How to Make a Transparent Background in MS Paint

Lee Stanton August 11, 2022

If you regularly use Microsoft Paint as a basic graphic design tool, you may find yourself wanting to create a transparent background. Perhaps you wish to refine your work by guiding the viewer’s perspective to a certain part of an image. Or maybe you wish to layer a certain image on top of another without any unwanted background mess.

How to Make a Transparent Background in MS Paint

Whatever your reason, understanding how to implement the transparency tool on MS Paint can enhance the overall quality of your work. Fortunately, the process is relatively straightforward.

In this article, we’ll take you on a step-by-step guide on how to successfully activate the transparency tool on MS Paint from your desktop. Plus, we’ll provide advice on any issues you may face while doing so.

How to Make a Transparent Background on Windows 10 using MS Paint

If you’re editing a particular image using MS Paint, you may wish to create a transparent background for an overall more enhanced effect. Here’s how to do it using Windows 10:

Open the image you wish to use in Paint on your computer.
Next, click on Select on the left-hand side of the bar located at the top of your page.
Select the Transparent Selection option from the available list.
From the Select dropdown menu, choose Free-form selection.
Trace around the area you wish to preserve by holding down the left mouse button and dragging.
Right-click the rectangle that appears around the traced area and select Cut.
Open a new page on Paint and press Ctrl + V to paste your image.
The picture will now have a transparent background.

How to Make a Transparent Text Background using MS Paint

A transparent text background is often used on MS Paint to elevate a design effect. The feature can add depth to your project and is a handy piece of knowledge to have.

Here’s how to do it:

From your toolbar on the left-hand side of your window, select the Text icon (It features a capital A).
After selecting this icon, you’ll notice a bunch of new icons on your page. Select the Transparent Background icon.
Next, use your mouse to draw a text box where you would like your writing to appear. Take your time with this because once this is set, won’t be able to resize it without starting from scratch.
Choose the font, size, and color you wish to use from the toolbar then type your text.
Once you’re satisfied, click outside the text box to set your changes.
You’ll then notice that the text background is now transparent.

What to Do when MS Paint Transparent Background isn’t Working

If you’ve followed all the steps towards creating a transparent background but for some reason, the function still isn’t working. For example, you might find that some parts of the area you’ve selected aren’t turning transparent.

More often than not, the issue is due to missing out on one of the steps when using the Transparent Selection tool. For instance, you may have forgotten to tick that box before clicking on Rectangular Selection or Free-form selection.

Fear not, for we have an easy way of fixing this issue. Just follow these steps, making sure not to miss anything out:

Open the image you wish to edit on MS Paint, then right-click on the image and select Open With.
From the toolbar, choose Color 2 and select a background color for your image.
Next, click on the Eyedropper tool in the toolbar.
Select the image background, you’ll now be able to separate your image from the background.
Go into the Select menu in the toolbar and click on Transparent selection from the available options. Make sure that the checkmark box next to this function is ticked.
At this point you can choose either Rectangular selection or Free-form selection.
Now, choose the part of the image you wish to separate by clicking the left button on your mouse.
Right-click the image and choose Cut or Copy.
Open a new Paint file and right-click to Paste your chosen image.
The background should now be transparent.

If you’ve followed these steps and are still struggling to create a transparent background, then you may want to implement image conversion software. An example of such a system is Microsoft’s Image Converter which can help you refine any issues you may be experiencing with transparency on MS Paint.

Be More Transparent

Adding a transparent background to an image on MS Paint can help you enhance the overall design of your project. Knowing how to utilize this tool can be a crucial part of your graphics editing journey, especially if you’re a beginner. Many people who are just getting started in a graphics design career may choose to use MS Paint as a way of getting to know the editing process before switching to more advanced software.

Do you use MS Paint for your projects? Have you found it easy to create a transparent background? Let us know about your experiences in the comments section below.