In this tutorial, we will show you how to remove the background images using the Preview app on your Mac. There could be a wide variety of reasons as to why you would need to carry out the aforementioned task. Some might use it for projects while others like myself could use these images in the articles. In this regard, there are some pretty nifty tools that you could make use of.

However, while some apps are paid, others call for way too much of a learning curve. This is where the Mac’s Preview app comes in handy. It holds a pretty nifty tool using which you could make any image transparent. In this guide, we will show you how this could be achieved. So without further ado, here are the steps to remove the background images using the Preview app on Mac. Follow along.

How to Remove the Background Images using Preview on Mac

Not only the ability to delete backgrounds, but the ability to support different image extensions is what makes this one the go-to app. To begin with, it supports JPEG, PNG, PSD, and TIFF- these are anyways the most used image types. However, if for some reason your image is in some other extension, then you could make the conversion from within the app itself.

To do so, head over to File followed by the Export menu, and click on the Format. From the pop-up dialog box select the desired file type and that’s it. With that said, let us now check out the steps to remove the background images using the Preview app on Mac. If you wish, you could take a backup of your original image (right-click > Duplicate) before proceeding with the editing steps.

Step to Follow

  • Open the desired app using the Preview app on your Mac.
  • Then on the top-right of the toolbar, click on the Markup Toolbar button. It should be just left of the Search icon.
  • Next up, click on the Instant Alpha button from the toolbar. This will be a blue magic wand situated at the left of the toolbar, as shown below.
  • Now hold and drag the cursor through the borders of the image and then the Preview app will select that dragged area.
  • If you are having trouble in selecting the desired portion then you could make use of a couple of tips. For example, you could zoom in to the picture to get a better viewing angle. This way you could select the borders more precisely. To do so, head over to Window and select the Zoom option.
  • Furthermore, if you have a wrong selection, just drag the cursor in the opposite direction, and the selection will be stopped.
  • Moving on, once you have made the selection that needs to be removed, hit the Delete button. Similarly, repeat the above steps to delete other portions of the image.
  • Along the same lines, if you wish to delete the entire region outside the selected area, then head over to the Edit menu. Then select the Invert Selection option and hit the Delete button.
  • With the background now removed, its time to save the image. However not every image type supports a transparent background. In that case, you might get a dialog box asking if you want to “Convert this document to PNG”. Click on the Convert button in that case.

With that, we conclude the guide on how to remove the background images using the Preview app on your Mac. If you have any issues with any of the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments section below. Rounding off, here are some iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Trick that you should check out as well.