Background Remover

AI auto-removes the background → transparent PNG. People, pets, products — all in your browser.

Images never leave your device. AI inference runs in the browser via ONNX Runtime Web (WASM). The model and runtime are downloaded once from staticimgly.com, then cached in IndexedDB.
⚠️ First-run notice — On first use, the AI model (~43MB) + WASM runtime download. Wi-Fi recommended. Cached afterwards for fast starts. Quality varies by photo — fine details like hair / fur have small-model limits.
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Photos that work well vs. don't

Good resultsWeaker results
Person or product on a white / clean background Subject and background are similar in color
Subject fills 60%+ of the frame Subject is far away / small
Sharp outlines (pets, objects) Long hair / fur details (small-model limits)
Even lighting Strong shadows / reflections / backlight
1000–2000px wide Under 500px (low res) or 4000+ (memory)

Related tools

About @imgly/background-removal
@imgly/background-removal by IMG.LY (AGPL-3.0 / Commercial). Used here as GPL-compatible free use; the model and WASM are downloaded from staticimgly.com CDN and cached in your browser.
Why download model files from staticimgly.com?
The AI model (43MB+) and ONNX Runtime WebAssembly assets are too heavy to commit directly into the repo. Same pattern as OCR (Tesseract): vendor only the small library (82KB) and fetch model + WASM on first use, cached in IndexedDB / HTTP cache afterwards. Your images are never sent anywhere.
WebAssembly + SharedArrayBuffer requirements
AI inference uses WASM and (when available) SharedArrayBuffer. Modern Chrome / Firefox / Edge / Safari (15+) all support these. Without SharedArrayBuffer it falls back to single-thread, which is slower.
Tips for large photos
AI inference time / memory scales with input size squared. 1500–2000px wide is the sweet spot. 4000px+ may take 30+ seconds or OOM even on desktop Chrome. Use the resize tool to shrink first.
I want better accuracy
Currently the small model (~43MB). Medium (~80MB) and large (~180MB) aren't offered yet due to download cost. Toggle for opt-in is under consideration based on user feedback. Reach out via GitHub issue or email if you need higher accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are my images uploaded to a server?
Images stay on your device. AI inference runs entirely in the browser via ONNX Runtime Web (WASM). The model file and WASM runtime are downloaded from staticimgly.com on first use, then cached in the browser's IndexedDB / HTTP cache (offline thereafter). The site operator cannot see your images.
Why is the first run slow?
On first use, the AI model (small ~43MB) + ONNX runtime WASM download. After that, they're cached and subsequent runs start instantly. Avoid the first run on cellular data — use Wi-Fi once to warm the cache.
What kind of photos work well?
People, pets, and product photos generally work well. Higher color/brightness contrast between subject and background = cleaner results. Fine details like hair / fur are limited by the small model (medium and large models are more accurate but heavier downloads).
What if the result is unsatisfactory?
① Use photos with strong subject/background contrast (white background works great) ② if the subject is small, crop closer first ③ heavy shadows or reflections may leave residue ④ for fine hair detail, the medium model would help, but its 80MB download isn't currently offered ⑤ width under 1500px is fastest.
What format is the result?
PNG, to preserve transparency. If transparency isn't needed (e.g. compositing onto a solid background), open it in any graphics tool, place it on the new background, and save as JPG. The Image Compress tool here can also convert PNG → JPG.
Maximum image size?
No hard limit. On mobile, images wider than ~2000px may run out of memory. Desktop Chrome handles up to 4000px reliably. For large images, use the Resize tool to shrink to 1500–2000px width first — it's faster and safer.

References

Last reviewed: 2026-05-09 / @imgly/background-removal v1.7 (small model).
⚠️ AI results vary by photo and aren't guaranteed. For commercial or official material, review and touch up the result by hand.