Microsoft Lens, the beloved simple document scanner, is being retired in favor of AI-powered Copilot — but users are losing more than just a tool.

Sometimes it’s refreshing to have a simple app that does one thing exceptionally well—without complexity, hidden fees, or pressure to upgrade. Microsoft Lens was exactly that: a straightforward mobile document scanner that turned paper into digital files with ease. Now, that quiet reliability is coming to an end. Microsoft has announced the retirement of the Microsoft Lens app, effective September 15, 2025, on both iOS and Android. The app will be fully removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play by November 15, 2025. Users who still have the app installed can continue using it through December 15, 2025, to access previously saved scans. However, no new scans will be possible after that date, and the app will no longer function even if it remains on the device. Originally launched in 2015 as Office Lens for Windows Phone, the app evolved into a go-to tool for turning receipts, business cards, handwritten notes, whiteboard scribbles, and printed documents into clean, digital files. It supported multiple output formats—PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and image files—making it a favorite for students, professionals, and anyone needing quick digitization. What set Lens apart was its simplicity. Unlike many modern apps, it didn’t lock core features behind subscriptions or push users toward paid services. It worked reliably, with helpful built-in enhancements like automatic document correction, contrast adjustment, and black-and-white conversion to improve readability. Scanned content could be saved directly to OneDrive, OneNote, or other cloud services, and even shared instantly. The app also included accessibility features such as text-to-speech and integration with Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, making it valuable for users with visual or reading challenges. Despite its age, Microsoft Lens remained surprisingly popular. According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, it recorded over 322,000 downloads in the past 30 days alone. Since January 2017, it has been downloaded nearly 92.3 million times across both platforms. The shutdown has drawn criticism, particularly because Microsoft is directing users to its Copilot AI chat app as the replacement. However, Copilot lacks many of Lens’s key capabilities. It doesn’t support saving scans directly to Word, PowerPoint, or OneNote. Business card data isn’t automatically added to contacts or OneNote. It also doesn’t offer the same level of image enhancement or accessibility tools. The move marks another step in Microsoft’s shift toward AI-powered experiences, but at the cost of a trusted, no-frills tool that many users relied on daily. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment on the decision. For now, users are left with a choice: migrate to a third-party scanner app, or accept the limitations of Copilot. For many, the loss of Microsoft Lens feels less like progress and more like a quiet farewell to a simple, effective tool that did its job well.