Benchzy.

Explainer · facts checked 8 November 2026

What happens to remove.bg on 1 December

remove.bg, the best-known background remover, is closing its standalone site on 1 December 2026 at 09:00 CET. The job itself moves into Canva, where background removal is a paid-plan feature. This page is the plain list of what ends, what happens to money already spent, and what to do before the date. Facts are from remove.bg's own banner, terms and announcement as read on 7 November 2026; where a fact comes from reports of its shutdown FAQ, the line says "as reported".

What ends

The website

The standalone remove.bg site stops being available at 09:00 CET on 1 December 2026. Background removal moves into Canva. (remove.bg banner and terms, read 7 November 2026.)

Accounts

Accounts end with the site. Subscriptions end automatically, with no further charge. (Shutdown FAQ, as reported.)

Every unused credit

All remaining credits expire at that moment, subscription credits and pay-as-you-go credits alike, including pay-as-you-go credits that were sold as never expiring. No refund for unused pay-as-you-go credits has been reported. (Shutdown FAQ and reporting, as reported.)

The self-service API

API keys stop working. API users are pointed to Leonardo.Ai, which is also owned by Canva.

Plugins and apps

The Photoshop plugin and the other integrations and plugins stop, and so do the desktop and Android apps, which depend on the API. (Shutdown FAQ, as reported.)

One line in the reporting is not confirmed by remove.bg's own pages: that enterprise API contracts continue past the date. Treat that as reported, not settled, and ask the company directly if it is your contract.

What to do before 1 December

  1. 01 · Use your credits before the date, or accept losing them. They do not move to Canva and they are not refunded.
  2. 02 · Download anything you still need from your account: past results, invoices, settings. The account ends with the site.
  3. 03 · If your product calls the API, plan the move now. The official destination is Leonardo.Ai; keys for remove.bg stop working on the day.
  4. 04 · Pick the tool your hands will use next and try it on a real photo before the date, not after it.

After the date

The habit has to live somewhere. The official home is Canva; the fuller list, with each option's wall marked from its own terms, is our remove.bg alternatives guide. Our own tool does the job free, at full size, in your browser: remove a background. That is the only sales line on this page.