Make your picture’s background disappear (Microsoft Word 2000/2002/v. X/2003)

You may occasionally find yourself working with an image with a solid colored background, such as clip art. If an image has a solid colored background, it may cover important parts of an overlapping image. Luckily, you can remove a solid colored background using Word’s Set Transparent Color tool.

To get rid of a solid colored background, first select the image. Next, click the Set Transparent Color button located on the Picture toolbar, and click on the background you want to remove.

The results of the Set Transparent Color tool aren’t always flattering. If the background isn’t a solid color or it blends into the image, you may not be able to completely remove the background or you may wind up with fuzz around the edges of your image. If this happens, we recommend cropping unwanted areas instead of using the Set Transparent Color tool.