How to Send a Fax From Email — Complete Guide (2026)
Email-to-fax lets you send faxes using the email client you already use — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Apple Mail, or any other provider. No fax machine, no phone line, no apps to install. Here's exactly how it works.
Works with any email provider · 10 free pages · HIPAA compliant
How Email-to-Fax Works
Email-to-fax services act as a bridge between your email inbox and the global fax network. When you compose an email with a fax number as the recipient, the service intercepts your message, converts your attachment (PDF, Word doc, image) into a fax-compatible format, and transmits it over traditional phone lines to the destination fax machine.
The entire process takes 1-3 minutes. You don't need any special software, browser extensions, or hardware. If you can send an email, you can send a fax.
Sign Up for a Fax Service
Create a free Fax.plus account. Verify your email address. You'll get 10 free pages — no credit card required.
Compose Your Email
To: [fax-number]@fax.plus (e.g., +15551234567@fax.plus). Attach your PDF or document. The subject line becomes your fax cover page title.
Send & Get Confirmation
Hit send. Fax.plus converts and transmits your fax. You'll receive a delivery receipt in your inbox within 1-3 minutes confirming delivery.
Email-to-Fax by Provider — Step-by-Step
The email-to-fax process works with any email provider, but here's how to do it with the most popular ones:
Gmail (Email-to-Fax)
Gmail is the most popular email client for email-to-fax. You have two options:
- Email method: Compose a new email in Gmail → Enter
[fax-number]@fax.plusin the "To" field → Attach your document → Send - Add-on method: Install the Fax.plus Gmail add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace for a native "Send Fax" button directly inside Gmail
For a complete walkthrough, see our How to Fax from Gmail guide.
Outlook / Microsoft 365
Outlook works identically to Gmail for email-to-fax:
- Open Outlook (desktop, web, or mobile)
- Create a new email → To:
[fax-number]@fax.plus - Attach your document (PDF recommended) → Send
- Bonus: Fax.plus offers an Outlook add-in for Microsoft 365 that adds fax capabilities directly in the Outlook interface
Yahoo Mail
Yahoo Mail works via the standard email-to-fax format. Compose your email to [fax-number]@fax.plus, attach your document, and send. Yahoo Mail supports all file types accepted by Fax.plus including PDF, DOC, JPG, and PNG.
For a detailed Yahoo walkthrough, see our Fax from Yahoo Mail guide.
Apple Mail & Other Providers
Apple Mail, ProtonMail, Thunderbird, AOL Mail, and any other email client that can send standard emails with attachments will work with email-to-fax. The process is identical: [fax-number]@fax.plus in the To field, attach your file, send.
Note for ProtonMail users: Attachments must be unencrypted for the fax service to process them. ProtonMail's end-to-end encryption applies only between ProtonMail users, so emails to external addresses (like @fax.plus) are sent normally.
Email-to-Fax Service Comparison
We tested 8 email-to-fax services. Here's how the top picks compare:
| Service | Email-to-Fax | Supported Providers | Free Pages | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fax.plus ⭐ | ✓ | All providers | 10 | From $6.99/mo | 9.4/10 |
| eFax | ✓ | All providers | 0 | $18.99/mo | 7.5/10 |
| RingCentral Fax | ✓ | All providers | 0 | $15.99/mo | 7.2/10 |
| MyFax | ✓ | All providers | 0 | $12.00/mo | 6.8/10 |
| FaxBurner | Limited | Most providers | 5 | $12.95/mo | 6.5/10 |
Troubleshooting Email-to-Fax
If your email fax doesn't go through, here are common fixes:
- Fax not delivered: Double-check the fax number format. Include the country code (e.g., +1 for US/Canada). Remove spaces and dashes.
- Busy signal: The receiving fax machine may be in use. Fax.plus automatically retries up to 3 times.
- File format error: Make sure you're attaching a supported format. PDF works best. Avoid password-protected files.
