PNG and White Background Guides

A cut-out that should be see-through but shows white, black or a checkerboard usually has one of a few causes, and so does a white backdrop that comes out gray. Each guide below covers one symptom, how to tell which cause you have, and the fix. To make a transparent PNG in the first place, use thePNG background remover.

• Why a PNG has a white background, and how to fix itThe white is either baked into the pixels or added by the app showing the file. How to tell which, and fix each.
• Why a transparent PNG shows a black backgroundSaving as JPG, pasting and some apps turn see-through areas black. Find your cause and keep the transparency.
• How to check if a PNG is really transparent, and fix a fakeSome downloads have the gray checkerboard painted into the picture. A quick test, and how to get a real cut-out.
• What a transparent PNG is: alpha, PNG vs JPG and usesWhat the alpha channel stores, why JPG has none, and when a transparent PNG is the right file.
• PNG not transparent in PowerPoint, Word or Google SlidesWhy a cut-out shows a box on a slide or page, and the setting or file fix for each app.
• Why a PNG is not transparent on iPhonePhotos shows a transparent PNG on white. How to keep it in Files and share the original without losing transparency.
• Does WebP support transparency?Yes, in both lossless and lossy WebP. When it beats PNG on size, and when to keep PNG instead.
• JPG vs PNG for a transparent backgroundOnly one of them can hold transparency. Which to pick for cut-outs, white backgrounds and file size.
• Why a white background looks gray in product photosWhy the camera turns a white backdrop light gray, how to check for pure white 255, and how to fix it.