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Farewell to a Classic: What Copilot Can't Do That Made Microsoft Lens So Great

The end of Microsoft Lens is here. Find out what beloved features you'll lose and how to make the switch to Copilot.
Zeeshan Saleem

 Farewell to a Classic: What Copilot Can't Do That Made Microsoft Lens So Great

Remembering the Simple Scanner App as AI Takes Over

Microsoft Lens fading, replaced by Copilot AI.
Image: AI Generated

It's a bittersweet moment for users who preferred the simplicity of a classic app over the complexity of all-in-one solutions. Microsoft has officially announced the farewell of its beloved app, Microsoft Lens, a simple tool that effortlessly turned physical documents into a digital format. The company is now nudging users towards its AI-powered solution, Copilot, to replace the functionality of the simple Lens app.

The End of an Era: Microsoft Lens’s Retirement Dates

In an official blog post, Microsoft announced the retirement of the document scanning app, with support ending on a staggered schedule. The app will begin to retire on September 15, 2025, and after November 15, 2025, it will no longer be supported on iOS and Android devices. However, users who have already downloaded the app on their smartphones will still be able to use its scanning capabilities until December 15, 2025. Any documents already scanned and saved in their local storage will remain accessible.

So, why is Microsoft replacing this classic, user-favorite app? The answer lies in the company's strategic push to centralize its services within the Copilot AI ecosystem. This move effectively shifts the document scanning job to AI, marking a new phase in how we interact with technology.

Missing Features: What We Lose in the Shift to AI

Many users are asking what they gain from the replacement of Microsoft Lens with Copilot AI. The truth is, some key features that made the classic scanning app so effective and beloved will be lost. Some of these notable features not currently found in Copilot’s scanning functionality include:
  • Direct Saving: The ability to save scans directly to OneNote, Word, or PowerPoint.
  • Business Card Scanning: The handy feature for scanning business cards and saving them to OneNote.
  • Accessibility Tools: The "Read Aloud" functionality and Immersive Reader integration.
What made Microsoft Lens so popular was its seamless ability to scan handwritten documents, business cards, and even whiteboard notes. While these scanning functions are available in other apps, a key factor was that Microsoft Lens was completely free since its launch in 2015—a rare offering in today's tech world.

How to Use Copilot for Document Scanning

The announcement of Microsoft Lens's retirement is difficult news for many dedicated users, but the transition to Copilot is now necessary. To use Copilot for document scanning, you'll need the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on your mobile device. Follow these steps:

  • Open the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
  • Tap the horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-left corner.
  • Go to Create > Scan to scan your document.
After scanning, you can find your past scans in the top-right corner of the Create tab.

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