Fax From PC: How to Send a Fax From a Windows PC

By Alexey Spasskiy · Published August 13, 2026 · Updated August 13, 2026 · 10 min read

Quick answer: To fax from a PC, install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store, drag your document into the window, type the recipient's fax number, and send. It transmits over your internet connection, so no fax modem and no phone line are involved. On a work PC where you cannot install software, do the same thing in a browser at mFax.to.

Every guide that tells you how to fax from a PC skips the part you actually noticed: there is nowhere on the machine to plug a phone cord. That is not a fault in your setup. A 2026 desktop or laptop ships with USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet and not a single telephone port — and the software Microsoft still includes for faxing was written for hardware that stopped shipping around the time Windows 7 launched.

So the real question is not how to fax from a PC in the abstract. It is which of three routes your particular PC can run: the native Windows fax app, the browser, or a modem you would have to go buy. This page sorts that out for Windows machines specifically. If you are on a Mac or a Chromebook, or you want the email-to-fax method, our complete guide to faxing from a computer covers those platforms instead.

Every store fact, price, and hardware limit below was checked against the current Microsoft Store listing and Windows 11 build on 13 August 2026.

What a Modern PC Ships With — and Why None of It Faxes

A PC cannot fax on its own because it has no modem. Internal dial-up modems vanished from consumer desktops and laptops between roughly 2008 and 2012, and no current motherboard includes an RJ-11 telephone jack. What replaced faxing in the hardware budget was broadband — which is useful, but a fax machine on the other end does not speak Ethernet.

Three specific things trip people up:

• The Ethernet port is not a phone port. RJ-45 (network) and RJ-11 (phone) look similar and the phone plug will physically fit into the wider network jack. It will do nothing. There is no software setting that turns a network port into a fax line.
• Your all-in-one printer's fax function is separate from your PC. If the printer has a fax feature, it has its own modem and needs its own RJ-11 cable running to a live wall jack. Connecting the printer over Wi-Fi only lets your PC talk to the printer, not to a phone network.
• Windows still ships fax software. Windows Fax and Scan has been in Windows since Vista and is still there. It just assumes the modem your PC does not have.

Can I Send a Fax Using My PC?

Yes — a Windows PC can send a fax three different ways, and only one of them needs hardware.

The rest of this guide walks each one, in the order most PC owners should try them.

Method 1: Install a Native Fax App on Your PC

mFax for Windows is a desktop app published by Octagon Lab on the Microsoft Store, where it is listed as mFax - Send and Receive FAX. It is free to install — about a 46 MB download — and runs on Windows 10 version 17763.0 or higher and on Windows 11, in both x64 and ARM64 builds. Sending faxes and holding your own fax number require a paid subscription.

It behaves like a Windows program rather than a bookmark: it sits in the Start menu, takes files dragged straight out of File Explorer, follows your light or dark theme, and supports clipboard paste and keyboard shortcuts.

How to Fax From a PC With mFax for Windows

The app receives faxes too: you can get your own number by picking a country, then a state or area, and filtering the list by the digits you want. Incoming faxes open in a real desktop PDF viewer with zoom, fit-to-width, rotation and page thumbnails. Our full write-up of mFax for Windows documents the store facts, every supported file type and the stated limits; if you mainly care about the inbound half, see receiving a fax on your computer.

Method 2: Fax From a Work PC You Cannot Install Software On

If your PC is managed by an employer, the Microsoft Store is often disabled and installs need an admin you do not have. The browser route exists for exactly this: mFax.to runs in Edge, Chrome or Firefox, takes an uploaded document, and sends it to the recipient's fax number in under two minutes with nothing installed.

It is the same service and the same account as the desktop app, so a fax you send in a browser at the office shows up in the app on your own PC later. On a shared or managed machine, sign out when you are done — the fax history is tied to the account, not the computer.

This is also the sane answer if you are faxing once. Buying hardware or installing software for a single tax form is effort you will not get back.

Method 3: Windows Fax and Scan and the Modem Question

Windows Fax and Scan is the only fax program built into Windows, and it is free. It also cannot use your internet connection at all — it dials out over an analog phone line, exactly like a fax machine. That single fact decides whether this method is available to you.

