ImageRework Find out whether a PNG is really transparent or just shows a white or checkerboard background. Every pixel is read in your browser and sorted into fully transparent, semi-transparent and opaque.
Pick a file or try one of the samples below. You will see the verdict, exact pixel counts and four preview backgrounds.
Each sample is a small file we made to reproduce a common situation. Run it through the checker and compare the verdict.
A logo that was transparent in Procreate, saved to the iPhone Photos library and exported again. Photos (and iCloud “Optimize Storage”) can flatten the background to white.
Expected: No transparency · RGB file with no alpha channel at all.
Transparent background download is a Canva Pro option, and even Pro users must tick the checkbox. Without it the PNG keeps a white page behind the design.
Expected: No transparency · has an alpha channel, but every pixel is opaque.
Renaming photo.jpg to photo.png, or a chat app converting images on the way, does not add transparency. The checker reads the file signature, not the extension.
Expected: Rejected · the bytes are a JPEG, which cannot store transparency.
Many free-download sites show the checkerboard as part of the picture. It looks transparent in the thumbnail and appears as grey squares in OBS or Canva.
Expected: No transparency · painted checkerboard detected.
A real transparent export for comparison: clear background, a soft drop shadow and anti-aliased edges.
Expected: Truly transparent · with semi-transparent edge and shadow pixels.
At least one pixel has alpha 0. Backgrounds show through those areas. Semi-transparent edges are listed separately so you can judge halos.
No pixel is fully clear, but some are partly see-through, such as a shadow or glow layer. Fine for overlays, surprising for a logo.
Every pixel is solid. Any white, black or checkerboard background is baked in. The checker also flags a painted checkerboard and an unused alpha channel.
Palette PNGs with a tRNS chunk, grey/RGB colour keys, 16-bit alpha and interlaced files are decoded directly from the PNG data, so a 16-bit alpha of 65534 is still counted as semi-transparent instead of being rounded to opaque.
A webcam frame, alert or PNGtuber model shows a white box or grey squares on stream. Check the file before you blame the scene: if it reports no transparency, OBS is showing exactly what is in the pixels. A large semi-transparent share explains a hazy, washed-out overlay.
A theme header with a coloured bar needs a logo whose background really is transparent, otherwise a white rectangle appears behind it. Amazon is the opposite case: the main product image is expected on pure white, so a transparent PNG there is the wrong file. The verdict tells you which one you have before you upload it to the store.
When a client or freelancer sends “the transparent version”, check it before it goes into a deck, slide or print file. Copy the report into the ticket so everyone sees the same numbers: size, colour type, and the exact transparent, semi-transparent and opaque counts.
This page only reads the file. It does not cut out a subject, erase a checkerboard or create transparency, and it never changes your image. If what you actually need is a different background behind a photo, the ImageRework AI background changer can replace it with a written instruction. That is an AI edit that uses credits after sign-in, and its result is a normal image, not a transparent PNG.
No. The grey-and-white checkerboard is only how editors and viewers draw empty pixels. If the squares stay visible when you place the image on a dark background, they were saved into the image as ordinary pixels. That is the most common “fake transparent PNG”: the checker counts zero transparent pixels and flags the painted pattern.
Each PNG pixel can carry an alpha value. Alpha 0 is fully transparent, the maximum value (255, or 65535 in a 16-bit file) is fully opaque, and anything in between is semi-transparent. Semi-transparent pixels are normal on anti-aliased edges, shadows and glows. A large share across the whole image can make an overlay look hazy.
Many apps always save RGBA files, even when the background is white. The file is able to store transparency, but every pixel is set to fully opaque. The checker reads every pixel instead of trusting the file header, so it reports this case as no transparency.
Saving the image to the Photos library, iCloud “Optimize iPhone Storage” and some sharing paths can convert or flatten it. Use “Save to Files” instead of “Save Image”, and send the original file rather than a copy from Photos. Then check the file you actually received.
No. JPEG has no alpha channel, so the background is solid colour no matter what the file is called. This checker reads the first bytes of the file and tells you when a .png is really a JPEG, WebP, HEIC or Photoshop file.
Go back to the source and export again with transparency on: hide the background or paper layer, and tick the transparency option (Canva Pro “Transparent background”, Clip Studio “Export transparency”). A painted checkerboard is very hard to remove cleanly, so getting the original export is usually faster than editing it out.
No. The file is read and decoded by JavaScript inside this browser tab. Nothing is sent to ImageRework or any other server, and no account or credits are needed. The sample buttons only download our own example files.
For an animated PNG only the first (default) image is checked, and the result says so. Files must be under 10 MB and 16 megapixels so the check stays responsive on phones. Damaged or truncated files get a specific error instead of a guessed result.