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How to Fax From an iPhone or Android Without a Fax App

How to send a fax from your phone

  1. Save the document where your browser can find it. On iPhone, use Files. On Android, use Drive or Downloads. For a paper document, scan it first.
  2. Open Fax in your phone’s browser and start a draft. Enter the fax number listed in the recipient’s instructions.
  3. Choose the PDF, JPG, PNG or supported Office file from the file picker. Add any supporting pages and arrange the files in order.
  4. Open the combined PDF. Zoom in on names, signatures and fine print. Check the destination and total page count, including any cover sheet.
  5. When you’re ready, send on an active plan when delivery is enabled. Open your Fax history to see the reported result.
Start a fax from your phone

How to fax a PDF from an iPhone using Files or Notes

If the PDF is already in an email, use the share menu to save the attachment to Files. For a paper document, open Files, choose the folder where you want to save it and use the More menu to scan. Capture each page, adjust the corners and save the scan as one PDF.

If you scan in Notes, open the scanned document and share it to Files so it’s easy to select from Safari. Notes creates the scan. Once it is saved, open Fax in Safari, add the PDF to your draft and check that every page appears in the preview.

How to scan and fax a document from Android

In Google Drive, use the camera button to scan a page. Crop to the paper edges, add the rest of the pages and save the scan as a PDF. Use even light, especially when a page has handwritten entries or faint type.

Open Fax in Chrome and choose the PDF from Drive if your file picker shows it. If you can’t find the scan, download it to the phone first and pick it from Downloads. For an email attachment, save the file from your mail app and upload that copy.

Fix a cropped scan or unsupported photo before you send

If you have several paper pages, scan them in sequence and save them as one PDF. You can also combine supported files in Fax, such as a PDF from your email and a JPG of a signed page. Check that the PDF preview starts on the right page and the scans are upright.

If the file is HEIC, export it to JPG or scan the document as a PDF. When a page is cropped, reopen the scan and adjust the corners or capture it again. Recheck the updated preview before submitting.

Review on your phone before choosing a plan

You can prepare and preview a Fax draft before choosing a plan. If you have to wait for a signature or attachment, save the draft and come back when it’s ready. Check the current plans when you want to send.

After submitting, check the result in your account history. Wait for a final result before deciding whether to resend. If the recipient needs to confirm that it filed or reviewed the document, follow up with the office.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading