Microsoft Lens is discontinued: the best replacement apps for iPhone and Android
Updated
Looking for a Microsoft Lens alternative? You'll need one: Microsoft retired Lens (formerly Office Lens), removed it from the App Store and Google Play on February 9, 2026, and stopped new scans after March 9, 2026.
Microsoft now points users to the scanner inside OneDrive. If you'd rather keep scans on your phone and skip the sign-in, Doc Scanner by Ginowl for iPhone and Android is our pick: multi-page PDFs, searchable text on the free plan, and photos you already took turned into one PDF.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Doc Scanner by Ginowl — iPhone & Android · Free to download
Disclosure: Doc Scanner is made by us (Ginowl), so we rank it first. Other apps are described only from their store listings, official sites and the sources listed on this page.
How to replace Microsoft Lens with Doc Scanner
Install Doc Scanner
Download Doc Scanner from the App Store or Google Play. There's no sign-up form; open it and start scanning.
Scan new pages
Tap the camera button and choose Document for one page or Batch for a stack. Doc Scanner finds the edges and captures each page automatically.
Or turn existing photos into a PDF
In the Tools tab, tap Import from Photos, select several photos at once, then reorder and crop them.
Clean up the pages
Pick a filter such as Magic Color, Grayscale or B&W and tap Apply to all pages. Add your saved signature with Sign.
Export the way Lens did
Tap Share for PDF or JPG with your choice of quality, page size and pages, or use Tools → Convert for a Word file (Premium). Save it to the Files app, or send it anywhere with the share sheet.
Microsoft Lens is discontinued: the 2026 timeline
Here is what Microsoft announced, with dates from its support page and BleepingComputer's coverage:
- August 2025: Microsoft announced it would retire Lens and first pointed users to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
- January 9, 2026: the retirement began on iPhone, iPad and Android, with new dates and a new recommendation: OneDrive's built-in scanner.
- February 9, 2026: Lens was removed from the App Store and Google Play and is no longer supported.
- March 9, 2026: the last day to create new scans. After that, Lens can only open your previous scans, and only while the app is still installed.
Lens was popular for good reasons. It was free, it saved scans to the photo library or as a PDF on the phone, it imported pictures from the gallery, and it could turn scans into Word and PowerPoint files. BleepingComputer counted 50 million Google Play downloads at retirement. If you relied on its Whiteboard mode, business cards to Contacts or table extraction, no single app copies all of that. For everyday documents, here's what to use now.
1. Doc Scanner: the Lens habits you can keep
Doc Scanner is made by us, Ginowl. It's our first pick because it keeps the things former Lens users say they miss most in OneDrive:
- Scans saved on your phone, no sign-up. Open the app and scan; there's no registration form, and Apple or Google sign-in is optional. Your documents stay in the app's library, and you send each PDF or JPG wherever you like through the share sheet: the Files app, Mail, Messages or the OneDrive app.
- Photos you already took, in one PDF. Pick several photos at once with Import from Photos, then reorder, crop and filter them. Here's how to turn JPG photos into a PDF.
- Big documents in one go. Smart edge detection, perspective correction and auto-capture, up to 100 pages per scan. Add, reorder or delete pages later. See how to scan multiple pages into one PDF.
- Searchable PDFs, automatically. Every PDF you export gets an invisible text layer on the free plan, just as Lens PDFs were searchable.
- ID card front and back on one page (Premium). Neither Lens nor OneDrive's scanner has an ID card mode. Learn how to scan an ID card.
- Word, PowerPoint and TXT. Export a Word file with the recognised text or a TXT file (both Premium), or a PowerPoint deck with one page per slide.
- AI-powered text recognition that works offline. Google ML Kit reads text on the phone, with nothing uploaded for recognition. The Extract Text mode and copying text are Premium.
- A password on the PDF itself: AES-256 encryption (Premium).
Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more.
OneDrive's scanner: Microsoft's suggestion
Microsoft's official answer is the OneDrive app: open OneDrive, tap the plus button, choose the scan option, and save the file to a folder in your OneDrive. It's free to install, captures documents, whiteboards, business cards and photos, and lets you mark up and sign. In early 2026 Microsoft also rolled out Recognize text: long-press a page in a scanned PDF to make its text selectable.
It works differently from Lens in three ways that matter:
- Scans stay in OneDrive. Microsoft's retirement page says it directly: "OneDrive does not support saving scans locally on your device."
