Microsoft has announced it will retire its long-running document-scanning app, Microsoft Lens, by the end of 2025. The decision closes the chapter on a mobile tool that has helped millions digitize paperwork, whiteboards, and notes since its launch in 2014.
First released as Office Lens, the free app quickly became a favorite for turning physical documents into PDFs or editable Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files. It could even recognize text both handwritten and printed using OCR (optical character recognition). Over the years, it racked up over 50 million downloads and earned consistently high ratings on both Google Play and the App Store.
The shut down will roll out in stages:
- Mid-September 2025 – Microsoft begins removing the app from circulation.
- Mid-November 2025 – Lens will disappear from app stores.
- December 15, 2025 – New scans will no longer work, though older scans will still be accessible in the MyScans folder.
Your Go-To Scanning App Is Going Away, Scanning Moves to Copilot
After the phase-out, Microsoft will steer users toward its Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which includes an upgraded scanning feature. This new tool can send captured text straight into Word documents or tables in Excel, automatically saving everything to OneDrive. However, some Lens features won’t make the jump such as direct saving to OneNote or PowerPoint, and business-card scanning.
The move mirrors a broader trend: document scanning is now built directly into many smartphone camera and notes apps, reducing the need for standalone tools. Microsoft is also refocusing its resources on integrating AI into its main productivity apps rather than maintaining separate utilities.
For those seeking replacements, alternatives include Adobe Scan (known for excellent OCR and Adobe integration), CamScanner (with advanced editing and organization tools), and Google Lens (built into many Android devices and capable of recognizing much more than text).