JPG doesn't support an alpha channel so you are losing that in the export.  PNG should support it.  I'm interested in what others have to say about alpha channels not saving when exporting to PNG.  I try a few here

On 08/06/2018 10:55 AM, Renate wrote:

i wasted all day trying everything, and at least 10 tutorials, to fix this error. transparent background saved in jpg or png becomes black. i would really appreciate any help

forgot to add i do add alpha channel

On Mon, 2018-08-06 at 16:54 +0200, Renate wrote:

i wasted all day trying everything, and at least 10 tutorials, to fix this
error. transparent background saved in jpg or png becomes black. i would really
appreciate any help

First, only png supports transparency, not jpeg.

Second, "becomes black" where exactly? When you open the image again in gimp?

Third, is there a transparent background before you expert, e.g. shown with a checkerboard pattern?

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On 08/06/2018 10:55 AM, Renate wrote:

i wasted all day trying everything, and at least 10 tutorials, to fix this error. transparent background saved in jpg or png becomes black. i would really appreciate any help

forgot to add i do add alpha channel

From gimp 2.8.22 I've successfully saved an alpha channel in a png image that shows the css background color through the image correctly when used as the src in an img tag in an html file.  Maybe your image is saving correctly but how your are viewing is supplying a black background which would be viewable through the alpha layer?

i wasted all day trying everything, and at least 10 tutorials, to fix this error. transparent background saved in jpg or png becomes black. i would really appreciate any help

You have your image in Gimp. Transparency is denoted (usually) by a chequer board pattern. Export to a png file to keep the transparency. The default export values are OK.

Then I suspect it is the viewer you are using to view the png.

Attached example, Firefox browser shows a white-ish background, then a couple of linux viewers, one shows a black background, the other the chequer pattern. All the same image.

i wasted all day trying everything, and at least 10 tutorials, to fix this error. transparent background saved in jpg or png becomes black. i would really appreciate any help

I think I know what's going on though I can't fix it. I'm having the same issue, whenever I export to a JPG, it has aways exported correctly, when I opened the JPG, it has a white background. Today, I exported the same file, and and now has the black background, which is no good. I went on another computer and exported the same file and it works perfectly, white background. So I went and updated to the newest version of Gimp, but no dice, it still has it back background. so something funny with the computer, or a Gimp glitch. Maybe a complete uninstall will help.

I think I know what's going on though I can't fix it. I'm having the same issue, whenever I export to a JPG, it has aways exported correctly, when I opened the JPG, it has a white background. Today, I exported the same file, and and now has the black background, which is no good. I went on another computer and exported the same file and it works perfectly, white background. So I went and updated to the newest version of Gimp, but no dice, it still has it back background. so something funny with the computer, or a Gimp glitch. Maybe a complete uninstall will help.

I do not know why Windows users think that continually reinstalling solves a problem. Most probably a setting that is in the Gimp profile and the Gimp profile is not removed / changed by a reinstall - up to you to fix that.

More than a best guess. Sometime in the past the FG / BG colours were swapped The BG colour is now black. Gimp uses that colour to replace any transparency.

The default Gimp state of saving settings for the next session always causes problems for unwary beginners. It can of course, be changed in Gimp preferences.