Fax won't receive or incoming faxes don't print
Incoming faxes not answered, taken by voicemail, or received but never printed? Fix answer mode, rings to answer, distinctive ring and fax memory.
Quick fix
Turn on auto answer, or set the receive mode to fax only, in the printer's fax settings. If voicemail shares the line, set the printer to answer after fewer rings than voicemail; with an answering machine plugged into the printer's EXT port, set the printer to answer after more rings than the machine. Then check paper, ink and fax memory.
Didn’t work? Go to the full stepsYou might see
- The line rings but the printer never answers
- Senders reach your voicemail or answering machine instead of the fax
- The printer answers but the fax fails or nothing prints
- Faxes are stored in memory but don't print
Usually caused by
- Auto answer off, or the receive mode set to manual
- Voicemail or an answering machine picking up first
- Distinctive ring set to the wrong pattern
- Out of paper or ink, or fax memory full
- Received faxes forwarded, sent to a computer or blocked
Step-by-step fix
Work through the steps in order and check each one off. Most people are printing again before the last step.
Any printer with a fax
0 of 9 steps tried
-
Turn on auto answer
In the fax settings, turn on auto answer or choose a receive mode such as fax only. Manual mode only receives when you press a receive or start button yourself, so use it only if you want to answer every call by phone first.
-
Answer before voicemail
If your phone company's voicemail is on the line, it answers after a set number of rings and the printer never gets the call. Set the printer's rings to answer lower than the voicemail's, or turn voicemail off for a dedicated fax line in your phone account settings.
-
Share the line with an answering machine
Connect an answering machine to the printer's EXT or TEL port, not to a splitter at the wall. Set the machine to answer after fewer rings than the printer, and choose the printer's answering machine receive mode if it has one. The printer then listens on the line and takes over when it hears fax tones.
-
Match the distinctive ring setting
If your phone service gives the fax its own number with a different ring pattern, set the printer's distinctive ring or answer ring pattern to match it. If you don't have that service, set it to all rings, or the printer may ignore every call.
-
Check paper, ink and memory
Most printers store faxes in memory when they're out of paper or ink and print them once the problem is fixed. When memory fills up, new faxes are refused. Load paper, replace empty cartridges, then print or delete stored faxes from the fax menu.
-
Check forwarding and fax to computer
Look for options that send received faxes elsewhere, such as fax forwarding, fax to PC, fax to email or backup reception. Faxes set to go to a computer that's switched off may wait in memory and never print, so turn these off if you want paper copies.
-
Review junk fax blocking
A blocked numbers list, or a setting that rejects faxes without caller ID, can stop legitimate senders. Check the blocked list in the fax settings, and turn off anonymous call blocking briefly to test.
-
Lower the speed and check ECM
If the printer answers but the fax fails, lower the fax speed to 14400 or 9600 bps and make sure error correction mode (ECM) is on, which helps on noisy lines.
-
Test with a short fax
Ask someone to send a one-page test fax and listen for the printer answering with fax tones. Then print the fax log from the reports menu to see whether the call was received, failed or blocked.
Did this fix it?
Good. To confirm everything is healthy, print a test page. It takes a minute and shows any quality problems early.
Try these next
Still stuck? Our printer assistant can walk you through it by live chat, free. . Or the The troubleshooter asks a few questions and narrows it down. If your printer is under warranty, the manufacturer can repair or replace it at no cost. Find their official support site on our brand pages.
Common questions
Can a fax and an answering machine share one line?
Yes. Connect the answering machine to the printer's EXT port, let the machine answer first, and set the printer to detect fax tones and take over.
Why do people hear fax tones when they ring me?
The printer answers before you or your voicemail do. Increase its rings to answer, or ask your provider about a distinctive ring number for the fax.
Where do faxes go if the printer runs out of paper?
Most printers keep them in memory and print them when you load paper. Memory is limited, and some printers lose stored faxes if they're unplugged, so fix the problem promptly.