What is Bing Image Creator?
Bing Image Creator is Microsoft's free text-to-image tool on the web, in the Bing app and inside Copilot Search. You type a prompt or upload a photo to edit, and it returns up to four images per creation in square, landscape or portrait formats. It needs a personal Microsoft account; work and school accounts signed in with Microsoft Entra ID are not supported.
It no longer uses OpenAI's DALL-E. The FAQ lists two Microsoft AI models: MAI-Image-2.6-Flash, for detailed results and all photo editing, and MAI-Image-2e, for quick stylised art. Each day you get 15 fast creations; after that, standard-speed creation is free but slower, or Microsoft Rewards points buy more fast ones. There is a cap of 200 prompts in 24 hours, edits included.
Uploaded photos are kept for up to 30 days, or up to 18 months if no face is detected, and generated images for up to 90 days. Microsoft says uploads are not used to train models. A visible watermark is optional, and prompts work in more than 100 languages.
Is Bing Image Creator worth it?
You need a picture for a birthday card, a school slide or a blog post, and you do not want another subscription. That is the job Bing Image Creator does, and it still does it for nothing.
What changed is the engine. Microsoft has swapped OpenAI's models for its own: MAI-Image-2.6-Flash for detailed pictures and any photo you upload to edit, and MAI-Image-2e for quick stylised art. The Flash model's bigger sibling, MAI-Image-2.6, ranks in the top five on Artificial Analysis's image leaderboard, so free does not mean far behind.
The allowance is generous for casual use. You get 15 fast creations a day, each producing up to four images, and after that it keeps going at standard speed, slower but free, up to 200 prompts in 24 hours. Microsoft Rewards points, earned by searching with Bing, buy more fast creations.
The catch: it is a vending machine, not a studio. You choose a model, an aspect ratio of 1:1, 3:2 or 2:3, and little else; there are no seeds, styles, upscaling or layers, which Ideogram, Leonardo or ChatGPT offer. A popular prompt may return a recently cached image rather than a fresh one. It is not available with work or school accounts signed in through Microsoft Entra ID, so office users have to use a personal account.
Read the data terms before uploading photos of people. Uploads are kept for up to 30 days, and those with no face detected for up to 18 months; your creations stay for up to 90 days unless you delete them. Microsoft says uploads are not used to train models but may be used to improve its image processing services, and you cannot delete an upload yourself.
Our take: for a free image a few times a week, it is the first place to go; once you need consistent characters, text you can trust or brand control, a paid tool earns its fee.
Where it earns its place
A primary-school teacher preparing weekly lessons
Make illustrations for worksheets and slides without paying for software
Use a personal Microsoft account and generate a few images a day within the 15 fast creations; a school account signed in through Entra ID will not work, so keep the two apart.
A small-business owner posting on Instagram
Produce eye-catching background images for weekly posts
Use MAI-Image-2.6-Flash in 2:3 or 1:1, pick from four results, and add text in a design tool afterwards, since Bing offers no layout or brand controls.
A hobbyist editing family photos
Restyle a photo for a greeting card
Upload the photo, which switches you to MAI-Image-2.6-Flash; the upload is kept for up to 30 days when faces are detected and can be used to improve Microsoft's image processing, so get consent from anyone pictured.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Go to bing.com/images/create or the Bing app, sign in with a personal Microsoft account and type a prompt; the first 15 creations each day run at the fastest speed.
- Integrations
- Bing website, Bing mobile app, Copilot Search and Bing Search; Microsoft Rewards points for extra fast creations.
- Data and privacy
- Uploads kept up to 30 days, or up to 18 months if no face is detected, and may be used to improve image processing but not to train models; creations stored up to 90 days and deletable.
- Cost at scale
- Free, but limited to 15 fast creations a day and 200 prompts in 24 hours; the FAQ describes no paid plan beyond Rewards points.
- Limits
- 200 prompts per 24 hours including edits; MAI-Image-2e cannot edit uploads; not available in every region or with Entra ID accounts.
What’s good
- Free, with 15 fast creations a day and up to four images each
- Runs on Microsoft's MAI-Image-2.6-Flash and MAI-Image-2e models
- Photo editing from an uploaded image
- Prompts in more than 100 languages
- Optional visible watermark to label images as AI-made
What’s not
- Few controls: model, three aspect ratios and little else
- Uploads without faces may be kept for up to 18 months, and you cannot delete them
- Not available with Microsoft Entra work or school accounts
- Popular prompts can return a cached image instead of a new one
- Capped at 200 prompts in 24 hours
Best for
People who want a few free AI images a week for personal projects and already have, or do not mind creating, a Microsoft account.
Bing Image Creator alternatives
Bing Image Creator: common questions
- Is Bing Image Creator worth it?
- Bing Image Creator remains a simple, free way to get decent AI images, now on Microsoft's own models, but it offers few controls, keeps your uploads for months and will not work with a work account. We rate it 3.7 out of 5.
- How much does Bing Image Creator cost?
- Free with a personal Microsoft account: 15 fast creations a day, unlimited standard-speed creations up to 200 prompts per 24 hours; extra fast creations paid with Microsoft Rewards points.
- What are the downsides of Bing Image Creator?
- Few controls: model, three aspect ratios and little else; uploads without faces may be kept for up to 18 months, and you cannot delete them; not available with Microsoft Entra work or school accounts; popular prompts can return a cached image instead of a new one; capped at 200 prompts in 24 hours.
- Who is Bing Image Creator best for?
- People who want a few free AI images a week for personal projects and already have, or do not mind creating, a Microsoft account.
- How much does Bing Image Creator cost for a team or in production?
- Free, but limited to 15 fast creations a day and 200 prompts in 24 hours; the FAQ describes no paid plan beyond Rewards points.
- Is Bing Image Creator safe for company data?
- Uploads kept up to 30 days, or up to 18 months if no face is detected, and may be used to improve image processing but not to train models; creations stored up to 90 days and deletable.
- What are the best Bing Image Creator alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are ChatGPT, Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai and Adobe Firefly.
Answers checked Nov 6, 2026.