June 1, 2021  |   

Sometimes, we just have to send a fax whether we like it or not. If some entity, like a lawyer, government official, or maybe an international business, is insisting that you fax, the simplest way to do this is just to use your own email account. We'll give you a quick tutorial here on how to fax from email. It couldn't be simpler.

How to Fax From Email Without Downloading or Installing Anything

You can easily send a fax using an online fax service. This allows you to send faxes from anywhere in the world and from any device. All you need is a connection to the Internet and a device to send it with. You can use the service's own website to send, but the fastest and most intuitive way to send a fax is just to use your own Gmail account. Sign up with a good online fax service like aFax and then link your Gmail account. Now you're ready to go!

Open and Compose an Email

Once you are signed up, you simply sign into your email and open up a new email to compose. Then you will add your recipient's phone number into the address line of your email. Essentially, you just have to turn your recipient's fax number into an email address. You do this by removing all special characters and spaces from the number and by adding the suffix that the fax service gives to you.

This ensures that the email you send is directed to your fax service, and they can then send your fax according to the international faxing protocols established by the International Telecommunications Union, who oversees faxing. Removing special characters just means you won't have anything like ( or – in your number. Instead of (344) 233-4444, you will just use 3442334444. Follow this with @onafax.com.

Attach Your Documents

The next step is to attach the documents that you wish to send by fax. You can attach these from an account in Google Drive or Dropbox or just upload them from your own computer. You can attach Word documents, but whatever you send will be transformed into a PDF by your fax service before it is sent on. In most cases, it's best to send a PDF to begin with, as this is the most secure document type. The primary reason that entities require fax is for security, so this just makes good sense.

Choose a Template or Make a Cover Letter

It's always a good idea to add a cover letter to your fax. A cover letter should detail who the fax is going to and who you are. That way, if your fax arrives printed out on a regular fax machine at a busy office, an administrative assistant can pick it up and take it to the correct recipient without having to look at any of your private information underneath. Your fax service provides several templates you can choose from to add a cover letter, or, you can simply type your cover letter into the subject line of your email.

That's all there is to it, and now you've just sent a fax by Gmail. It's just as simple and intuitive as sending an email, and the best part is that you can send to multiple recipients instantly. As soon as your fax has been sent and received, you will get a text message from your fax service, so there's no need to hang around a fax machine hoping and praying that your fax went through. If you were ready to get started, try faxing for yourself at aFax today!