WordPress Plugin Media Background Remover
Cut image backgrounds straight from the WordPress Media Library and save a clean transparent PNG or WebP, without downloading a file, opening a photo editor, or uploading anything back.
Four steps become one
Clearing a background normally means downloading the image, editing it somewhere else, exporting it, and uploading it again. Repeat that across a product catalogue and an afternoon disappears.
Media Background Remover keeps the whole job inside the dashboard. Open an image, click once, look at the result, and save it. The original file is never touched, so nothing is lost if you change your mind.
What the plugin does
One click, in place
A Remove Background button sits on the attachment edit screen and on the image preview overlay. No new workflow to learn.
Preview before you commit
Processing runs over AJAX with a live spinner, then shows the transparent result so you can approve it before anything is written.
Originals stay untouched
The transparent version is saved as a separate attachment. Your source file keeps its filename, its sizes, and every existing reference to it.
PNG and WebP output
Accepts JPG, PNG and WebP. Writes a transparent PNG or WebP, whichever you set in the plugin settings.
Processed images are labelled
Once an image has been handled it is clearly marked, the button disappears, and its edit screen links back to the original.
Built on the WordPress HTTP API
No raw cURL, no bundled binaries. Settings are sanitised, the API key field is masked, and uninstall clears every option, meta value and transient.
A look inside the dashboard
Installation
About two minutes, most of which is fetching your API key.
- Install the plugin from Plugins, Add New, or upload the ZIP.
- Activate it.
- Open Settings, then Background Remover.
- Paste your remove.bg API key and save.
- Open Media, Library, and click any image.
- Click Remove Background, then Save to Media Library.
Where the processing happens
Cutouts are produced by remove.bg. An image leaves your site only when an administrator presses Remove Background on that specific file. The request carries the image, your chosen output format and size, and your API key in the header. Nothing is sent automatically, on upload, or in the background.
A remove.bg account is required. API documentation, terms of service, privacy policy.
Frequently asked
No. A new attachment is created and the original stays exactly as it was.
JPG, JPEG, PNG and WebP go in. A transparent PNG or WebP comes out, depending on the format you select in settings.
Yes. A valid remove.bg API key is required, and you enter it once under Settings, Background Remover.
The current release is built around List View and the attachment edit screen. Grid View support is on the roadmap.
The free remove.bg tier caps output at 0.25 megapixels, which is preview quality. On a paid plan, set the size option to auto and you get full resolution back.
Uninstall clears the plugin settings, its post meta and its transients. Images you already saved stay in the Media Library.
What comes next
- Grid View support, so the button is there wherever you browse media.
- Batch processing, for clearing a whole selection in one pass.
- WooCommerce product image tools, aimed at catalogue work.
- Automatic processing on upload, for sites that always want a cutout.
- Background colour replacement, instead of transparency alone.
- Better processing logs, so failures are easy to trace.
Release history
- Simplified flow: click, loader, preview, save. The options step is gone.
- Two step AJAX, so the preview comes first and the library write happens on confirmation.
- Processed images are marked and no longer offer the button again.
- A processed image links back to its original.
- Retry button on error, and an inline saving state on the save button.
- AJAX modal on the attachment edit page with a live spinner.
- Hover overlay button on the image preview.
- All API calls moved to the WordPress HTTP API, removing direct cURL.
- Duplicate processing guard against double clicks.
- Wider uninstall cleanup covering post meta and transients.
- API key field switched to a masked input.
- Uninstall cleanup for plugin settings.
- Privacy policy helper content and clearer external service disclosure.
- Tighter sanitisation on request and settings values.
- Initial release.
Try it on your Media Library
Free, open source, and hosted on WordPress.org. If something breaks or you want a feature, the support forum is the fastest way to reach me.