This post was last updated on November 4th, 2021 at 04:14 pm
Yes, faxing is still a thing. You may find yourself having to fax documents for a variety of reasons, but who owns fax machines nowadays? And who wants to pay to fax a document? There are free fax services out there, but the question to ask is: does Google offer a free fax service? The quick answer: no…but you can fax for free via Google using a third-party service. Our recommended choice of web-based fax services, RingCentral, will provide you with a Google fax number and will allow you to send and receive faxes for free.
Test Drive Our #1 Recommended Choice and Fax Free for 30 Days!
How Does Online Faxing Work?
Online fax services work as virtual fax machines. These virtual fax machines can send and receive faxes for you. The faxes are sent and received through your email, smartphone app, computer program, or a web interface. All you need is an internet connection.
Since you are going to be faxing with Google, you will use Google’s email service, Gmail, to send and receive faxes.
Faxing for Free With Google
Step 1: Sign Up for a Gmail Account
The first thing to do is to sign up for a Gmail account. The process is easy, painless, and fast. Simply visit Gmail.com and follow the instructions to create your own Gmail account.
Step 2: Choose a Web-Based Fax Company
There are many web-based fax companies from which you can choose. Some of the most popular are:
- RingCentral
- iFax
- HelloFax
- FaxZero
- FaxBurner
Our pick? RingCentral, which is currently offering a promotion that allows users to fax free for 30 days.
Step 3: Compose an Email
First, log in to your Gmail account and then click on the “Compose Email” button. Your subject line acts as your fax cover sheet. Simply type whatever you would like for your cover page into the subject line.
In the body of the email, type the message you would like to send as your main fax. Add any attachments you would like included in your fax. Attachments could include a photo, Word document, scan, PDF, or any other type of document.
Step 4: Enter the Fax Number as the Email Address
Normally, you would enter an email address in the “To” field of an email. However, since you are sending a fax, you will enter the receiving fax number, and the fax number should be followed by “@YourFaxProvider.com.” Here is an example: 8435551234@RingCentral.com.
Step 5: Send Your Fax
The final step is to click the “Send” button. Once you have clicked send, your fax has been sent. It’s that easy!
What if I Want to Receive a Fax?
What if you are on the opposite side of faxing, and you need to receive a fax? Don’t worry–Google has you covered.
Step 1: Sign Up for Gmail and Choose a Web-Based Fax Service
As described in the above list of steps, you will need to sign up for a Gmail account and select a web-based fax service. This is necessary to receive faxes as well as send them.
Step 2: Sign Up and Choose Your Google Fax Number
When you sign up for your web-based fax service of choice, you will be prompted to select either a local or toll-free Google fax number. This is the fax number you can provide to friends, family, or colleagues if they want to send you a fax.
As you can see, faxing for free through Google is quite simple. If you need to send or receive a fax, try RingCentral, as they currently have a promotion going on that will allow you to fax for free.
Test Drive Our #1 Recommended Choice and Fax Free for 30 Days!