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How to make a PDF with OneDrive from photos I already taken now that Lens is gone?

Nathan Moore 35 Reputation points
2026-01-15T02:51:51.94+00:00

I used to use Microsoft Lens to make multiple page PDFs from photos of whiteboards. Lens had a nice "whiteboard" setting that would adjust white balance, remove noise etc. In a meeting, I'd take multiple photos of whiteboards, and then I'd make a PDF after the meeting with Lens.

Now that Lens is discontinued, It seems like most of that functionality is still there inside OneDrive. However, Onedrive only seems to be able to make PDFs of images I take with my phone camera right now. Assembling multiple photos into a "whiteboard" PDF doesn't seem possible if the photos are already in my android phone storage.

Does anybody have a workaround for this?

Here's the old feature that seems to have disappeared

"If you prefer, you can import an existing image from the Gallery on your Android device. In the Microsoft Lens capture screen, tap the Picture"

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-lens-for-android-ec124207-0049-4201-afaf-b5874a8e6f2b#:~:text=If%20you%20prefer%2C%20you%20can%20import%20an%20existing%20image%20from%20the%20Gallery%20on%20your%20Android%20device.%20In%20the%20Microsoft%20Lens%20capture%20screen%2C%20tap%20the%20Picture

Here's the new documentation https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/scan-a-whiteboard-document-business-card-or-photo-in-onedrive-for-android-d74d52bc-dd44-4a20-babb-b75621c32da0

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | Android

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  1. Squisch 65 Reputation points
    2026-03-25T06:08:13.8666667+00:00

    Yet another company launching another half baked app merger without actually including all of the features from the app they are stealing from us. Pissed that prices went up considerably for office and yet here we are losing more functionality at that higher price. F—— BS!

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  2. Kai-H 18,195 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-15T10:02:53.83+00:00

    Hi, Nathan Moore

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Sorry for this unwanted experience that you're encountering. Microsoft has folded the scanning features from Microsoft Lens into the OneDrive mobile app, but the OneDrive “Scan” flow is mainly designed around capturing pages live with the camera. That’s why multi-page PDF + “Whiteboard” enhancements work best when you take the shots inside OneDrive, and the old “import from Gallery into the scan flow” behavior isn’t really exposed the same way on Android.Here are some suggestions you can try to resolve this issue:

    1) If you still have Lens installed, keep using it for now

    If Lens is already on your phone, don’t uninstall it. You can typically keep scanning with it for a limited time, and you should still be able to access older scans under “MyScans” as long as the app remains installed and you stay signed into the same account.

    2) Fastest workaround on Android: make a PDF locally, then upload to OneDrive

    This avoids OneDrive’s camera-only scan limitation and works with photos you already took.

    • Open your Gallery app
    • Select the whiteboard photos (in the order you want)
    • Tap Share > Print
    • Choose Save as PDF
    • Save the PDF, then upload it to OneDrive (OneDrive app > + > Upload)

    This gets you a single multi-page PDF reliably, then OneDrive is just storage/sharing.

    3) Use OneDrive for storage, then assemble the PDF on a PC/Mac (best quality control)

    If you want a cleaner workflow (and easier reordering), upload the images to OneDrive first, then build the PDF on a computer:

    • Upload photos to a folder in OneDrive (OneDrive app > + > Upload)
    • On Windows: open the synced OneDrive folder > select images > right-click > Print > choose Microsoft Print to PDF
    • On Mac: open images in Preview > File > Print > Save as PDF

    This also makes it easier to rotate/crop/reorder before you finalize the PDF.

    4) If “Whiteboard” enhancement is the main thing you’re missing

    OneDrive’s “Whiteboard” filter is tied to the Scan capture experience. If you’re starting from existing photos, the closest equivalent is to enhance the images first (crop, adjust white balance/contrast, reduce glare) in Google Photos or another editor, then use Solution 2 or 3 to create the PDF.

    Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

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