Faxing technology has been around for over 150 years. However, it’s not going away anytime soon. Fax machines aren’t nearly as common as they once were, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally obsolete. In fact, they’re nowhere close to being obsolete. From legal documents to secure communications in remote areas, faxing still plays a critical role for businesses and individuals around the world.
Where can I send a fax? Here is the world’s ultimate guide to sending a fax using many different methods.
Use Your Home Phone Line To Send a Fax
Your home phone line is already set up to send and receive faxes. Faxes are just data sent down phone lines. All you need to do to unlock your home fax line is connect a fax machine to any phone jack.
Once you’ve done that, you can send and receive faxes. However, if you’re sending and receiving a lot of faxes over your home phone line, then your telephone service provider may impose extra fees on your account. If you plan on sending more than 1 to 2 faxes per day, it’s a good idea to invest in a second home phone line or ask your provider about dual ring functionality – which lets you have two numbers incoming over a single phone line.
Whether you’re at home or at work, you can send a fax over any telephone landline.
Staples, FedEx, UPS, and Other Businesses To Send a Fax
Today, most people do not have a fax machine in their homes. For that reason, businesses like FedEx and UPS now offer faxing services to customers. You can walk into any FedEx or UPS location and pay a small fee in order to fax a document.
A number of businesses offer this service. It’s particularly common with office-related businesses. Office supply stores like Staples, for example, can fax documents for you. Even if a business doesn’t explicitly advertise their faxing services, you may be able to use their fax machines in exchange for a small fee. It never hurts to ask.
Send A Fax With Online Faxing
Online faxing has opened up a whole new world of faxing capabilities. Instead of hovering around the office fax machine or using machines at local businesses, online faxing lets you stay mobile and fax from anywhere in the world.
With online faxing, sending a fax has never been easier. All you need to do is:
- Create an email
- Attach a document or .PDF to that email
- Send the email to your electronic fax service provider in the form of “Recipient’s Fax Number @ YourServiceProvider.com
- Watch as your email attachment magically turns into a fax and arrives at your recipient’s machine
It’s fast, easy, convenient, and secure. You can edit faxes on the go and enjoy greater flexibility for you and your employees. You also avoid the physical costs of sending and receiving a fax, since you can choose to print off only the most important faxes.
More importantly, online faxing lets you send, receive, and edit faxes on a diverse range of devices. Below, you’ll find basic instructions for sending faxes on virtually any electronic device.
How to Send a Fax Using a Tablet or Smartphone
Sending a fax using a tablet or smartphone is really easy. Whether you have an Android tablet, Windows tablet, iPad, iPhone, or Android phone, most online fax providers offer some type of mobile app.
These mobile apps are optimized for your tablet and smartphone and designed to make the faxing process as easy as possible. Your faxing app should include the following features:
- Contact list with most popular contacts listed from top to bottom
- Signature and annotation addition tools for editing faxes on-the-go
- Direct integration with your email inbox
- Secure PIN-based logins
- The ability to switch between fax numbers and access multiple faxes within a single app
- And more
If you want to send a fax over your tablet or smartphone, then make sure you search for your service provider’s app before trying any other method. It’s by far the easiest way to send a fax from your mobile device.
However, not all computer fax providers offer an app. If your provider doesn’t have an app, then you’re not out of luck. It’s still fairly easy to send a fax. Here’s a step by step guide:
Step 1) Open your email app, like Gmail. Or, open your internet browser and login to your email account.
Step 2) Create a new email
Step 3) Address that email to your online fax provider like you would send any other online email. Most providers use the following system: 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where 123-456-7890 is your recipient’s fax number.
Step 4) Attach the document you wish to fax to that email. Acceptable file formats typically include .PDF, .DOC, and .DOCX. Most providers allow you to attach multiple files if you wish to fax more than one document.
Step 5) Send the email. Your provider will automatically convert the attachment(s) into faxes and send them to the recipient.
That’s it! One of the biggest advantages of online faxing is being able to manage your fax machine from your tablet.
How to Send an Online Fax Using Your Computer
Sending a fax using your computer is also straightforward. Just like on a tablet, you simply need to create a new email and send it to the appropriate address.
If you’re not currently subscribed to an online fax provider, then you can also send faxes via a fax machine that is connected to your Windows PC. Alternatively, your Windows PC itself can act as a virtual fax machine. All you need to do is connect a phone line to your PC. I’ve provided instructions for both methods below.
Windows 7
Windows 7 Online Fax
Step 1) Open Microsoft Outlook. Or, open your internet browser and go to your email provider’s website.
Step 2) Create a new email
Step 3) Attach the document you wish to fax to that email in the form of a Microsoft Word document (.DOC or .DOCX) or as a PDF
Step 4) Address that email to 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where ‘123-456-7890’ is the fax number of your recipient
Step 5) Send the email. Your provider will automatically convert that email into a fax and forward it to your recipient in seconds.
