Microsoft Lens will be shutting down soon. Now the company has confirmed that Microsoft Lens – PDF scanner, the worldwide used for scanning documents, is retiring soon. And as many users rely on millions of people use it over Android and iOS devices. The app was simple yet feature-rich rich allowing users to quickly scan documents, receipts, whiteboards, and handwritten notes and instantly convert the captured image to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents.
The app has over 50 million downloads on the Play Store and has a whopping 4.9-star rating on the App Store. It is one of the highest-rated Microsoft apps. But time is running out for its faithful users, and critical dates are already scheduled for its shutdown.
Shutdown Timeline: When Microsoft Lens Will Stop Working
- September 15, 2025 – Microsoft officially retires the app.
- November 15, 2025 – Lens will be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
- December 15, 2025 – Unavailable scanning capabilities. After this update, you will not be able to take new scans or save new scans; however, the old scans will be safe as long as you have the app installed on your device.
Scanning capabilities will no longer function. Once you get the update, you will no longer be able to make new scans, though saved scans will continue to be available as long as the app remains installed.
A Look Back: How Microsoft Lens Became a Go-To Scanner
First released as Office Lens for Windows Phone, the software was Microsoft’s response to mobile scanning apps. It enabled users to:
- Scan documents, images, and handwritten notes.
- Convert them into PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files.
- Use built-in filters to enhance clarity, adjust brightness, or convert to black-and-white.
It’s useful for office users, and its close integration with Microsoft’s platform makes saving it to OneNote, Word, or PowerPoint easy.
What Will Replace Microsoft Lens?
Microsoft recommends that the user use the Microsoft 365 Copilot app instead, which has a scan capability. But here’s the catch: Copilot doesn’t have some of Lens’s most popular features, such as:
- Immersive Reader
- Read-aloud functionality
- Directly save options to other Microsoft apps
This means even though Copilot does have a scan capability, it won’t quite match the productivity of Lens.
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Best Alternatives to Microsoft Lens
If you’re a Lens user who works or goes to school, you might want to consider trying:
- Adobe Scan AI PDF Scanner – Powerful OCR and cloud integration.
- Document Scanner – PDF Creator – Feature-rich with offline capabilities.
- Tiny Scanner – PDF Scanner App – Lightweight and easy to use.
These apps provide strong scanning, text recognition, and export capabilities to ensure your workflow continues unabated.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft Lens shutdown signals the closure of an era for of the neatest mobile scanning applications. With its unbeatable integration, lightning-fast performance, and user-friendly interface, Lens gained a devoted following that will miss its ease of use.
If you’re a current user, now is the time to back up your scans, explore alternative apps, and get familiar with Microsoft 365 Copilot or other scanning tools before December 15, 2025, when Lens officially stops scanning.