- You sign in first. OneDrive asks for a Microsoft account, or a work or school account.
- The scan flow is camera-first. A Microsoft moderator on Microsoft Q&A (January 2026) said OneDrive's Scan flow is "mainly designed around capturing pages live with the camera", so building one PDF from photos already on your phone isn't part of it.
Microsoft's help pages (August 2026) also list lower pages-per-scan caps for OneDrive than Doc Scanner's 100. One OneDrive App Store reviewer summed up the switch in March 2026: "All I want to do is scan a document and save it to my personal device not cloud storage." If you already work in Microsoft 365 and want scans on your computer, OneDrive is a sensible choice. If you want files on the phone, use a dedicated scanner.
Other replacements: Adobe Scan, Genius Scan and built-in scanners
Adobe Scan
A popular choice and closer to OneDrive's model than to Lens: you log in with an Adobe, Google, Facebook or Apple account, and saved PDFs go to Adobe cloud storage. It has an ID card mode, and exporting to Word or PowerPoint is a Premium online service. The current version requires iOS 18.0 or Android 10. Compare it in our Adobe Scan alternatives guide.
Genius Scan
Its free Basic plan doesn't come with an account and adds no watermark. Text recognition and searchable PDFs need a paid plan, and its help centre says signing isn't supported inside the app. The current iPhone version requires iOS 17.0 or later.
iPhone: Notes and Files
Built in and free. In Files, tap More, then Scan Documents, and choose where to save; in Notes, tap Attachments, then Scan Documents. Apple's guides describe page-by-page capture saved as a PDF. Doc Scanner adds both sides of an ID card on one page (Premium), PowerPoint export, and Word and TXT export (Premium).
Android: Files by Google and Google Drive
Files by Google has a Scan button and saves scans as PDFs in a Scanned folder on the phone; Google Drive's scanner saves into your Google Account's storage. Doc Scanner adds ID card mode and password-protected PDFs (both Premium), which Google's scanning help doesn't offer.
Asked about the Microsoft 365 scanner? Microsoft first named the Microsoft 365 Copilot app as Lens's successor in August 2025, then switched its recommendation to OneDrive in January 2026.
Microsoft Lens alternatives compared
Microsoft facts come from Microsoft's support pages, archived Lens help pages, the OneDrive store listings and Microsoft Q&A, checked on 1 October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Where Microsoft is stronger: Lens recognised text in many languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian, and OneDrive also runs on computers.
| Doc Scanner | OneDrive scanner | Microsoft Lens | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | On the App Store and Google Play | Inside the OneDrive app | Retired: off the stores since Feb 9, 2026; no new scans after Mar 9, 2026 |
| Sign-in to scan | No sign-up; Apple or Google sign-in optional | Microsoft account, or work or school account | Only for Microsoft cloud destinations |
| Save scans on the phone | Yes; share anywhere with the share sheet | No (Microsoft: no local saving) | Yes: photo library or PDF |
| One PDF from photos already taken | Yes, multi-select import | Scan flow is camera-first (Microsoft Q&A) | Yes, import from the gallery |
| Searchable PDF | Automatic text layer, free plan | Recognize text per PDF (added early 2026) | Yes |
| ID card front and back on one page | Yes (Premium) | No ID card mode | No ID card mode |
| Word / PowerPoint | Word with the recognised text (Premium); PowerPoint | Saves PDF or JPEG | Word and PowerPoint |
| Pages per scan | Up to 100 | Lower caps in Microsoft's help pages (August 2026) | Up to 100 images on Android (devices with more than 3 GB of RAM) |
| Password | On the PDF file, AES-256 (Premium) | On sharing links, with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family | Not documented |
What happens to your old Lens scans
Microsoft says you can still open previous scans in Lens if the app remains on your device, as long as you are signed in to the last account you used in Lens. Microsoft also told admins this access "will not be supported", so treat it as temporary.
- Keep the app until you've saved copies. Lens is no longer listed on the App Store or Google Play, so deleting it may cut you off from scans kept only in the app.
- Check Microsoft's own apps. Scans you sent to OneDrive, OneNote, Word or PowerPoint are in those apps, not in Lens.
- Bring the PDFs into Doc Scanner. Open a PDF and send it to Doc Scanner with Open in on iPhone or Share to / Open with on Android, or use Import PDF in the Tools tab. Then file it in a folder, sign it or share it.
Need the words from an old scan rather than the image? Doc Scanner's image to text tool reads text on your phone (Premium).
