By David Thompson · Published August 2, 2025 · Updated March 26, 2026 · 8 min read
Yes — you can fax something through email. You don't need a fax machine, a phone line, or any special hardware. All you need is your regular email account (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other) and an email-to-fax service that bridges the gap between the internet and the traditional phone network.
This guide explains exactly how it works, walks you through the steps, and helps you pick the right approach for your situation.
Quick Answer
Yes, you can fax through email. Sign up for an email-to-fax service, compose a new email, enter the recipient's fax number in the To field (in a special format like 12125551234@send.mfax.to), attach your PDF, and send. The service converts your email into a fax signal and delivers it to any fax machine in the world.
What Is Email to Fax?
Email to fax is a service that lets you send and receive faxes using ordinary email, with no fax machine or phone line required. (It's also written email-to-fax.) To send, you email your document to the recipient's fax number at your provider's gateway domain, like 12125551234@send.mfax.to. To receive, faxes sent to your virtual number arrive in your inbox as PDF attachments.
In other words, your everyday inbox becomes a two-way fax line. It works with any email provider — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or iCloud — and the recipient's machine prints a standard fax, with no idea it began as an email.
How Email-to-Fax Works
Email-to-fax is a bridge technology that connects the internet to the traditional telephone network. Here is what happens under the hood when you send a fax through email:
- You send an email to a special address like
12125551234@send.mfax.towith your document attached. - The service receives your email and strips out the attachment.
- Your document is converted from PDF (or DOCX, JPG, etc.) into a fax-compatible format — typically Group 3 or Group 4 compression.
- The signal is transmitted over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or via the T.38 fax-over-IP protocol to the recipient's fax number.
- The recipient's fax machine prints the document, just as it would for any other fax.
- You receive a delivery confirmation email once the recipient's machine acknowledges receipt.
The whole process typically takes 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on document length and network conditions.
The Technology Behind It
Most modern email-to-fax gateways use the T.38 protocol — an ITU standard for transmitting fax over IP networks. This is the same protocol used by VoIP fax services and is far more reliable than early "fax modem over VoIP" methods that caused frequent errors.
What You Need to Fax Something Through Email
Faxing through email requires very little setup:
- An email account — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, or any other
- An email-to-fax service — such as mFax.to, which provides the gateway domain and delivery infrastructure
- Your document — saved as PDF (strongly recommended) or another supported format
- The recipient's fax number — including country code (e.g., 1 for US/Canada)
That's it. No fax machine. No phone line. No special software.
How to Fax Something Through Email: Step by Step
Sign Up for an Email-to-Fax Service
Create an account with an email-to-fax provider. mFax.to supports email-to-fax with pay-per-fax pricing — no monthly subscription needed for occasional sending. Once registered, you'll receive a gateway domain and sending instructions.
Prepare Your Document
Convert your document to PDF before attaching it. PDF is the most reliable format across all fax gateways — it preserves layout, fonts, and margins exactly as they'll print on the recipient's machine. If you have a Word document, JPG, or other file, convert it first using a free tool like mFax's document converter.
Open a New Email and Format the To Address
In your email client, open a new message. In the To field, enter the recipient's fax number in this format:
[country code][area code][fax number]@[service domain]
For a US fax number (212) 555-1234 using mFax.to, that would be:
12125551234@send.mfax.to
Always include the country code (1 for US and Canada). For international numbers, include the full international dialing code — for example, 441234567890@send.mfax.to for a UK number.
Attach Your Document and Write the Subject
Attach your PDF to the email. The subject line typically becomes the fax cover sheet header, so write something descriptive like "Contract — Jane Smith, March 2026". Leave the body blank or add a short note — some services include the email body as a cover page.
Send and Wait for Confirmation
Click Send. Within minutes, you'll receive a delivery confirmation email with a timestamp and page count once the recipient's fax machine acknowledges receipt. If the fax fails (busy signal, wrong number, machine offline), you'll receive a failure notice with details.
Double-Check the Fax Number Format
The most common mistake is omitting the country code or using dashes and parentheses in the number. The gateway expects digits only, with the country code prepended. 12125551234 ✓ (212) 555-1234 ✗
How to Fax from Gmail
Gmail is the most popular email client for faxing because it's free, browser-based, and accessible from any device.
- Log into Gmail in any browser or the Gmail mobile app.
- Click Compose to open a new email.
- In To, enter the fax number address:
12125551234@send.mfax.to - In Subject, enter a brief description of the document.
- Click the paperclip icon to attach your PDF.
- Click Send.
For a full walkthrough including screenshots and provider-specific Gmail settings, see our complete guide to sending a fax from Gmail.
How to Fax from Outlook
The process in Microsoft Outlook (desktop or web) is identical:
- Open Outlook and click New Email.
- In the To field, enter
12125551234@send.mfax.to(or your provider's format). - Add a subject and attach your PDF.
- Click Send.
Outlook users in organizations with Microsoft 365 may also be able to integrate a fax add-in directly into the Outlook toolbar. See our Outlook fax guide for detailed setup instructions.
