Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) trims, enhances, and makes pictures of whiteboards and documents readable.
You can use Microsoft Lens to convert images to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, digitize printed or handwritten text, and save to OneNote, OneDrive, or your local device. You can even import images that are already on your device using Gallery.
PRODUCTIVITY AT WORK
• Scan and upload all your notes, receipts, and documents
• Capture whiteboard at end of the meeting to keep those action items on track
• Scan printed text or handwritten meeting notes to edit and share later
• Keep your business networking contacts handy by scanning business cards and saving them to your contact list
• Choose to save as PDF, Image, Word or PowerPoint formats into OneNote, OneDrive, or local device as location
PRODUCTIVITY AT SCHOOL
• Scan classroom handouts and annotate them in Word and OneNote
• Scan handwritten notes to digitize and edit later (works with English only)
• Take a picture of the whiteboard or blackboard to reference later, even if you're offline
• Keep class notes and your own research organized with the seamless integration with OneNote
Join the beta program at this link to get an early preview of the next version of Microsoft Lens and help make it better by providing us feedback: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aRahHf00
The app works but lacks basic features that competitive apps have offered for years.
Notably, the auto deskew function is missing, and you need to position documents and receipts precisely to help the app find a correct rectangle.
Next, there is also no auto-crop function, which would be helpful for snapping documents quickly.
Moreover, the app does not automatically remember and apply the most recent filter. For example, you must manually select the “document” filter each time you scan a new document.
Finally, the app has no option to save black-and-white document images as lossless PNG images; it saves them as JPG.
The app works, but the user experience is not as good as other apps.
Not great
Microsoft recently changed the way we sync pictures to OneDrive and OneNote and it’s been frustrating to deal with the changes.
- why does it try to auto crop my pictures? It doesn’t work properly and I have to press an extra button to turn it off for each picture.
- the share to OneDrive and onenote doesn’t work which is plainly frustrating.
- it’s less intuitive in general and more high touch. Why can’t the first/default mode take a regular picture with no auto cropping, and save to my OneDrive or phone? Instead I have to choose photo (the last setting) as opposed to business card or document. It asks me to save to OneDrive then asks me again where I want to save it to…strange.
Does not allow sharing as PDF with other iPhone Apps
Only allows sharing as image with other Apps. To share as PDF, have to save to ‘Phone Storage’ first and then Share to other iPhone Apps.
My scans folder
Where in the heck is it? I select “on my phone” but the folder doesn’t show up in the file structure. I need the option to save the scan in a folder of my choice so I can find it 30 seconds later.
Great potential but Hard to Use…
Someone should have done some usability testing on this. Still hard to use but with so much potential.
Wonderful tool
This app was recommended to me by a friend who suggested it would help me scan, crop and edit photos and documents.
No longer works
This used to be great and I used this all the time. Now it asks to sign in, but after approving all the sign in prompts through authenticator, this app gets “stuck” and won’t ever finish the sign in or upload anything. I can no longer upload to my OneNote notebook or to onedrive. Now I have to go to those separate apps and go through a much more convoluted process to scan (photo) a document and upload them to each app separately.
Scans not loading
I lost all my scans, the scans I took wont load so I deleted the app then reinstalled it and lost everything. The scans I took didn't sync to one drive
Finicky bugs
I’m asked to sign in all the time and it won’t save files to OneDrive. It’ll loop sign in prompts sometimes and never upload the documents I scan. Often the sign in prompt freezes. It is currently almost unable to work and connect to OneDrive but still works to save locally.
Won’t upload
Will not upload scanned images to my Microsoft office account. Very frustrating
