Microsoft Lens has stopped working: what to use instead
Microsoft Lens stopped making new scans on 9 March 2026. What replaces it on iPhone and Android — OneDrive, Files, Google Drive, Genius Scan, FairScan or a4norm in the browser — the catch with each, and how to keep sending documents to the Jobcenter.
Updated 2026-09-25
In short: Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) no longer scans. It left the app stores on 9 February 2026 and stopped making new scans on 9 March 2026. Microsoft itself points you to OneDrive. If you do not want a Microsoft account or a cloud, there are other options: the scanner built into the iPhone, Google Drive on Android, Genius Scan, FairScan, or a4norm right in the browser, with nothing to install.
What happened to Lens
Microsoft says that Lens was removed from the App Store and Google Play on 9 February 2026 and that scanning in it worked until 9 March 2026. Earlier scans stay available as long as the app is still installed and you are signed in to the account you last used in Lens. As a replacement, Microsoft recommends the OneDrive app, which has a scanner built in.
If you still have scans in Lens that you need, save them as files before you delete the app.
Meanwhile, the Federal Employment Agency's leaflet "Papierdokumente in PDF umwandeln" still lists Office Lens among its examples of free scanner apps. That advice no longer works, so you need something else.
What to use instead
All the options below are free for the main job: turning paper into a PDF. They differ in where the scan is stored, whether you need an account, and which phones they run on. As of September 2026.
| Option | Who it suits | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| OneDrive (iPhone, Android) | People who already use a Microsoft account. It is the replacement Microsoft itself suggests | Needs a Microsoft account; the scan is saved to the OneDrive cloud. 5 GB free, shared with Outlook.com mail |
| Files and Notes (iPhone) | iPhone owners who scan on the spot, standing over the page. Nothing to install | No page-size setting. On Apple's forum people report pages coming out in US Letter or in varying sizes |
| Google Drive (Android) | People who already have Google Drive on Android | Needs a Google account; the scan is saved to Google Drive |
| Genius Scan (iPhone, Android) | People who want a separate scanner app without a cloud | An app to install. Text recognition and cloud export are paid |
| FairScan (Android) | People who care about open source and no ads or tracking | Android only |
| a4norm (browser, any device) | People who do not want to install an app or create an account, or whose photos are already taken | No viewfinder with a page frame: you take the photo with the normal camera and the page is found afterwards. Up to half a minute per page on a phone |
More on each:
- OneDrive. Microsoft describes the scanner like this: tap Scan in the app, choose Document, and the result is saved as a PDF in OneDrive. One PDF can hold up to 10 pages on Android and up to 30 on iPhone. The free 5 GB is shared between OneDrive, Outlook.com attachments and the Microsoft 365 apps.
- iPhone. In Files, tap the More button, then Scan Documents; in Notes, tap the attachment button, then Scan Documents. That is how Apple describes it. In Files you choose where the scan is saved. Apple's instructions do not mention A4, and in a thread on Apple's forum users say there is no way to set it.
- Google Drive. In the app, tap the camera button at the bottom right and take the photo. You can save it as PDF or JPG into a Drive folder of your choice, according to Google.
- Genius Scan. The free version, according to its developer, has no limit on the number of scans and no watermark. Documents are processed and stored on the phone unless you export them yourself. The paid Ultra plan costs 39.99 US dollars a year and adds text recognition, export to cloud services and sync between devices.
- FairScan. An open-source app under GPLv3, for Android 8.0 and later only. It processes everything on the phone, with no ads and no tracking. Available from F-Droid or Google Play.
- a4norm. This is my scanner, and it runs right in the browser. You add photos — from the camera, the gallery or your files — and tap "Make the PDF". You get a PDF on exact A4, several photos in one file. Both sides of an ID card go on one page, and iPhone photos in HEIC open too. The photo never leaves your device, there is no account, and the code is open. After the first visit it works offline, and the app page can be installed on your home screen.
Which one to pick
- You scan on the spot, the page is in front of you, and you have an iPhone. The built-in scanner in Files: nothing to install.
- You want the same kind of workflow you had with Lens. OneDrive, if you already have a Microsoft account.
- You want neither an account nor a cloud. Genius Scan or FairScan if you are fine installing an app; a4norm if you are not.
- The document is gone and only a photo is left. Scanner apps expect the page in front of the camera. a4norm works with the photo you already have — see how to turn an existing photo into a scan.
Twelve free scanners side by side — where the photo goes, whether you need an account, whether the page is exact A4 — are in the comparison.
Sending documents to the Jobcenter without Lens: three steps
If you used the scanner for documents for Bürgergeld (called Grundsicherungsgeld since 1 July 2026), the route stays the same; only the scanner changes.
- Make a PDF with any of the scanners above. All pages of one document go into one file, as the agency's leaflet itself advises. In a4norm, add all photos of the document and tap "Make the PDF".
- Give the file a short name in Latin letters, such as
Kontoauszug_2026-08.pdf. Which formats, sizes and file names jobcenter.digital takes is covered in a separate guide. - Upload it to jobcenter.digital, open it there and look at every page. If anything is missing or unreadable, upload it again.
The whole route from photo to upload with a4norm is described step by step in Uploading documents to the Jobcenter without a scanner. Whether the Jobcenter accepts a document is up to the Jobcenter; a scanner only makes sure the page is straight and readable.
You can try a4norm right now on the scanner page, with no sign-up and nothing to install.