Can You Receive a Fax by Email?
Yes. The reverse also works — incoming faxes can be delivered directly to your email inbox as PDF attachments.
When you sign up for an email-to-fax service, you receive a virtual fax number (a real phone number connected to the fax network). When anyone sends a fax to your virtual number, the service:
- Receives the incoming fax signal
- Converts it to a PDF or TIFF file
- Emails the file to your registered address as an attachment
You can then open, download, print, or forward the fax — all from your inbox. No fax machine required.
Fax-to-Email Is Separate from Email-to-Fax
Email-to-fax = you send a fax via email. Fax-to-email = someone faxes you and it arrives in your inbox. Most services support both, but they require different setup steps. Read our dedicated fax to email guide for receiving setup instructions.
What File Types Can You Fax Through Email?
| Format | Supported? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Recommended | Best layout preservation; use for all official documents | |
| DOCX / DOC | ✅ Usually | May reflow if fonts are missing on the gateway server; convert to PDF when possible |
| JPG / JPEG | ✅ Yes | Fine for single-page image scans; quality depends on resolution |
| PNG | ✅ Yes | Same as JPG — works well for scanned images |
| TIFF | ✅ Yes | Traditional fax format; excellent compatibility |
| XLSX / XLS | ⚠️ Sometimes | Spreadsheet formatting often breaks; convert to PDF first |
| Password-protected PDF | ❌ No | Gateway cannot open encrypted files |
| ZIP / RAR archives | ❌ No | Compressed archives are not supported |
Recommendation: Always convert to PDF before faxing. It guarantees the recipient sees exactly what you intend — correct fonts, margins, and page layout.
Is Faxing Through Email Secure?
Email-to-fax security depends on the provider you choose. Here's what to look for:
What Good Providers Offer
TLS encryption in transit, secure document storage, delivery receipts with timestamps, and optional HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (BAA) for healthcare use.
What to Avoid
Providers that store fax content indefinitely in unsecured servers, lack TLS, or cannot sign a BAA if you're handling patient or sensitive legal data.
For healthcare, legal, or financial documents, choose a service that is HIPAA-ready and can provide a BAA. mFax Business includes encryption and BAA support out of the box. See our HIPAA compliant fax guide for a full checklist.
Email-to-Fax vs. a Dedicated Fax App: Which Should You Use?
Both approaches work well. The right choice depends on your workflow.
| Email-to-Fax | Dedicated Fax App (mFax.to) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | No extra app needed | Download app or use web browser |
| Best for | Occasional faxes from a desktop | Frequent faxing, mobile users |
| Document prep | Convert to PDF first | App can scan or import directly |
| Speed | 1–3 minutes | Under 2 minutes |
| Confirmation | Email receipt | In-app status + email |
| Mobile experience | Works via Gmail/Outlook app | Native app — scan with camera |
| HIPAA support | Provider-dependent | Yes (mFax Business) |
If you primarily work from a desktop and already have your documents as PDFs, email-to-fax is the most frictionless option — no extra app, no new interface to learn.
If you fax frequently, need to scan physical documents with your phone camera, or want real-time status tracking, a dedicated app like mFax.to is the better fit. It lets you fax from your phone in under 2 minutes, whether you're scanning a contract on the go or uploading a saved PDF.
Try mFax.to
Over 5 million people use mFax to send faxes without a machine. Visit mFax.to to send your first fax — pay only for what you send, no subscription required.
Common Questions About Faxing Through Email
Does the recipient need to do anything special?
No. The recipient's fax machine receives a standard fax signal. They don't need to know — or care — that you sent it from an email. It prints exactly like any other incoming fax.
Can I fax to international numbers through email?
Yes. Include the full international dialing code in the fax number, without the leading + or 00. For example, a UK number +44 20 7946 0958 becomes 442079460958@send.mfax.to. See our international faxing guide for country-specific dialing formats.
What if my fax doesn't go through?
You'll receive a failure notification email with a reason code (busy signal, no answer, wrong number, etc.). Wait a few minutes and retry — most failures are caused by a temporarily busy line. If failures persist, verify the fax number and check that the recipient's machine is switched on and has paper. Our guide to fax not going through covers the most common causes and fixes.
Do I get a cover page when faxing by email?
Most email-to-fax services use the email subject line as the cover page header and the email body as the cover page message. Some services generate a formatted cover sheet automatically; others let you attach a separate cover page PDF. For professional templates, use our free fax cover sheet generator.
Summary
Faxing something through email is straightforward:
- Sign up for an email-to-fax service (such as mFax.to)
- Prepare your document as a PDF
- Compose a new email, entering the fax number + gateway domain in the To field
- Attach the PDF and send
- Wait for the delivery confirmation email
No fax machine. No phone line. No special equipment. Your regular inbox is all you need.
For the full provider-by-provider walkthrough, see our complete guide to faxing from email covering Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo in detail.
Ready to send your first fax by email? Try mFax.to — pay per fax, no subscription, delivery confirmation included.