Last updated: Prepared by RemoveBG
Is remove.bg Shutting Down?
remove.bg is changing, but its website, Canva move, API transition and account rules are separate questions. Here is what the official pages say and what they do not establish.
Short answer: remove.bg says its background-removal functionality is moving into Canva. Its API page says background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai starting December 1, 2026. That API date is not a separately verified shutdown date for the website.
Confirmed by the linked official pages
- Background-removal functionality is being moved into Canva.
- The API page names Leonardo.Ai and December 1, 2026 as the start of its background-removal move.
Do not infer from those announcements
- An exact, separately verified shutdown date for the remove.bg website.
- One universal refund, account-transfer or credit-treatment rule for every customer.
1. What is changing on the remove.bg website?
The official remove.bg FAQ says the background-removal functionality is being migrated into Canva. It does not give an exact website shutdown timestamp on the page reviewed for this article. Describing the change as a move is more accurate than saying the whole product closes on a specific date.
If you use the website, keep your original images and any finished exports. Check the official page and your account notices for instructions that apply to your workflow.
2. What does the Canva move mean?
remove.bg identifies Canva as the destination for its background-removal functionality. This describes where the feature is moving; it does not mean every remove.bg account, purchased credit or existing integration automatically becomes a Canva account or balance.
Compare the Canva workflow with the editing and export steps you need. An independent background remover is another option, but it is not an official continuation of remove.bg.
3. What changes for API users on December 1, 2026?
The official remove.bg API page says background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai, also part of Canva, starting December 1, 2026. This date belongs to the API announcement; the cited FAQ does not establish it as the website shutdown date.
Developers should inventory API calls, keys, parameters, output formats and error handling. Evaluate the official Leonardo.Ai path and any independent API against real test images before changing production traffic.
4. What about accounts, subscriptions and credits?
The two transition notices reviewed here do not establish one migration rule for every account or unused credit. Check your remove.bg dashboard, billing records and account-specific notices; ask remove.bg support about your own balance or contract before cancelling or buying more credits.
remove.bg’s general credit help page says subscription credits remain usable until the end of the billing period after cancellation and are then invalidated. That is a cancellation rule, not proof of what the Canva or API transition does to every balance. RemoveBG cannot import remove.bg accounts, credits or API keys.
5. What should regular users do next?
Save originals and any exports you still need. Read the official Canva announcement, check your own account, then test the output you actually use: transparent PNG, white background or another backdrop.
If you prefer a focused browser tool, compare a few representative images and their available download sizes before committing to a paid workflow. Batch users should check image limits, credit costs and ZIP export separately.
6. What should developers do next?
List every application and scheduled job that calls remove.bg. Test supported inputs, output formats, authentication, errors and billing in a staging environment. Do not assume similar request fields mean complete API compatibility.
RemoveBG provides a live background removal API and migration guide. Test supported inputs, parameters, output quality, errors and credit billing in staging before gradually switching production requests.
Questions before switching
Is remove.bg shutting down on December 1, 2026?
The official API page gives December 1, 2026 as the start of its move to Leonardo.Ai. The FAQ says website functionality is moving into Canva, but the pages reviewed here do not verify that date as an exact website shutdown time.
What happened to remove.bg?
remove.bg says its background-removal functionality is moving into Canva. Its API page separately describes a move to Leonardo.Ai starting December 1, 2026.
Will my remove.bg credits or account transfer?
The sources reviewed do not establish a universal transfer policy. Check your account and remove.bg support for your situation. RemoveBG is independent and cannot import your old account, credits or key.
Is RemoveBG the official replacement?
No. RemoveBG is an independent service, not a Canva or remove.bg product. It provides its own browser workflow and live API, with separate accounts, credits and API keys.
Official sources reviewed
These first-party pages were checked on September 24, 2026. The credit-help article describes a general cancellation rule, not a migration-specific guarantee. Recheck the official pages for new account instructions.
- remove.bg — move to Canva FAQ ↗
Confirms the background-removal functionality is moving into Canva.
- remove.bg — API transition notice ↗
Names Leonardo.Ai and the December 1, 2026 start date for API background removal.
- remove.bg — credit account help ↗
Explains the general treatment of subscription credits after cancellation.