How to use Photos app to remove or replace image background on Windows 11

• To remove the image background from the Photos app, open the image, click “Edit image,” click “Background,” and click “Remove.”
• To replace the image background, open the image with the Photos app, click “Edit image,” click “Background,” click “Replace,” and choose the new background color.

On Windows 11, the Photos app can now remove or replace the background from an image, and in this guide, I will teach you how to use these features.

In addition to blurring the background of an image, the Photos app now supports the ability to remove the background completely with a single click, similar to the feature available for the Paint app, or replace it with a solid color. Furthermore, the app also offers brush tools to alter the background manually.

In this guide, I will teach you the steps to get started changing the background of an image using the Photos app.

• Remove background using Photos app on Windows 11
• Replace background using Photos app on Windows 11

Remove background using Photos app on Windows 11

To remove the background of an image from the Photos app, use the steps:

1. Open Photos on Windows 11.

2. Open the pictures to edit with background blur.

3. Click the Edit image (Ctrl + E) option.

   

4. Click the Background button in the command bar.

   

5. Click the Remove button.

   

6. (Optional) Turn on the “Background brush tool” toggle switch.

   

7. Click the Subtract button.

   Quick tip: The “Subtract” option allows you to select the part of the background you want to preserve. The “Add” option allows you to choose the area of the background you want to remove manually.

8. Adjust the brush size and softness settings.

9. Using the brush tool, select the area of the background to remove.

10. Click the Apply button.

11. Click the Save options button.

12. Choose the “Save as copy” option.

13. Save the image on your computer.

Once you complete the steps, the Photos app will remove the background, and to conserve transparency, the app will save the image as a “.png” file.

Replace background using Photos app on Windows 11

To replace the image background from the Photos apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.

2. Open the pictures to edit with background blur.

3. Click the Edit image (Ctrl + E) option.

   

4. Click the Background button in the command bar.

   

5. Click the Replace button.

   

6. Select the color to replace in the background.

7. (Optional) Turn on the “Background brush tool” toggle switch.

   

8. Click the Subtract button.

   Quick tip: The “Subtract” option allows you to select the background part you don’t want to change. The “Add” option allows you to choose the area of the background you want to change its color manually.

9. Adjust the brush size and softness settings.

10. Using the brush tool, select the area of the background to replace.

11. Click the Apply button.

12. Click the Save options button.

13. Choose the “Save as copy” option.

14. Save the image on your computer.

After you complete the steps, the background will be replaced with a solid color.

Using this feature, it’s not possible to replace the background with another image. However, you can remove the background of the image and then add this image to another image that includes the background you want.