How to fax with a Windows phone (or tablet)

Last Update: August 9th, 2021

The only current way to send and receive faxes with a Windows phone or tablet is through an online online fax service.faxing through windows phone

These services operate as a virtual fax machine located accessed through the internet. The Windows app ecosystem is mostly limited at the moment with few apps that provide services (and those that do are, in our opinion, typically slow to be updated). Online fax users of a Windows phone or tablet will need to manager their faxes through email, while setting up and configuring their services through their primary computer.

At this moment, there is no software on the market that lets a user physically connect a fax machine or printer to their Windows phone or tablet so that the phone can act as the modem. As well, there is no option for an Windows phone to use the same existing phone number to double as a fax line.

While there are applications that let a user print to a printer through their phone, there are none we are aware of that let a person fax through the same printer.

Table of Contents

Online Fax Services and Windows fax apps

An online fax service is a dedicated fax number that is hosted by a service provider. It can be accessed to send and receive faxes through a Windows phone through email, web interface, or another computer or tablet.

The Windows phone app ecosystem is, in our opinion, mostly limited when it comes to fax services. Most users would be best off using a fax service primarily through their regular email application on their phone, and configuring more important options through their regular computer.

Compared with a fax machine, an online fax service offers the ability to fax directly from the internet without a dedicated phone line in your house, as well as the ability to access or manage fax communications from anywhere you can access the internet.

Interfaces are very much similar to a web-based email account (with the exception that you have the ability to send and receive faxes), and features such as faxing through email, the web, and integration with popular programs such as the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) are available.

Online fax services can also be accessed from other devices – for example faxing to and from computer, a tablet, or another smartphone through the same account.

For full details on online fax services compatible with Windows phones and other operating systems, see our page on Online Faxing.

What you’ll need

  • A Windows phone or tablet with an active internet / data connection (can be cellular data or WiFi) – having the latest software version usually helps with app compatibility, but isn’t necessary if you only plan on faxing to and from email.
  • Some services require a computer to set up more advanced features such as customized cover pages and signature stamps
  • A subscription with an online fax service
  • A document to fax

Sending a fax

Sending a fax from an online fax service depends on the service itself, and can be done in a number of ways.

Email

When sent through email, faxes are usually sent as an attachment. A file that can be attached can be sent as an email, as long as it is one of the file formats that the fax service provides.

The cover page is sent as the subject line and the main body of the email. As well, other data (such as the sender’s name and reply to phone number) are already included on the cover page template.

App

Windows phone and tablet fax apps are limited in selection. Check with individual services first if a dedicated app is important to you. As well, Windows apps are typically not as up to date as their iOS and Android counterparts.

Receiving a fax

With most services, a received fax is viewed through an email client.

As an online fax service hosts the fax infrastructure, when a fax is received the fax service receives it regardless of whether you have a phone or computer powered on and connected to the internet.

With most services, a copy of a fax arrives as a PDF (or TIFF) attachment to an email, however you can configure the system to only access faxes through an app or web interface.

Faxes can be accessed (and replied to) from an any computer that has access to the online fax account.

Things to consider

  • Faxes sent through the phone are billed as data (either cellular data or WiFi), not as phone minutes. This is because the online fax service hosts the fax infrastructure, and you as the user access it through the internet. While WiFi transmissions are usually free, cellular data is not always.
  • Your Windows phone does not need to be on to receive a fax this way – the fax service manages the fax infrastructure and you access the fax service when you choose to (most people configure their service so a fax arrives as an email).
  • Some services with advanced features (such as customizing cover pages and adding signature stamps) may need to have those advanced features set up through a computer.

Other Resources on Computer and Online Faxing: