How to Receive a Fax Online Without a Fax Machine
Get your own fax number, receive faxes as PDFs in an encrypted inbox, and get notified in the app and browser when something arrives.
Receiving a fax online means people can fax you exactly as they always have, but instead of paper coming out of a machine, the fax appears as a PDF in a secure inbox you open in your web browser. Here is how it works in FaxToFax, from choosing a number to keeping your inbox tidy.
Step 1: Choose your fax number
You choose your fax number while signing up, right after verifying your email: pick your country (more than 70 are available), then local or toll-free. FaxToFax offers numbers either local (with an area code near you or your clients) or toll-free. Your number is active right away, and you can share it on your letterhead, website and forms.
Already have a fax number with another provider? Number porting isn’t available yet. For now, you can choose a new number and give it to your contacts.
Step 2: Sign in securely
FaxToFax uses passwordless sign-in. Enter your email address and we send a one-time code; type it in and you are signed in. There is no password to forget or reuse. For safety, you are signed out automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity by default (owners can choose 15, 30 or 60).
Step 3: Get notified when a fax arrives
When a fax comes in, FaxToFax shows a new-fax alert in the app, and if you allow it, a browser notification. The alert tells you a fax arrived; it never contains the document itself. That way sensitive content is not shown on a lock screen or notification banner. To read the fax, you sign in and open it in your inbox.
Step 4: View and download the fax
Received faxes are stored in your encrypted inbox. Each entry shows the sending number, the time received and the page count. Open a fax to view it in your browser, or download it as a PDF to save to your records system. Downloaded files are your responsibility, so store them according to your organization's policies.
Step 5: Save senders as contacts
If you receive faxes regularly from the same offices, save their numbers as contacts. Their names then appear in your inbox, and you can reply by fax quickly without retyping the number.
Step 6: Set your retention
Keeping every fax forever increases risk. In settings you can choose how long faxes are kept, and FaxToFax deletes them automatically when they reach that age. Choose a period that matches your records policy and legal obligations. If you need a document longer, download it into your permanent records system before it expires.
Receiving as a team
On the Business plan, up to five users share an account. Roles control what each person can do:
- Owner: manages billing, settings and the team.
- Admin: manages settings, contacts and users. Only the owner can change retention, under Security & compliance.
- Member: sends faxes and works in the inbox.
- Viewer: can view faxes without sending.
Every action is recorded in an append-only audit log, which admins can export as CSV. That makes it easy to answer "who opened this fax?" during an internal review.
Frequently asked questions
Do senders need to do anything differently?
No. They fax your number from their machine or service as usual.
Are faxes emailed to me?
No. FaxToFax does not send fax documents by email. Faxes stay in your encrypted inbox, and you open them by signing in. This keeps documents out of email accounts, which are a common source of exposure.
Is there a mobile app?
FaxToFax is web-only. You can use it in a modern web browser on your computer or phone, and add it to your home screen.
Can I receive international faxes?
FaxToFax offers fax numbers in more than 70 countries, and you can send to more than 220. Faxes you receive count once per page on any number. When you send to a pricier country, each page uses more than one plan page; the send screen shows how many before you send.
Next steps
Learn how to send a fax or read how online fax works. Ready for your own number? Get started.