To use it you need two things your PC almost certainly lacks:

1. A fax modem. Internal modems are gone, so in practice this means an external USB fax modem, roughly $25–$50. Conexant-based models are widely compatible. Avoid modems that rely on the Agere/Lucent driver (ltmdm64.sys) — Microsoft removed it in the October 2025 and January 2026 cumulative updates to patch CVE-2025-24990, and those modems stopped working overnight. Our fax modem guide goes through what still works.
2. A genuine analog (POTS) landline, at roughly $15–$40 a month. Cable and fiber "phone" service is VoIP, which digitizes the signal in a way fax transmission does not reliably survive.

On Windows 10 the app is present by default. On Windows 11 it is an optional feature you must install manually — Settings → Apps → Optional Features → View features → search "fax" → Install. Our step-by-step walkthroughs live in how to fax from Windows 11 and faxing from Windows 10, and the app itself is dissected in our Windows Fax and Scan guide.

Check What Your PC Actually Is — Two 20-Second Tests

Before you spend anything, confirm which route your hardware supports:

• x64 or ARM64? Press Win + I → System → About and read System type. If it says ARM-based processor, Method 3 is off the table.
• Any modem at all? Press Win + X → Device Manager and look for a Modems category. No category means no modem — which is the normal result on a PC bought in the last decade.

Can I Fax From My PC for Free?

The software can be free. The transmission almost never is. That distinction is what makes the "send free fax from PC" searches so frustrating.

Here is the honest accounting:

• mFax for Windows is free to install with no trial timer on the software, but a subscription is required to send faxes and to hold a fax number.
• Windows Fax and Scan is genuinely free software — and then costs $25–$50 for a modem plus $180–$480 a year for the landline it dials over. It is the most expensive "free" option on this page unless you already pay for both.
• Ad-supported free fax sites do send a limited number of pages at no charge, typically with their branding printed on your cover page, daily page caps, and no delivery receipt. Fine for a one-page note to a landlord; not fine for a signed contract or anything with medical or financial detail on it. We compared what each actually allows in our roundup of free fax services.

The Three PC Fax Methods, Side by Side

Verdict: install the app if faxing from your PC is a recurring job, use the browser if it is a one-off or the PC is not yours to install on, and only touch Windows Fax and Scan if a working modem and a real landline are already sitting on your desk. For a wider look at what else is on the market, see our ranking of the best fax software for Windows.

More Questions About Faxing From a PC

Does my PC have a fax port?

Almost certainly not. RJ-11 telephone jacks disappeared from consumer PCs over a decade ago, and the RJ-45 Ethernet port next to them is not a substitute, even though a phone plug fits loosely into it. Open Device Manager and look for a Modems category to confirm.

How do I fax a PDF from my PC?

Drag the PDF into the mFax Windows app (or upload it in the browser), type the recipient's fax number, and send — PDF is the native format for faxing and needs no conversion. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, image and text files are converted to fax-ready pages automatically.

Can I fax from a PC without a fax machine?

Yes. None of the three methods here involves a fax machine at your end. The recipient can still be using one — internet fax services connect to the phone network on your behalf, so the fax arrives on their machine exactly as it would from another machine.

How long does it take to send a fax from a PC?

About 30–60 seconds for a single page, plus roughly a minute for every three to five pages after that. Preparing the document — scanning, signing, building a cover page — normally takes longer than the transmission itself.

Can my PC receive faxes as well as send them?

Yes, but it needs its own fax number. The mFax Windows app and the browser both let you claim one and open incoming faxes as PDFs; Windows Fax and Scan can receive only while the PC is awake with the modem plugged into a live line. The inbound setup is covered in receiving a fax on your computer.

Fax From Your PC Now

Install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store, drag your document in, type the fax number, and send. Free to install, no modem, no landline, and an ARM64 build for Copilot+ PCs where the built-in tool does not exist.

Cannot install anything on that PC? Open mFax in your browser instead — same account, same fax history, nothing to download.

Faxing for a team? mFax Business adds seats, a shared fax number, a signed BAA and audit trails, built to the exact size you need from about $9/mo billed annually.