Microsoft to Discontinue Lens: PDF Scanner App, Recommend Copilot App

Microsoft will discontinue its PDF Scanner app in mid-December, recommending users switch to its Copilot app instead. The app will stop working in a phased approach starting September 15, 2025. Microsoft 365 Copilot app offers similar functionality but lacks a few key features, such as direct saving to OneNote, Word, or PowerPoint, and scan business cards to save them to OneNote.

Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue its PDF Scanner app, a popular tool for capturing, editing, and converting documents, whiteboards, and receipts into searchable PDF files. The app, originally known as Office Lens, will be phased out in a series of steps starting September 15, 2025. Users will no longer be able to create new scans in the app by mid-December, and it will be removed from the App Store and Google Play Store by mid-November [1].

The company is recommending users transition to its Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which offers similar functionality. However, the Copilot app lacks several key features present in the PDF Scanner app, such as the ability to save scans directly to OneNote, Word, or PowerPoint, and scan business cards to save them to OneNote. Additionally, the Copilot app does not currently feature read-out-loud functionality or Immersive Reader integration [1, 2].

Microsoft has assured users that it will continue to add new features and improve the capabilities of the Copilot app, but it has not provided a specific timetable for these enhancements. The move to discontinue the PDF Scanner app is likely an attempt to encourage holdouts who have yet to download the Copilot app [2].

References:
[1] https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/08/microsoft-will-soon-discontinue-its-excellent-pdf-scanner-app/
[2] https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/08/08/microsoft-lens-pdf-scanner-will-get-killed-before-the-end-of-2025