Microsoft is set to retire its highly regarded Lens document scanning app, originally known as Office Lens, starting September 15, 2025. The app, famous for its simplicity and effectiveness in converting images to PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files, will be removed from app stores by mid-November. By December 15, users will no longer be able to create new scans, though existing scans will still be accessible in the MyScans folder. Lens garnered millions of downloads and offered features like text extraction, format conversion, and integration with OneNote, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services.
This move is part of Microsoft’s shift towards integrating more AI-powered capabilities within its ecosystem. Instead of Microsoft Lens, users are being directed to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which incorporates advanced AI—including OpenAI’s latest models—for document scanning and creation tasks.
While Copilot replicates many of Lens’s scanning features, some conveniences, such as direct saving to OneNote or Word and business card scanning, are missing for now. Microsoft has promised ongoing improvements to address these gaps and make its AI offerings smarter and more context-aware.
The decision reflects a broader industry trend: as native mobile OS apps and AI platforms add scanning and OCR features, standalone utilities like Lens have become less essential. Longtime Lens users—accustomed to its ad-free, easy-to-use interface now face the challenge of adapting to more complex, AI-powered tools, or seeking third-party alternatives like Adobe Scan or CamScanner. This marks the end of an era for simple, reliable document scanning, with artificial intelligence stepping in to redefine the experience.
Source: Microsoft is shutting down its Lens scanning app by December 15, 2025, replacing it with the AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot.
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