See Doc Scanner in action
Scan your first document in seconds
Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Frequently asked questions
Has Microsoft Lens been discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft retired Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) on iPhone, iPad and Android. It was removed from the App Store and Google Play on February 9, 2026, and new scans stopped after March 9, 2026.
When did Microsoft Lens stop working?
You could create new scans in Microsoft Lens until March 9, 2026. After that date the app can only open previous scans, and only while it stays installed and you are signed in to the last account you used. Microsoft says this access isn't supported.
What replaced Microsoft Lens?
Microsoft recommends the scanner in the OneDrive app. OneDrive needs a Microsoft account and saves scans to OneDrive; Microsoft says it can't save scans locally on your device. If you want scans on your phone with no sign-up, Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android is an alternative.
Is there a free Microsoft Lens alternative?
Yes. Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs; Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more. OneDrive's scanner, Apple's Notes and Files scanners on iPhone and Files by Google on Android are other free options.
Does OneDrive have a scanner?
Yes. In the OneDrive app, tap the plus button and choose the scan option to capture documents, whiteboards, business cards or photos. Scans are saved as files in your OneDrive, and since early 2026 you can make the text in a scanned PDF selectable with Recognize text.
Can I still download Microsoft Lens?
No. Microsoft removed Lens from the App Store and Google Play on February 9, 2026, and even an installed copy can't create new scans after March 9, 2026. Use OneDrive's scanner or a dedicated scanner app such as Doc Scanner instead.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Retirement of Microsoft Lens (updated 2026-09-16, checked 2026-10-01)
- BleepingComputer: Microsoft will kill the Microsoft Lens PDF scanner app (August 2025) (checked 2026-10-01)
- BleepingComputer: Microsoft is retiring the Lens scanner app (January 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Windows Central: Microsoft Lens is dead; OneDrive doesn't let you save scans locally (checked 2026-10-01)
- Archived Microsoft help: Microsoft Lens for Android (July 2025 snapshot) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Archived Microsoft help: Microsoft Lens for iOS (July 2025 snapshot) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft Support: Scan in OneDrive for Android (updated 2026-08-26, checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft Support: Scan in OneDrive for iOS (updated 2026-08-26, checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft Support: Use OneDrive on Android (sign-in) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft Support: Use OCR to read PDFs in OneDrive (checked 2026-10-01)
- Message Center MC1192663: OneDrive mobile text recognition rollout (checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft OneDrive on the US App Store (mark up and sign; password links need Microsoft 365) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft OneDrive on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
- Microsoft Q&A: How to make a PDF with OneDrive from photos already taken (January 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
- OneDrive US App Store customer reviews (March 2026 review quoted) (checked 2026-10-01)
- TechRadar: Adobe Scan (2025) review (login required) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan iOS guide: Take scans (saved to Adobe cloud storage, ID card mode) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan iOS: Manage subscriptions (Export PDF to Office formats is Premium) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan on the US App Store (requires iOS 18.0) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan Android release notes (Android 10 and above) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan help: Account management (free version has no account) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan pricing page (Basic plan, no watermark) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan help: Text recognition (OCR) plans (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan help: Sign and annotate your scans (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan on the US App Store (requires iOS 17.0) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Apple Support: How to scan documents on your iPhone (Notes and Files) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Apple iPhone User Guide: Scan text and documents in Notes (checked 2026-10-01)
- Files by Google Help: Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help: Scan documents (Android) (checked 2026-10-01)
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Microsoft, Microsoft Lens, Office Lens, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, Adobe, Adobe Scan, Genius Scan, The Grizzly Labs, Apple and Google. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
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- Many pages, one PDFScan multiple pages into one PDF on iPhone or Android: Batch mode captures page after page, then reorder, add or merge. No watermarks, no ads, no sign-up.
- Image to textImage to text app for iPhone and Android: Doc Scanner reads text in photos and scans on your phone, offline. Copy it or save TXT or Word (Premium).
- JPG to PDFConvert JPG to PDF on iPhone or Android: combine several photos into one PDF, reorder pages, pick A4 or Letter. No watermark, no upload, on the free plan.
- Searchable PDFMake a PDF searchable for free on iPhone or Android. Doc Scanner adds an invisible text layer to every PDF it exports, offline, with no upload needed.
- Scan ID cardsScan both sides of an ID card onto one page with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Front and back on one A4-style PDF or JPG, ready to print or share.
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