Windows 7 Fax Machine and Virtual Fax
Step 1) Open the Start menu and type “Windows Fax and Scan” into the search bar
Step 2) Click New Fax and create the fax just like you would create any email. Type your recipient’s fax number into the contact field.
Step 3) Copy, paste, or type your message into the body of the New Fax screen and click ‘Send’
Windows 8
Windows 8 – Online Fax
Step 1) If possible, download and install your online fax provider’s app from the Windows 8 App Store. If your provider does not have an app, then open your email client or internet browser.
Step 2) Create a new email
Step 3) Attach the document you wish to fax to that email. Acceptable file formats for Windows 8 include .DOC, .DOCX, and .PDF
Step 4) Send that email to 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where 123-456-7890 is the number you wish to fax to
Step 5) That’s it! Once the email has been sent, your provider will automatically convert the email attachment into a faxable format
Windows 8 – Fax Machine and Virtual Fax
Step 1) On your keyboard, hold the Windows Key and tap “R”, then type in wfs and press Enter
Step 2) Click the New Fax button and copy, paste, or type your fax into the body of the email
Step 3) Type your recipient’s fax number into the Contact field and click ‘Send’
Windows XP
Windows XP – Online Fax
Step 1) Open Microsoft Outlook or your internet browser and create a new email
Step 2) Attach one or multiple .DOC, .DOCX., or .PDF documents to that email
Step 3) Send the fax to your recipient by typing their fax number into the address bar in the following format: 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where the number is your recipient’s fax number and “YourProvider.com” is your online fax provider
Windows XP – Fax Machine and Virtual Fax
Sending a fax via Windows XP without online faxing support is slightly more complicated than sending it via a Windows Vista, 7, or 8 PC. Follow this detailed guide from Microsoft Support for more information.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista – Online Fax
Step 1) Create a new email using Microsoft Outlook. Or, navigate to your email service provider’s website in your browser and create a new email.
Step 2) Attach one or more documents to that email in the following file formats: .DOC, .DOCX, and .PDF
Step 3) Type the following address into your address bar and replace the numbers with your recipient’s fax number and the website with your online fax provider’s website: 1234567890@YourProvider.com
Step 4) Send the email and it will automatically be converted into a fax
Windows Vista – Fax Machine and Virtual Fax
If you’re not trying to send an online fax via your faxing provider, then follow these steps to send a fax using a fax machine in your office or using a phone jack plugged into your Windows Vista PC:
Step 1) Click the Start button and select All Programs, then click Windows Fax and Scan
Step 2) At the bottom of the left pane, click Fax
Step 3) On the toolbar, click New Fax
Step 4) Fill out the options provided in the New Fax window, compose your new fax, and then click Send
Mac
Mac OS X – Online Fax
Step 1) Create a new email by navigating to your email provider’s website in Safari or by using the default Apple email software
Step 2) Create a new email addressed to 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where the numbers are your recipient’s 10 digit fax number and “YourProvider.com” is your fax-to-email provider’s website
Step 3) Attach the documents you wish to fax. Most online fax providers accept .PDF, .DOC, and .DOCX file formats. Unless you have Microsoft Office for Mac installed, you’ll want to use PDF format.
Step 4) Click ‘Send’ and your online fax provider will automatically convert the email into a fax
Alternatively, your online fax provider may have developed an app for the Mac App Store. Launch the Mac App Store application and search for your provider. Or, download third party faxing apps like iFax designed specifically for use with Mac OS.
Linux – Online Fax
Step 1) Create a new email
Step 2) Address that email to your recipient via your online fax provider using an email address like: 1234567890@YourProvider.com, where the numbers correspond to your recipient’s 10 digit fax number and YourProvider.com corresponds to your online fax provider’s website.
Step 3) Attach your .DOC, DOCX, or .PDF file to that email
Step 4) Send the email and your provider will automatically convert it into a fax
Alternatively, you can find plenty of fax applications for Linux on SourceForge. Those applications vary widely in terms of support and quality, so use them at your own risk. They’re also not designed to work with online faxing services and are instead built to connect to a fax machine attached to the computer. Most online fax providers do not currently offer applications for Linux, although you can obviously still send emails with attachments from Linux.
Getting Creative – Alternative Methods To Send A Fax
Did none of the methods listed above work? Here are some alternative methods that will help you send or receive your important fax.
Go to a friend’s house: Talk to your friends and relatives. One of them must have a fax machine at their home or office.
Ask a local business: Local businesses usually have fax machines in the office. If you call a small business and offer to pay to use their fax machine, they’re probably not going to decline you.
Visit a local business center or library: Most cities and towns have businesses centers where anybody can pay a small fee to use printers, computers, fax machines, and other office-related infrastructure. If you can’t find a nearby business center, then a local library is your next best option.