How to Send a Fax Using Your Email Account

Email-to-fax works by converting your message into a fax and routing it through a fax gateway

To send a fax by email, you address a message to a special fax number formatted as an email address, then send it through your regular email account. The fax gateway — a service that converts emails into fax signals — receives your message, translates it, and dials the recipient's fax machine. The recipient sees a standard fax arrive on their machine, with no indication it came from email. You do not need to own a fax machine or subscribe to a separate fax service to do this.

The process takes the same time as sending an email, usually arriving within seconds to a few minutes. The recipient's fax machine prints or stores the document the way it would any other incoming fax. This method works best when you have a document already in digital form — a PDF, Word file, image, or email message you want to forward as a fax.

Key Takeaways

• You send an email to an address formatted as [fax number]@[gateway domain], such as 5551234567@efax.com, and the gateway converts it to a fax.
• Most email-to-fax services are free for a limited number of faxes per month, with paid plans for higher volume.
• You can attach one or more documents (PDF, Word, image files) to your email, and they will print on the recipient's fax machine in order.
• The recipient's fax machine receives a standard fax with a cover sheet showing your email address or name as the sender.
• Some services require you to create an account first; others let you send without signing up but charge per fax.

Finding a fax gateway and understanding the address format

Common fax gateways include eFax, MyFax, Fax.plus, and Google Fax (through Google Voice). Each one assigns you a fax number or lets you use any number you want to send from. To send a fax, you format the recipient's fax number as an email address using the gateway's domain.

If you use eFax, a fax to 555-123-4567 becomes 5551234567@efax.com. With MyFax, it becomes 5551234567@myfax.com. With Google Fax through Google Voice, you send to the number@voice.google.com. Check your gateway's documentation for the exact format — some require hyphens, some do not; some use a plus sign before the number.

Most gateways let you send from your personal email address (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or your work email). You do not need to use the gateway's email address as your sender. The recipient sees your name or email address on the fax cover sheet, depending on what the gateway displays.

Attaching documents and formatting your message

Attach the document you want to fax as you would any email attachment. PDF files work best because they preserve formatting exactly. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, images (JPG, PNG), and even plain text emails can be faxed. Most gateways accept multiple attachments in a single email — they will print in the order you attached them.

Keep file sizes reasonable. Most gateways accept attachments up to 10 to 25 megabytes, though a typical fax page is under 1 megabyte. If you are sending a scanned document, check that the resolution is at least 200 dots per inch (DPI) so the fax prints legibly.

Write a brief subject line and message body if you want a cover sheet. Many gateways use your email subject as the fax subject line and your message body as cover sheet text. If you leave the subject and body blank, the gateway may send the fax without a cover sheet, or with a minimal one showing only sender and recipient information.

Understanding costs and free tier limits

Most fax gateways offer a free tier that includes a small number of faxes per month — typically 5 to 10 outgoing faxes. eFax and MyFax both offer free plans with limited monthly sends. Google Fax through Google Voice is free for sending faxes within the United States, with no monthly limit.

Paid plans usually cost between $10 and $30 per month and include a higher monthly fax allowance, a dedicated fax number you can receive faxes on, and cloud storage for received faxes. Some gateways charge per fax if you exceed your monthly limit — typically 50 cents to $2 per page. Check your gateway's pricing page to see what happens when you run out of free faxes.

If you send faxes rarely, the free tier is usually enough. If you send more than 10 faxes per month, a paid plan often costs less than paying per-fax overage charges.

What happens after you send the email

After you send the email to the fax gateway address, the gateway processes it within seconds to a few minutes. During this time, the gateway dials the recipient's fax number, waits for the fax machine to answer, and transmits the document. If the line is busy or the fax machine does not answer, the gateway usually retries automatically — most services retry 2 to 5 times over several hours.

You will receive a delivery confirmation email from the gateway telling you whether the fax went through. If it failed, the confirmation will say why — for example, "busy signal", "no answer", or "invalid number". Some gateways let you check delivery status in a web dashboard instead of or in addition to email confirmation.

The recipient's fax machine prints the document as it would any other incoming fax. They see a cover sheet (if the gateway sent one) followed by your document pages. There is no way for them to know the fax came from email unless you tell them or the cover sheet says so.

Troubleshooting common problems

If your fax does not go through, check the recipient's fax number first. Fax numbers must be exact — a single digit wrong will route to the wrong machine or fail. Confirm the number with the recipient by phone or in writing before sending.

If the gateway says "invalid number", the number may be formatted wrong for that gateway. Try removing hyphens, adding the country code (1 for the United States), or checking the gateway's documentation for the correct format. Some gateways require a plus sign and country code; others do not accept them.

If the fax fails repeatedly with "busy signal" or "no answer", the recipient's fax machine may be off, out of paper, or not set to receive. Ask the recipient to check their machine and try again. If the machine is on and working, try sending at a different time — some fax lines are shared with phone lines and may be in use.

If your attachment does not appear on the received fax, the file may be corrupted or in an unsupported format. Try converting the file to PDF using your computer's print-to-PDF function, or re-scan the document at a higher resolution. Resend the new file.

When email-to-fax makes sense and when it does not

Email-to-fax works well when you need to send a document to someone who only has a fax machine, when you want to avoid buying or maintaining fax hardware, or when you send faxes occasionally. It is fast, requires no special equipment, and works from any device with email access.

Email-to-fax is less practical if you receive many faxes — you would need to set up a fax number on the gateway to receive them, which usually requires a paid plan. If you send high volumes of faxes (more than 50 per month), a dedicated fax service or a fax modem connected to your computer may be cheaper. If you need to fax handwritten documents or physical papers, you will need to scan them first, which adds a step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a fax to an international number?

Yes, most gateways support international faxes, but they charge more — typically $1 to $3 per page depending on the country. Format the number with the country code (for example, 44 for the United Kingdom) and check your gateway's international rate list before sending. Some free tiers do not include international faxes.

What if I want to receive faxes by email too?

Most gateways that let you send also offer incoming fax numbers on paid plans. You get a dedicated fax number, and incoming faxes are converted to PDF and emailed to you. This usually costs $10 to $20 per month. Google Fax through Google Voice does not currently support receiving faxes.

Can I send a fax from my phone?

Yes, if your phone has email access. Attach the document to an email on your phone and send it to the fax gateway address the same way you would from a computer. Some gateways also offer mobile apps that let you take a photo of a document and fax it directly.

Do I need to create an account before sending my first fax?

It depends on the gateway. Google Fax requires a Google account but no separate signup. eFax and MyFax let you send a limited number of faxes without an account, but you must create one to track delivery status or use a paid plan. Check the gateway's website to see if signup is required.

What file types can I fax?

PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), image files (JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF), and plain text work on all major gateways. Some gateways also accept RTF and ODT files. Avoid sending executable files (.exe, .zip) — most gateways block them for security reasons.