Dim future: Microsoft Lens app shutting down beginning in fall as users directed to Copilot

Microsoft is shutting down its popular Lens PDF scanning app after nearly a decade, directing users toward its AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot instead. The retirement affects over 92 million users who relied on the free, straightforward document scanning tool that converted printed and handwritten notes into PDFs and other file formats.

What you should know: Microsoft Lens will be completely phased out over a four-month period starting this fall.

• The app will be retired from iOS and Android devices on September 15, 2025, and removed from app stores on November 15.
• Scanning functionality will be disabled on December 15, 2025, though existing scans will remain accessible.
• Users are being directed to Microsoft 365 Copilot as the replacement scanning solution.

The big picture: This marks another instance of Microsoft deprecating popular standalone tools in favor of AI-integrated alternatives, continuing a pattern that includes Paint 3D’s removal and the upcoming Publisher discontinuation.

Key limitations: The Copilot replacement lacks several features that made Lens valuable to users.

• Direct saving to OneNote, Word, and PowerPoint is no longer available.
• Business card scanning to OneNote has been eliminated.
• Read-out-loud functionality and Immersive Reader integration are missing.

Why this matters: The transition reflects Microsoft’s broader strategy of consolidating tools under its AI umbrella, but potentially at the cost of user experience and functionality that made the original app successful across both iOS and Android platforms.