remove.bg's website shuts down on 1 December 2026: your checklist
remove.bg's standalone website closes on 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET (08:00 UTC). Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire, subscriptions end automatically, accounts become inaccessible and the self-service API stops. Website users are pointed to Canva and API users to Leonardo.Ai. Export your invoices and credit report before the deadline.
When exactly does remove.bg close?
remove.bg's FAQ says the standalone website "will no longer be available" from 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET. In December, CET is one hour ahead of UTC, so the deadline is 08:00 UTC. Local times:
| Place | Local time of the closure |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PST) | Midnight, start of 1 December |
| New York (EST) | 3:00am, 1 December |
| London (GMT) | 8:00am, 1 December |
| Berlin, Paris, Vienna (CET) | 9:00am, 1 December |
| India (IST) | 1:30pm, 1 December |
| Bangladesh (BST) | 2:00pm, 1 December |
| Brisbane (AEST) | 6:00pm, 1 December |
| Sydney and Melbourne (AEDT) | 7:00pm, 1 December |
| Auckland (NZDT) | 9:00pm, 1 December |
Your checklist before 1 December
- Export your invoices and credit usage report. remove.bg says: "Make sure you export your credit usage report and invoices from your Account page before then. You won't be able to download them afterward."
- Use any pay-as-you-go credits. "Any unused PAYG credits will expire on 1 December 2026."
- Check your subscription. Subscriptions end automatically. Annual plans with unused time get "a pro-rata refund to your original payment method", and "No action is required from you to receive this refund." On monthly plans, "Any final renewal on or after 1 November is free", and you can cancel earlier at remove.bg/dashboard.
- Re-download any results you still need at the size you need them, while your account still works.
- If you use the self-service API, plan the move now. Your code, your key and your cost all change. See the API section below.
- If you use the Photoshop plugin or another integration, find a replacement. The Photoshop plugin "won't be available after 1 December 2026", and other integrations and plugins "will be discontinued".
- Pick the tool you'll use for everyday cut-outs and try it on a few of your own images before you need it. Compare the free tiers.
I use the remove.bg website: what changes for me?
After the closure, "the website and accounts won't be accessible". remove.bg points website users to Canva, saying Canva's Background Remover "uses the same background-removal technology as remove.bg".
Canva's help centre says "Background remover is included with paid plans". It also says Background Remover "only works for photos under 9MB in size" and that photos above 10MP are "downscaled to 10MP after removing its background". (Canva: Remove photo and video backgrounds)
I use the remove.bg API: what changes for me?
- The self-service API stops. It "will stop accepting requests from 1 December 2026".
- Enterprise contracts aren't affected. remove.bg says: "Enterprise API customers are not affected: contracts continue as normal."
- The replacement is Leonardo.Ai's API, with a new key and a new request format. Leonardo.Ai's migration guide says to create a Leonardo API key and use an Authorization: Bearer header instead of X-Api-Key. "The request becomes JSON. File uploads are base64-encoded."
- The price is per image. "Background removal costs USD $0.1047 per image."
- Output size is capped. "PNG output is capped at 10 megapixels regardless of this setting." (Leonardo.Ai API reference)
- Images are stored by default. The guide says: "Leonardo persists the input and output to your Leonardo library and CDN by default." It describes an
ephemeraloption that turns this off.
unbg.me has no API and no plans for one, so it can't replace an API integration.
I have an Enterprise contract: am I affected?
No, according to remove.bg: "Enterprise API contracts aren't affected and continue as normal."
Free options that don't need a Canva account
What each vendor's own page said about its free tier when we checked on 19 October 2026. We didn't test these tools hands-on. "Not stated" means the vendor's page didn't say.
| Tool | What the free tier gives you, in the vendor's words |
|---|---|
| unbg.me | Free during the beta, no account, no watermark. Runs in your browser: your photo isn't uploaded. Full size on computers whose browser reports enough memory, smaller in Firefox and Safari (see our measurements). |
| Pixelcut | "Pixelcut keeps the original resolution when removing the background", "with no watermark and no sign-up". Bulk downloads need a subscription. (pixelcut.ai) |
| Pixlr | "completely free for all users", and it can "process images up to 4096x4096 pixels". Account requirement: not stated. (pixlr.com) |
| Removal.ai | Free for low-resolution images of 0.25 megapixels, the same preview size as remove.bg's free tier. (removal.ai) |
See the full comparison, including Canva, Adobe Express and Photoroom.
Questions
Is remove.bg shutting down?
Its standalone website is. remove.bg's FAQ says that from 1 December 2026 at 9:00am CET its standalone website "will no longer be available". Background removal moves to Canva, the self-service API "will stop accepting requests from 1 December 2026", and API access moves to Leonardo.Ai. Enterprise API contracts continue.
What time does remove.bg close in my time zone?
9:00am CET on 1 December 2026 is 08:00 UTC. That is 3:00am in New York, 1:30pm in India, 2:00pm in Bangladesh and 6:00pm in Brisbane. The full list is in the table on this page.
Is remove.bg down?
Not because of the closure, which hasn't happened yet. remove.bg's FAQ says your account data "will remain accessible until 1 December 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET". If the site isn't working before then, the same FAQ gives remove.bg/support and support@remove.bg as contacts.
Do my remove.bg credits carry over to Canva?
remove.bg's FAQ doesn't say they carry over. It says: "Any unused PAYG credits will expire on 1 December 2026. We recommend using your credits before the migration date."
Does my remove.bg API key work on Leonardo.Ai?
No. Leonardo.Ai's migration guide tells you to create a Leonardo API key and send it as an Authorization: Bearer header instead of X-Api-Key. The request body also changes to JSON, with file uploads base64-encoded.
How much does background removal cost on Leonardo.Ai?
Leonardo.Ai's migration guide says: "Background removal costs USD $0.1047 per image." Its API reference adds: "PNG output is capped at 10 megapixels regardless of this setting."
Will remove.bg links redirect to Canva?
remove.bg's FAQ doesn't say. Its sister site Unscreen is a guide: Canva's help centre says "As of June 29, 2026, Unscreen.com has closed", and unscreen.com now redirects to a page on canva.com.
Do I need a Canva account to keep removing backgrounds?
Not if you use a different tool. Canva's help centre says "Background remover is included with paid plans." Several tools work without a Canva account, including unbg.me, which runs in your browser with no account. The comparison of remove.bg alternatives lists what each one's free tier gives you.
Sources
Sources checked 19 October 2026. We re-check them every week until 1 December 2026.
- remove.bg, "remove.bg is moving to Canva" (FAQ): https://www.remove.bg/faq
- Leonardo.Ai, "Migrate from the remove.bg API to Leonardo.Ai": https://docs.leonardo.ai/docs/migrate-from-the-removebg-api-to-leonardoai
- Leonardo.Ai, "Remove background" API reference: https://docs.leonardo.ai/docs/remove-bg
- Canva Help Center, "Remove photo and video backgrounds": https://www.canva.com/help/background-remover/
- Canva Help Center, "Unscreen shutdown": https://www.canva.com/help/unscreen-shutdown/
- Pixelcut, "Background Remover": https://www.pixelcut.ai/background-remover
- Pixlr, "AI Background Remover": https://pixlr.com/ai/ai-background-removal/
- Removal.ai, "Pricing": https://removal.ai/pricing/
remove.bg, Canva, Leonardo.Ai and the other product names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. They are mentioned here only to describe their publicly announced services.