How to fax from a computer - free and paid ways

How do you fax from a computer? The easiest way is through the internet: a free fax website for a few pages, or an online fax service for regular faxing. The fax programs built into Windows and macOS need a fax modem and a phone line or a fax printer, so most people skip them - and if the document is a PDF, sending it to your phone and faxing it from there is often faster.

Full disclosure: I make HonestFax, the first option below. The numbers about other services are the ones they publish on their own websites.

The short answer

The fastest way: send the file to your phone and fax it from there

Your computer can't dial a fax number by itself, but your iPhone can send a fax in a minute. If the document is already a PDF on your computer, move it to your phone and send it from HonestFax:

1. Get the file onto your iPhone. From a Mac, AirDrop it. From Windows or a Mac, email it to yourself or save it in iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox - anything that shows up in the Files app.
2. Install HonestFax and open the New Fax tab. There's no account to fill in.
3. Attach the file. Tap to add a document and choose it from Files. Paper pages can be scanned with the camera in the same fax.
4. Type the fax number and check the destination.
5. Check the page count and price above the Send fax button, then send. You see each step until it says Delivered, and the Sent tab keeps the exact pages that went through.

The full walkthrough, with screenshots, is in how to send a fax from your iPhone, and how to fax a PDF from your iPhone covers files with several pages.

Why this is often the quickest way:

• No account, no website forms, no phone line. The app sends the fax for you.
• The price is on screen before you send. Your first page is free on a new device; after that a fax of up to 3 pages is $2.99, 10 pages are $4.99 and 30 pages are $9.99, and the pages never expire.
• If a fax can't be delivered, the credits come back automatically.
• Paper and files in one fax. Scan a signed page with the camera and add the PDF from your computer behind it.

Free fax websites

A free fax website works in any browser, on Windows or a Mac - free fax online compares the free limits of each one. You fill in your details and the recipient's fax number, attach the file and send.

FaxZero, for example, sends a free fax of up to 3 pages plus a cover page to the US and Canada, up to 5 free faxes a day, with FaxZero branding on the cover page. It takes DOC, DOCX and PDF files and asks for your email address. A fax of up to 25 pages without its branding is $3.29.

Good for: a short, non-sensitive fax you need to send once. Watch for: the page limit, the branding on your cover page, and where your document goes - read the privacy terms before you upload tax or medical forms. More free options, and their limits, are in how to fax from iPhone for free.

Online fax services

An online fax service gives you an account, a web app and usually email to fax: you attach a file to an email, address it to the fax number, and the service sends it. Many also include a fax number for receiving.

Fax.Plus, for example, has a free plan with 10 pages to fax in total; its Basic plan is $6.99 a month on a yearly plan, with one fax number and 200 pages a month. That's good value if you fax every week from your desk. For one fax, it's a plan you didn't need, and it renews until you cancel. How email faxing works, step by step, is in can you send a fax by email.

Windows Fax and Scan

Windows has a fax program built in, called Windows Fax and Scan. Its own setup screen is clear about what it needs: "To send and receive faxes, you need to connect to a fax modem or server." In practice that means a fax modem plugged into a phone line, or a fax server on an office network. It doesn't send faxes over a normal internet connection.

Good for: an office that still has a fax line and a modem. For everyone else: a website, an online fax service or your phone is easier than buying a modem and paying for a landline.

Faxing from a Mac

Apple's own Mac User Guide says that on macOS 12 or later you can no longer send faxes using legacy fax modems. A Mac can still fax through a multifunction printer that has a fax feature and its own phone line: add the printer in System Settings, then send the fax from the Print dialog. Without such a printer, Apple suggests third-party fax software or an internet faxing service - the same options as above.

Which way should you use?

Need a cover sheet first? Make one in your browser with the free fax cover sheet maker. And if you don't have a fax machine at all, how to send a fax without a fax machine compares every option, including print shops.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fax from my computer for free? Yes, for short faxes. Free fax websites send a few pages at no cost, and online fax services have small free allowances. In HonestFax your first page is free if you send the file from your iPhone.

Can I fax from my computer without a phone line? Yes - through a free fax website or an online fax service, which send the fax over the internet for you. The fax programs built into Windows and macOS need a fax modem or a fax printer on a phone line.

Does Windows 11 have a fax program? Yes, Windows Fax and Scan. It needs a fax modem connected to a phone line, or a fax server on your network, to send anything.

How do I fax a PDF from my laptop? Upload it to a fax website or online fax service, or move it to your iPhone (AirDrop, email or a cloud folder) and send it with a fax app like HonestFax.

Checked on October 23, 2026: Windows Fax and Scan's own setup text on Windows 11. Apple's Mac User Guide, "Set up a multifunction printer to send faxes on Mac" (macOS Sequoia 15 version), on support.apple.com. FaxZero's free and paid limits on its home page (faxzero.com). Fax.Plus plans and prices on its pricing page (fax.plus/pricing).