- Large file: Most services limit attachments to 20MB. Compress large PDFs before sending.
- No confirmation email: Check your spam/junk folder. Add noreply@fax.plus to your contacts.
Email-to-Fax Security: What You Need to Know
When sending faxes via email, security depends on two things: your email provider's security and your fax service's security.
- In transit: Fax.plus uses 256-bit TLS encryption for all transmissions between your email and their servers
- At rest: Documents are stored in encrypted cloud storage with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification
- Compliance: Fax.plus is HIPAA-compliant, making it suitable for healthcare, legal, and financial documents
- Important: Standard email is not end-to-end encrypted. For maximum security with highly sensitive documents, use the Fax.plus web or mobile app directly
How to Receive Faxes by Email
Email-to-fax works both ways. Here's how to receive incoming faxes directly in your email inbox:
- Get a fax number — Sign up for a Fax.plus paid plan ($6.99/mo). Choose a local or toll-free number from 40+ countries.
- Set up email forwarding — In your Fax.plus dashboard, enable email notifications and select your preferred email address (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other).
- Receive faxes as PDFs — When someone sends a fax to your number, it's automatically converted to PDF and delivered to your inbox within seconds.
Received faxes are also stored in your Fax.plus cloud dashboard with full search, organization, and archival capabilities. You can access them from any device.
Free Email-to-Fax: What You Get
Here's what's included in the free tier vs paid plans:
| Feature | Free Plan | Basic ($6.99/mo) | Premium ($12.99/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send via email | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free pages | 10 | 200/mo | 500/mo |
| Receive faxes | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fax number | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ (up to 5) |
| HIPAA compliant | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Credit card required | No | Yes | Yes |
Why Use Email-to-Fax Instead of a Fax Machine?
💰 Save Money
No fax machine ($100-$500), no phone line ($20-$40/mo), no paper or toner. Email-to-fax starts free, then $6.99/mo.
⚡ Save Time
Send from your inbox in under 2 minutes. No printing, scanning, or waiting by a machine. Works from anywhere.
🔒 More Secure
Encrypted transmission, digital records, and compliance certifications. No printed documents sitting in a tray for anyone to see.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. With a service like Fax.plus, you can send faxes from any email client — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or Apple Mail. Simply compose an email to [fax-number]@fax.plus, attach your document, and send. The service converts your email attachment into a fax and transmits it over phone lines.
To send an email to a fax machine, sign up for an email-to-fax service like Fax.plus. Then compose a new email, enter the recipient's fax number followed by @fax.plus (e.g., +15551234567@fax.plus), attach your PDF or document, and click send. The service will deliver it to the fax machine.
Yes. The same email-to-fax method works with Outlook, Microsoft 365, and Outlook.com. Fax.plus also offers an Outlook add-in for a native experience, letting you fax directly from the Outlook interface without switching apps.
Yes, when using a reputable service. Fax.plus encrypts all transmissions with 256-bit TLS encryption and stores documents in encrypted cloud storage with SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance. However, standard email is not encrypted end-to-end, so for highly sensitive documents consider using the Fax.plus web app directly.
Most services support PDF, Word (.doc/.docx), images (JPG, PNG, TIFF), Excel spreadsheets, and plain text files. Fax.plus supports 20+ file formats including Pages, OpenDocument, and rich text formats.
Fax.plus offers 10 free fax pages when you sign up — no credit card required. After that, paid plans start at $6.99/month. Many competitors like eFax charge $18.99/month with no free tier at all.
Yes. With a Fax.plus paid plan, you get a dedicated fax number. Any faxes sent to that number are automatically converted to PDF and delivered to your email inbox. You can receive faxes in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other email client.
Sign up for a free Fax.plus account (no credit card needed). You'll get 10 free pages. Compose an email to [fax-number]@fax.plus, attach your document, and send. That's it — your first 10 pages are completely free.