAQ
Does Paint 3D have a background remover?
Yes. The tool is called Magic select, and it sits in the bar under the top tabs. It cuts an object out of a photo, and you save that object on its own as a transparent PNG.
How do I remove a white background in Paint 3D?
Use Magic select the same way as for any other background. A plain white background often makes the object easy to find, so you may need very few Remove strokes. Then follow Steps 6 and 7 to save it with transparency.
Why is there a checkerboard in the save screen but not on my canvas?
The canvas shows transparency as see-through, with the gray workspace behind it. The save preview shows it as a checkerboard. Both mean the same thing. Neither pattern ends up in your PNG.
What does Autofill background do?
It fills the gap left behind in the original photo after you cut the object out. It only matters if you want to keep using that photo. It does not change the cutout itself.
Can I remove backgrounds from several images at once?
No. Magic select works on one image at a time. Repeat the steps for each photo.
Can I still get Paint 3D?
Microsoft removed it from the Store, but the app still works. We use it on Windows 11. Our download page has the last version Microsoft released. For the full story, read what happened to Paint 3D.
Spotted something that does not match your screen? Email [email protected].
