remove.bg Is Shutting Down — Here's What To Do Before Dec 1, 2026
A practical migration guide from remove.bg's own FAQ, homepage, and API page — plus an on-device option if you do not want to move into Canva.
Quick answer: remove.bg is moving background removal into Canva. Per the remove.bg FAQ, the standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET. Consumers are pointed to Canva; self-serve API users to Leonardo.Ai (also owned by Canva). Existing Enterprise API contracts continue. Unused PAYG credits expire that morning. If you want a free on-device remover that never uploads your images, start on the Backgroundless homepage.
What remove.bg announced
This is not a rumor and it is not our timeline. remove.bg published the date and the destinations on its own site. The FAQ states:
“remove.bg's background removal is moving to Canva. The standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET.”— remove.bg FAQ
The same FAQ repeats the cutoff with the timezone spelled out, and draws a line around Enterprise contracts:
“From 1 December 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Central European Time (CET), remove.bg's standalone website will no longer be available. Existing Enterprise API contracts are not affected.”— remove.bg FAQ
After that morning, the familiar remove.bg website is not a place you can keep working. The product continues inside Canva's world. What changes for you depends on how you use it today.
Who goes where
remove.bg splits the audience into three paths. The FAQ is explicit about the first two:
“For single images and bulk batches, Canva is the best replacement. For larger-volume or automated use, that's now part of Leonardo.Ai's suite of APIs, also owned by Canva.”— remove.bg FAQ
| If you are | Stated destination | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A consumer doing single images or bulk batches | Canva | remove.bg FAQ |
| A self-serve API / larger-volume automated user | Leonardo.Ai APIs (also Canva) | FAQ + API page |
| An Enterprise API customer | Existing contracts are not affected | remove.bg FAQ |
The remove.bg API page matches that split. Self-serve API access stops on 1 December 2026. The page says: “Starting December 1, 2026, background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai…”
If you already design in Canva, the consumer path is the least disruptive: background removal becomes one more step inside a suite you may already pay for. If you built automations on the self-serve API, Leonardo.Ai is the official next stop — plan that cutover before 1 December, not after. Enterprise customers should read their own contract; the public FAQ only says those contracts are not affected.
Unused PAYG credits expire that morning
Credits are the detail that is easy to miss if you only read the headline. remove.bg is clear:
“Any unused PAYG credits will expire on 1 December 2026. We recommend using your credits before the migration date.”— remove.bg FAQ
That is the only credit rule we will repeat here. We are not guessing what happens to subscription balances, prepaid bundles that are not PAYG, or account history. If your dashboard still shows pay-as-you-go credits, use them before 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET, or treat them as gone that morning.
Checklist before 1 December 2026
Work backwards from 9:00am CET on 1 December. The goal is a boring morning: credits spent or accepted as lost, a destination chosen, and no surprise for anyone who still has a remove.bg bookmark in a weekly workflow.
- Read the primary sources. Open the FAQ, the homepage, and the API page. If remove.bg updates wording, those pages win over this guide.
- Spend leftover PAYG credits. Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on 1 December 2026. Finish any catalog, batch, or client work that was already going to use them.
- Name your lane. Everyday single images and bulk batches → Canva, per remove.bg. Self-serve API and automated volume → Leonardo.Ai. Enterprise API → stay on the contract unless your account team says otherwise.
- Rebuild bookmarks and SOPs. Replace “open remove.bg” steps in team docs, freelance checklists, and browser bookmarks before the site is gone. The cutoff is a clock time, not a vague month.
- If you need an API, schedule the Leonardo.Ai cutover. Self-serve API access stops on 1 December 2026. Do not leave a production job pointed at an endpoint that is announced to move that day.
- Decide whether you want a suite or an on-device editor. Canva is the official consumer home. If you only need full-resolution cutouts, no watermark, and files that never leave your machine, try Backgroundless before you subscribe to a suite you will not otherwise use.
Why Backgroundless is an option
Canva is the destination remove.bg recommends for most people, and that is the right call if your work already lives in a design suite. Backgroundless is not trying to be a better Canva. It is a free, on-device background remover for people who want the cutout without uploading photos or joining a platform.
