How It Works

Internet faxing, sometimes called ‘online faxing’, is a new form of digital faxing that allows anyone to send and receive a fax without a fax machine. While traditional faxing relies on analog fax lines to transmit faxes, internet faxes are transmitted through online providers like eFax. eFax’s online faxing service was first launched in 1997 and is now used by over 11 million people worldwide.

Using the eFax system, anyone can send and receive faxes through their smartphone, tablet or computer . This is a huge advantage for businesses, as internet fax users can send a fax from anywhere, at any time - regardless of their proximity to the office fax machine.

Internet faxing, or ‘online faxing’, relies on a similar principle to email. Internet faxes are transmitted via providers like eFax, who encrypt your fax with TLS encryption , transmit it digitally, and de-encrypt for you to read.

Unlike traditional faxing, internet faxing does not require a fax machine, an analog fax line or a fax file room. Instead, internet fax users fax from their computer, smartphone or tablet. When a user sends a fax, it is transmitted online - instead of through analog fax lines. However, internet fax users still use fax numbers, as service providers use fax numbers to direct the faxes to the correct recipient. When a user receives a fax, they receive an email-like notification on their device. The user is then able to access their fax online, where it is stored with cloud-based storage.

Internet faxing is made possible by service providers like eFax. eFax currently transmits over 1 billion faxes monthly and has over 11 million customers worldwide.

Internet faxing is made possible by service providers like eFax, who offer a 30-day trial that allows anyone to fax for free. eFax is a leading fax provider that serves over 11 million customers and transmits over 1 billion faxes monthly. Their free trial includes full access to their online faxing service with no setup fees, as well as 400 free faxes and a free fax number. Follow these steps to start your free 30-day trial with eFax.

1. Click here to sign up for an eFax free trial.
2. Redeem your free fax number by selecting your country and city and choosing a fax number from the list provided. You may select a number from any country or city, even if you do not live there.
3. Enter your personal details.
4. Activate your new fax number by clicking ‘start faxing’.

Your free trial to eFax allows you to use all of eFax’s features, including their desktop and mobile apps, their electronic signature technology, voicemail to email technology and lifetime cloud-based storage.

Follow these instructions to set up internet faxing.

1. Click to start a free 30-day trial with eFax.
2. Select your country and city, and choose a fax number from the list provided. You can choose a number from outside your city or country.
3. Enter your personal details.
4. Click ‘start faxing’ to activate your new fax number.

Once you have set up your fax system, follow these steps to send and receive faxes with eFax.

Send fax

1. Open eFax and click ‘compose message’.
2. Type your recipient’s fax number into the ‘recipient’ field, including the country and city code (i.e. “61344402918”). Add “@efaxsend.com” after the number if you are faxing through email.
3. Click ‘attach’ and attach up to 10 files.
4. Fill in the cover sheet.
5. Click ‘send’.

Receive fax

1. Open efax and click ‘inbox’.
2. Locate your fax. Received faxes have the subject line “Fax Received From (fax number)” and the address “[email protected]”.
3. Click ‘view fax’. You can forward your fax, trash it, print it or add a signature from this screen.
4. Click ‘save’.