Sometimes, it’s nice to have a simple app that does one thing well without a lot of fuss. Microsoft Lens was that type of app: a mobile document scanner that turned paper documents, business cards, receipts, and anything else into easily readable digital files. Now, that app is being discontinued, as Microsoft directs its users to its Copilot AI chat app instead.
According to a new support document, Lens will be retired from iOS and Android devices starting on September 15, 2025, then removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play on November 15, 2025. Existing users will be able to continue using the app’s scanning capabilities through December 15, 2025. After that date, no new scans will be possible, but access to prior scans will remain in the app as long as it stays on the user’s device.
First launched in 2015, Microsoft Lens (then known as Office Lens) evolved from an application originally designed for Windows Phone devices. While its core functionality was similar to other mobile scanning apps, it didn’t try to upcharge users for certain features or push them into a subscription—a rarity in today’s app landscape.
Instead, it performed its task well: turning handwritten notes, documents, receipts, business cards, or even whiteboard scribbles into the file format of your choice, such as PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or images. It also offered built-in filters to enhance the resulting image, lighten documents, or create sharper black-and-white copies.
You could then save the file to one of Microsoft’s apps, other online services, or your camera roll. It was simple, and it worked well.
The app’s impending shutdown was first spotted by the site BleepingComputer, which noted that users are being directed to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app—a replacement that lacks much of Lens’ functionality. While Copilot can handle scanning, it doesn’t support saving scans directly to OneNote, Word, or PowerPoint, nor does it save business card scans to OneNote. It also lacks Lens’ accessibility features, such as read-out-loud and Immersive Reader integration.
Despite its age, Lens remains fairly popular, with over 322,000 downloads on the App Store and Google Play in the past 30 days, according to app intelligence data. Since January 2017, it has been downloaded 92.3 million times.
Microsoft has not yet responded to a request for comment on its decision to shut down Lens.