Everyday removal stays free forever at full resolution, with no watermark. Bulk runs cover about 40 images in one local batch. Magic Brush refinement is included, not gated. Sellers who need marketplace packs can add Catalog Studio for $49 once — see pricing. There is no Backgroundless API; if you need programmatic removal after 1 December, Leonardo.Ai is the path remove.bg named.
Quality is close enough to compare honestly. In our 20-image test, Remove.bg still edged some backlit hair portraits. Hard-edged products were a wash. We published the full side-by-side — including the privacy architecture and the updated pricing table — at Backgroundless vs Remove.bg. For a wider free-tool ranking, see Best Free Background Remover Tools. Bulk workflow details live on the bulk background removal feature page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does remove.bg shut down?
Per the remove.bg FAQ: "From 1 December 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Central European Time (CET), remove.bg's standalone website will no longer be available. Existing Enterprise API contracts are not affected." The same FAQ also states: "remove.bg's background removal is moving to Canva. The standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET."
Where should remove.bg users go?
remove.bg says: "For single images and bulk batches, Canva is the best replacement. For larger-volume or automated use, that's now part of Leonardo.Ai's suite of APIs, also owned by Canva." Consumers are pointed to Canva. Self-serve API users are pointed to Leonardo.Ai. Enterprise API contracts continue. If you want a free on-device remover that never uploads images, Backgroundless is an alternative.
Do unused remove.bg credits expire?
Yes, for pay-as-you-go credits. remove.bg states: "Any unused PAYG credits will expire on 1 December 2026. We recommend using your credits before the migration date." We do not invent other subscription or credit rules beyond that FAQ sentence.
Does the remove.bg API keep working?
Self-serve API access stops on 1 December 2026. The API page states: "Starting December 1, 2026, background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai…" Existing Enterprise API contracts are not affected, per the FAQ.
Is Backgroundless a replacement for Canva?
No. Canva is remove.bg's stated consumer destination and a full design suite. Backgroundless is a free, on-device background remover: full-resolution exports, no watermark, bulk up to about 40 images, and Catalog Studio at $49 once for sellers who need marketplace packs. Use Canva if you want the suite; use Backgroundless if you want the cutout to stay on your device.
Related pages
How to Treat the remove.bg Sunset
A vendor sunset is a calendar problem first and a tool-choice problem second. The useful work is confirming the date from the vendor, spending anything that expires, and picking a destination that matches how you actually remove backgrounds — a design suite, an API, or an on-device editor.
The most expensive mistake is treating the headline as optional. remove.bg published a clock time in Central European Time, not a vague December window. Unused PAYG credits expire that morning. Self-serve API access stops the same day. Enterprise contracts are the one path the FAQ carves out.
Believe the vendor page over recaps
Re-read the remove.bg FAQ, homepage, and API page before you move a team. If the wording changes, those pages are the source.
Separate PAYG from everything else
The public FAQ only says unused PAYG credits expire on 1 December 2026. Do not assume the same rule for other balances unless remove.bg says so.
Match the destination to the job
Canva is the stated replacement for single images and bulk batches. Leonardo.Ai is the stated home for larger-volume and automated use. Backgroundless is only the right fork if you want on-device cutouts without a suite.
Do not stall API cutovers
Self-serve API access stops on 1 December 2026. A production job still pointed at remove.bg that morning is a known failure, not a surprise.
Keep Enterprise on its own track
Existing Enterprise API contracts are not affected, per the FAQ. Confirm that with your account team instead of mixing Enterprise runbooks with the consumer Canva path.
Research anchors
- remove.bg FAQ - Official source for the 1 December 2026 9:00am CET standalone sunset, destinations, Enterprise status, and PAYG credit expiry.
- remove.bg homepage - Official homepage stating that background removal is moving to Canva.
- remove.bg API - Official source that background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai starting December 1, 2026.
You are ready when leftover PAYG credits are spent or written off, every bookmark and SOP points at a named destination, and API jobs are cut over before 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET.
Try a free on-device remover
Full-resolution exports, no watermark, bulk up to 40. Sellers can add Catalog Studio for $49 once.