Scan a letter with your phone, now Microsoft Lens has gone

The short version

iPhone or iPad: open the Files app, tap the ••• button, then Scan Documents.
Android phone: open the Google Drive app and tap the camera button.
Both are free, need no new app, and save your letter as a PDF, the type of document most websites ask for.

What happened to Microsoft Lens?

Microsoft took Lens out of the app stores in November 2025, and from 15 December 2025 it could no longer make new scans.

Still got Lens on your phone? Your old scans are still inside it while the app stays installed. If you need any of them, send or save them somewhere else before you remove the app.
Microsoft suggests its Microsoft 365 Copilot app instead, which has a Scan button. That works too, but you don't need it: the steps below use what's already on your phone. No new app, no account to set up, and no AI needed.

1 Get the letter ready

Put the page flat on a dark table or surface, so the phone can easily see where the white page ends.
Find good light, such as near a window in daytime. Try not to let your own shadow fall across the page.
Smooth out any folds. Take staples out if you can.

2 On an iPhone or iPad: use the Files app

Open the Files app (a blue folder picture). If you can't see it, swipe down in the middle of your home screen and type Files.
Tap Browse at the bottom, then tap the ••• button (three dots, near the top right).
Tap Scan Documents. The camera opens.
Hold the phone straight above the page. A shaded box appears over the page and the phone takes the picture by itself. If it doesn't, tap the round white button.
If the box doesn't fit the page, drag its corners to the corners of the page, then tap Keep Scan.
More pages? Just hold the phone over the next page. When you've done them all, tap Save.
Choose where to keep it, such as On My iPhone, then tap Save again.

Your letter is now saved as one PDF, with all the pages in order. To give it a clearer name, touch and hold it, then tap Rename.

You can also scan in the Notes app: open a note, tap the paperclip button, then Scan Documents. Files is easier when you need to upload the scan, because it's saved as a document you can pick straight away.

3 On an Android phone: use Google Drive

Google Drive is already on most Android phones. If it isn't, it's free from the Play Store. It uses the Google account your phone already has.

Open the Drive app (a triangle in green, yellow and blue).
Tap the camera button at the bottom right. (On some phones you tap + New first, then Scan.)
Hold the phone straight above the page. A blue line shows the part it will keep. Take the picture, or let it take it by itself on Auto.
Check the page. Crop & Rotate changes the edges, Filter can make it black and white, and Clean removes smudges or a finger at the edge.
More pages? Tap Add and scan the next one. When you've done them all, tap Done.
Type a name for it (for example, Council tax letter), make sure .pdf is chosen, then tap Save.

Your letter is saved as one PDF in your Google Drive. You can open it later on your phone, or on a computer at drive.google.com.

4 Send it where it needs to go

Uploading on your phone? When the website says "Choose file" or "Upload", tap it. On an iPhone, choose Choose File and find your scan in Files. On Android, choose Drive and tap your scan.
Uploading on a computer? Email the scan to yourself from your phone (tap the share button and choose your email app), then save it from the email on your computer.

Filling in a form at the same time? See what to have ready before you start, so it doesn't time out while you scan.

For the rest of the journey, such as checking the size and uploading safely, this guide takes you through it:

→ Sending documents to the council or a bank onlineA free, step-by-step guide. Print it if that's easier.

Already have photos, or more than one document?

These tools are free to try, work on a computer or a phone, and your files never leave your device:

→ Turn photos of a letter into one documentTook ordinary photos instead of scanning? Put them in order, the right way up, as one PDF. → Put your documents together into oneThe form wants one document, but you have a few? Join them into one PDF. → Make a photo or document small enough to sendWebsite says your file is too big? Make a copy that fits the limit.

Photos still on your phone? Here's how to get them onto your computer, with a cable or without.

Be careful with "free" scanner apps

The app stores are full of scanner apps that say they're free, then ask for a weekly or yearly subscription after a few scans, or when you try to save. The scanners in this guide are already on your phone and don't charge anything. If an app asks for your card details just to save a scan, you don't need it.

More on this: how to tell if a "free" website or app is really free.

What the words mean

Scan: A picture of a page, straightened and cropped so it looks like a photocopy.
PDF: A type of document that looks the same on every computer, phone and printer. The name ends in .pdf. Most websites accept it.
Files app: The place on an iPhone or iPad where your documents are kept, a bit like the folders on a computer.
Google Drive: Google's free online storage. Files you save there can be opened on your phone or on any computer where you sign in to your Google account.
Upload: Sending a file from your phone or computer to a website.

Stuck?

That's completely normal, and buttons can look a little different on different phones. A family member or friend can often help in a few minutes, and many local libraries offer free help with phones and computers.

Checked in October 2026 against the makers' own help pages: Microsoft (Lens retirement), Apple (scanning on iPhone) and Google (scanning with Drive). Pocket Change isn't connected with Microsoft, Apple or Google.