- Microsoft Lens app will be retired from app stores after a decade
- Users can still scan documents with Microsoft 365 Copilot app
- Some features, including direct app access, are not available in Copilot
Microsoft has confirmed that it will draw its mobile document scanning app, which was previously launched as Office Lens in 2015, where users were given a number of dates to be aware of.
From September 15 2025, the app will be retired from iOS and Android devices and removed from the respective app stores two months later. The third month-15. December scan within the pre-installed app will be disabled, but existing scans still remain available.
Microsoft Lens, known for charging some subscription fees and its simple, reliable functionality, has been a valuable tool for conversing printed or handwritten notes to PDFs and other core files.
Goodbye Microsoft Lens
Microsoft counts over 92 million lifetime downloads to its LENS app, which is very rated across both iOS and Android platforms, and although there is already a replacement, it does not deliver quite the same features as its predecessor.
The company is now pointing users against Microsoft 365 Copilot for scanning, but it lacks some lens features, such as direct savings for OneNote, Word and PowerPoint.
It also lacks business card scanning for OneNote, reading-out-high functionality and immersive reader integration.
Microsoft’s support page explains how users can access previously scanned files from Linse in the Copilot app in the hope that it may entice them to migrate, but openly admit that some features will not be made available immediately raising questions about whether they will ever be added.
This is not the first time Microsoft has printed a popular app or feature – in November 2024, Paint 3D was removed from Microsoft Store, password Autofill in Microsoft Authenticator was recently ax and from October 2026 the publisher will no longer be part of the Microsoft 365 Suite.
