How to send fax from computer used to mean a modem and a phone line; now it means a browser. Every vendor in the Fax Line Index lets you fax a PDF from a computer by uploading it to a web page, typing the destination number and pressing send, and the vendor's equipment dials and transmits it as a normal fax. Inbound faxes arrive as PDFs. This page walks through sending from a PC or a Mac, the free option for a single page, and what a plan with a number adds.
Can i fax a pdf from my computer: the steps
Log in to the vendor's site, or open a free sender's page. Choose send, attach the PDF or a Word file, which the service converts, or print to the vendor's print driver where one is offered. Type the fax number with the area code. Add a cover page if needed. Send, and the job appears in the sent log with its status; the report follows when the last page is confirmed. That is how to send fax from pc and Mac alike, because nothing runs on the computer but a browser. Some vendors also accept email: address a message to the fax number at the vendor's domain with the PDF attached, and the same thing happens.
Best free fax from computer for a page or two
A free sender such as FaxZero transmits a short document from its web page at no charge, with its own cover sheet carrying advertising and a limit on pages and sends per day; one-time services charge a few dollars for a longer document without a subscription. That is the right answer for the person who needs to send fax via internet once. What the free route does not give is a number to receive on, a clean cover sheet, or a record you can search later, and a business that sends more than occasionally is better on a plan: Fax.Plus prints Basic at $6.99 a month with 200 pages and one number included, CocoFax $9.99, MetroFax $11.95 with 550 pages, iFax $12.49, WestFax $14.99 with 500 pages.
Computer fax: what the report tells you, and what to keep
Send a pdf to a fax number and the service reports the result: delivered with the page count and time, or busy, no answer or failed. Delivered is the receiving device's own confirmation and is the proof a court or clinic accepts. Keep the report with the document; online services keep it in the sent log and email a copy. A failed report means nothing arrived and the number or the recipient's machine should be checked before resending. If the document carries health information the computer fax route is the same as any other: a vendor from the HIPAA class, a business associate agreement, and a cover sheet that discloses nothing on its face.
Questions people ask about how to send fax from computer
Do I need a fax modem in the computer?
No. The online service's equipment places the call. A browser and the PDF are all the computer needs.
Can I fax a Word document from my computer?
Yes. Vendors convert Word and image files to fax pages on upload, or you can save as PDF first. Check the preview before sending.
Is sending a fax from a computer free?
For a short document through a free sender, yes, with its advertising cover sheet and limits. A plan with a number starts at Fax.Plus's printed $6.99 a month.