FAX
How to Fax from a Computer
Easy and convenient way to fax from your computer.
Cloud integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, and more)
Send and receive faxes on your PC, via email, or with the RingCentral mobile app
24/7 customer support
Fax from computers: The evolution of fax from fax machines to online fax
Even if there are more advanced document transmission solutions like email and team messaging apps, fax continues to thrive as one of the most reliable ways to send files.
Of course, its usage has certainly dropped since its 1997 peak of selling 3.6 million fax machines in a year. It’s actually considered to be a historical artifact now—the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, made it a point to include the fax machine in its collection.
This does not mean, however, that the world is done with fax as a file-sharing system.
In fact, there are many nations in the world like Japan—a country as advanced as it can get when it comes to technology—that still consider fax as an important part of doing business. It is also still the preferred document transmitting method for transactions in many healthcare and financial institutions because it is considered more secure than email.
This shows that fax technology is not obsolete at all and is actually thriving as a system for transmitting documents.
How did fax continue to be relevant today? Like any technology that thrives over the years, fax has done it by evolving and adapting to technology usage in the current business environment. In the case of faxing, it’s done it through internet fax via computers.
How to fax from your computer
In the past, before the internet became what it is today, fax machines ruled the peer-to-peer document sharing field. Every business on the planet had at least one fax machine—some even had a dedicated phone number for faxing.
However, with the internet taking over how the majority of business processes work, fax had to adapt. And adapt it did.
Now, businesses are able to send faxes over the internet using their desktop PCs or laptops. But how do people fax online using their PCs or laptops without a fax machine?
The answer is through online fax software, programs, or services that you can run on your PCs.
One of the top fax software for PCs right now is RingCentral Fax®. Businesses can subscribe to a RingCentral plan for standalone online fax service.
With RingCentral, you get an easy and convenient way to fax from your computer. Simply add the recipient’s phone number, attach the document you want to fax, and send.
How online fax works
Step 1
Select your fax number.
Step 2
Download the app or log in online.
Step 3
Start sending or receiving faxes —from any devices.
How to send a fax from a computer using RingCentral
Knowing how to fax without a fax machine and doing it online is pretty simple and easy, and there are multiple ways to use RingCentral for faxing documents from your computer or laptop.
The four most common ways are through a RingCentral account, the RingCentral app, email, or a PC scanner.
How to Fax from a Computer: Different ways to Fax from your PC
There are several ways that you can send Fax from your computer. Here are some of the most commonly used ways:
Fax from your RingCentral account
- Log in to your RingCentral account and click on the FaxOut icon to send a fax.
(If you are an existing customer or you need more information, you can go to our support page to learn more specific instructions on how to fax from your RingCentral account)Fax from the RingCentral App
- You can also send a fax from the RingCentral App by clicking on the New Actions button at the upper right corner of the App and choose Fax.
(If you are an existing customer or you need more information, you can go to our support page to learn more specific instructions on how to fax from your RingCentral App)Fax from email
- You can also use your RingCentral Fax-connected email via the email-to-fax feature by simply creating a new email. You can then attach the document and send it to the 10-digit fax phone number, followed by the domain “@rcfax.com.”
(If you are an existing customer or you need more information, you can go to our support page to learn more specific instructions on how to fax from your email)Fax from a scanner
– You can use scanners with emailing capabilities for hard copies of a document. Scan the document, set the menu to the email option, and input the 10-digit fax phone number, followed by the domain “@rcfax.com” for the recipient.
(If you are an existing customer or you need more information, you can go to our support page to learn more specific instructions on how to fax from your PC scanner)
Faxing has never been more easy and convenient. Take RingCentral Fax for a trial spin by taking advantage of our Free Trial.