October 1, 2021  |   

Not many people have immediate access to a fax machine these days, especially since more people than ever are working from home. Luckily, you can now fax over the internet from any device with an internet connection and an emailing app.

Don't Have Access to a Fax Machine? Fax Over the Internet Instead

Faxing online is increasingly popular due to its convenience and ease. To send your faxes online, all you need is an email account and an account with an online fax service. You don't need any special plug-ins or downloads to get Internet faxing to work. You don't need any expensive apps on any of your devices, either.

Is Faxing Online Secure?

Faxing using Internet lines instead of landline connections is secure because, when Internet faxing, you're not using regular Internet servers. Regular Internet servers are connected to numerous other servers and devices, making them less secure than a landline connection. However, traditional fax machines have always used landline connections for their security.

Online faxing servers have minimal connections to other Internet servers. The Internet faxing servers are also connected to fewer additional devices. This means security is tighter, making online faxing even more secure than emailing.

How Do You Fax Online? Get Started in 6 Easy Steps

1. Select Your Service

An Internet faxing service such as Afax is easy to set up and use. Once you've set up an account with the service, you'll get your own fax number and be able to use the faxing service's suffix. So, instead of emailing emailprefix@gmail.com, you'll send a fax to faxnumber@onafax.com instead.

2. Open Your Email Account

You can use your Internet fax service with popular email services such as Gmail and Outlook. You can also set it up so that you can receive digital faxes to your email inbox. There's no special setting you need to activate to get started. When you're ready to send your first digital fax, simply open the email composition box as normal.

3. Get Your Fax Ready

Paper faxes are sent as a series of pages. Digital faxes are sent the same way, except not on paper. This means your digital fax should be sent in PDF format. Any format that can be opened with a word processor will also work when you're sending the fax. Sending individual image files is also an option, but it's easier for organization purposes if you compile the images into a PDF or word processor file instead.

Please exclude a cover page when you prepare your fax documents, as this will be added separately.

4. Attach the Files and Cover Page

You'll attach your file where you'd normally attach a file to an email. This means you can upload it from your device with the “attach files” option, upload it from dropbox or Google Drive, or simply drag-and-drop it if you're using a computer. Leave the files in the email body, and don't put any text in the body alongside it.

Write up a cover page in Google Docs or another word processor. Once done, copy and paste the cover page text into the subject line of your email composition box.

6. Add the Recipient

The way you add the recipient is what will turn this from an email into an Internet fax. Instead of putting in your recipient's email address, get their fax number. Insert the fax number and place your faxing service's suffix after it. Once you hit send, your message will be sent as a digital fax.

Are you ready to try out faxing online? Check out Afax to send your first fax today.