How to send a fax from your computer
Send a fax from Windows with your printer's PC-fax software or Windows Fax and Scan, from a Mac with the maker's tools, or with an online fax service.
You can fax a document straight from your computer without printing it first. There are three ways to do it: through your all-in-one printer with the maker's PC-fax software, through Windows Fax and Scan with a fax modem, or through an online fax service. The first two still send over a phone line connected to the printer or modem, so set up and test the fax line before you start.
Steps
Windows 11 / 10
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Check whether a fax driver is installed
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners). Look for an entry with your printer's name and Fax or PC-Fax in it. An entry called just Fax belongs to Windows Fax and Scan, which needs a fax modem rather than your printer.
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Install the maker's full software package
If there's no fax entry for your printer, download the full driver and software package for your model from the manufacturer's official support website. The basic drivers Windows installs on its own usually leave out PC-fax. During installation, choose the fax or PC-fax component if it's offered, and make sure the printer can already send a fax from its own control panel.
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Send a fax with the PC-fax driver
Open the document, press Ctrl + P and pick the printer's fax entry as the printer. When you click Print, the maker's fax window opens: enter the fax number with any area code or dial prefix, add a cover page if you want one, and send. The computer passes the pages to the printer, which dials out over its phone line.
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Or use Windows Fax and Scan with a fax modem
Windows Fax and Scan works with a fax modem connected to your PC and a phone line, such as a USB fax modem; most all-in-one printers don't appear to it as a modem. Search the Start menu for Windows Fax and Scan; if it isn't there, it may need to be added as an optional Windows feature. Select Fax at the lower left, click New Fax, and follow the prompts to connect to your fax modem the first time.
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Send and track the fax
In the New Fax window, enter the recipient's number, a subject and a message, or attach a file. You can also print any document to the Fax printer to start a new fax with it attached. Sent faxes appear in Sent Items, while faxes still waiting or that failed stay in the Outbox, where you can retry them.
macOS
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Check for a fax option in the print dialog
Older versions of macOS could fax from the print dialog when a fax-capable printer or modem was set up. Recent versions may not include a built-in fax option, so if you choose File > Print and see no fax choice in the printer list or the PDF menu, use one of the options below.
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Look for the maker's Mac fax software
Some printer makers offer a Mac fax driver, a fax utility or a fax feature in their app. Check the downloads for your model on the manufacturer's official support website and confirm they list your macOS version, from macOS 13 Ventura to macOS 26 Tahoe. If a fax driver installs, it usually appears as a separate printer you can choose in the print dialog.
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Send from the print dialog
Open the document, choose File > Print, select the fax driver as the printer and enter the recipient's number in the fields it adds. Click the send or print button, then check the printer's fax log or a confirmation report to make sure it went through.
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Use an online fax service if there's no driver
If your printer maker doesn't offer Mac fax software, save the document as a PDF with File > Export as PDF, or with Save as PDF in the print dialog's PDF menu. Then send it through an online fax service as described in the next section.
Online fax service
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Choose a service with care
Online fax services deliver faxes over the internet to an ordinary fax number, so you need no phone line, modem or fax-capable printer, and they work from any computer, including a Chromebook. Most charge per page or by monthly plan. Before you sign up, check the price for the countries you fax to, whether it can receive faxes too, and its privacy and data retention terms, especially for medical, legal or financial documents.
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Prepare a clean PDF
Scan paper documents at 200 to 300 dpi in black and white, or export digital documents straight to PDF. Check each page is upright and readable; faxes are sent at a lower resolution than most scans, so small or faint text may not survive.
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Send and keep the confirmation
Upload the PDF on the service's website or app, enter the fax number with the country code if you're faxing abroad, add a cover page if needed and send. Keep the confirmation the service emails or shows you, since it's your record that the fax was delivered.
Tips
- Enter the number exactly as you'd dial it from that phone line, including the area code and any prefix such as 9 for an outside line.
- Send in black and white unless you know the recipient can receive color. Most fax machines print in monochrome.
- Keep the send confirmation for important faxes. Most printers can print one automatically, and PC-fax software usually keeps a log.
- If PC-fax stops working after a Windows update, reinstall the full software package from the maker's official support website.
Common questions
Can I fax from my computer without a phone line?
Only through an online fax service. PC-fax software and Windows Fax and Scan both send through a phone line connected to the printer or the fax modem.
Does Windows Fax and Scan work with my all-in-one printer?
It can scan from many all-in-ones, but faxing needs a fax modem, and most all-in-one printers don't present one to Windows. Use the maker's PC-fax software to fax through the printer instead.
Can I receive faxes on my computer?
Some PC-fax software can save incoming faxes to the computer instead of printing them, and some printers can forward received faxes to email or a network folder. Online fax services usually deliver received faxes as PDF attachments by email.
Is faxing from a computer as private as a normal fax?
PC-fax through your printer travels over the phone line just like a normal fax. An online service also stores and transmits your document over the internet, so check how it protects and keeps files before you send anything sensitive.