Send Fax From Windows 11: Everything You Need to Know

By Alexey Spasskiy · Published March 12, 2025 · Updated September 18, 2026 · 17 min read

Quick answer: The fastest way to send a fax from Windows 11 is mFax for Windows — a native desktop app, free to install from the Microsoft Store. Install it, drag your document into the window, type the fax number, and send. No modem, no phone line. Prefer not to install anything? The same account works in any browser at app.mfax.to. Windows 11 does still include Windows Fax and Scan — but it is not pre-installed (unlike Windows 10) and still requires a USB fax modem and analog landline.

Windows 11 changed how faxing works compared to Windows 10. The classic Windows Fax and Scan tool is no longer included by default — Microsoft moved it to Optional Features, and it is completely unavailable on ARM64 devices such as the Surface Pro X and Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs.

The good news: you do not need any of that hardware. Since August 2026 there is a real Windows fax app again — mFax for Windows, published on the Microsoft Store — and if you would rather not install anything, the same service runs in a browser tab. Either way a fax leaves your PC over the internet in under two minutes. This guide explains every method that actually works in 2026, with Windows 11-specific steps for each.

Which Method Is Right for You?

Method 1: mFax for Windows (the Microsoft Store App)

What you need: A Windows 10 (version 17763.0 or higher) or Windows 11 PC, an internet connection, and an mFax account. No modem. No phone line. No printer driver.

This is the newest option and, for most people, the best one: mFax for Windows is a native desktop app published on the Microsoft Store by Octagon Lab, listed as mFax - Send and Receive FAX. It is free to install, weighs about 46 MB, and ships builds for both x64 and ARM64 — so it runs on Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs and the Surface Pro X, exactly the machines where Windows Fax and Scan cannot be installed at all.

It looks and behaves like a Windows 11 app rather than a website in a frame: light and dark themes, a resizable navigation pane, keyboard shortcuts, drag-and-drop, and clipboard paste. Sending faxes and getting your own fax number require a paid subscription; installing the app does not. Our mFax for Windows guide documents the app in full, and if you are on an ARM Surface — where this is the only native route — see faxing from a Surface Pro.

Steps to Send a Fax from Windows 11 with mFax for Windows

Receiving faxes works in the same app: pick your own fax number (choose the country, then the state or area, and filter by the digits you want), and incoming faxes land in the app and open in a proper desktop PDF viewer with zoom, fit-to-width or fit-to-page, rotation and page thumbnails. Working with colleagues? You can create an organization, invite them by email, and share one workspace, number and fax history, switching between your personal and organization workspaces as needed.

If you are weighing it against the other desktop options, our roundup of the best fax software for Windows compares them side by side.

Method 2: Use an Online Fax Service in Your Browser

What you need: A Windows 11 PC, any web browser, and an internet connection. No modem. No phone line. No software to install.

Online fax services accept your digital file, convert it to a fax-compatible format on their servers, and transmit it over telephone infrastructure. The recipient's fax machine receives it like any other fax. From your side, the whole process looks like uploading a file.

mFax.to is the most straightforward option if you don't want to install anything: upload a document, enter a fax number, click Send. It is the same account and the same fax history as the Windows app, so you can start a fax on a locked-down work PC in Edge and find it in the desktop app at home. Delivery confirmation lands in your dashboard within seconds to a few minutes. Over 5 million users have sent faxes this way — no modem involved.

Steps to Send a Fax from Windows 11 Using mFax.to

Free Options for One-Off Faxes

If you only need to send a fax occasionally and don't want a subscription — mFax's first 7 days are free if a full week is enough:

• GotFreeFax — 2 free faxes per day (up to 3 pages each) to US/Canada. No account required, just email verification. No ads on cover page.
• FaxZero — 5 free faxes per day (up to 3 pages each) to US/Canada. Free faxes include a small ad on the cover page.
• FaxDrop — 2 free faxes per month. Works in any browser, no account needed, HIPAA compliant.
• Fax.Plus — 10 free pages after signup and phone verification.

For anything beyond occasional use, a paid subscription works out significantly cheaper than maintaining an analog phone line.

Method 3: Windows Fax and Scan (Optional Feature)

Windows Fax and Scan is still the only fax tool that ships with Windows itself — but unlike Windows 10, it is not pre-installed on Windows 11. You must add it manually as an optional feature, it needs a dial-up fax modem and an analog phone line to do anything, and on ARM64 devices it is not available at all. Our dedicated Windows Fax and Scan guide for Windows 11 goes deeper on the setup.

What You Need Before Installing

Before installing Windows Fax and Scan, confirm you have:

• A USB fax modem — most modern laptops and PCs do not have a built-in modem. You need an external USB device such as the USRobotics USR5637 ($30) or HiRO H50113 ($25).
• An analog (POTS) phone line — a traditional copper landline from a phone company. VoIP lines from cable providers (Comcast, Spectrum, Cox) do not reliably work with fax modems because they digitize the signal, causing transmission errors. T.38 VoIP lines are the exception, but they require a SIP provider that explicitly supports T.38.

If you have both, proceed to install. If not, skip back to Method 1 — mFax for Windows needs neither.

How to Install Windows Fax and Scan on Windows 11

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to System → Optional Features.
3. Click "View features" (next to "Add an optional feature").
4. In the search box, type Windows Fax and Scan.
5. Check the box next to it, click Next, then click Install.
6. Wait for the installation to complete (approximately 10–20 minutes).
7. Search for "Windows Fax and Scan" in the Start menu to launch it.

How to Set Up Windows Fax and Scan on Windows 11

Once installed:

1. Connect your modem — plug the USB fax modem into any USB port. Connect the modem's LINE port to your wall phone jack with a standard phone cable.
2. Open Windows Fax and Scan — search for it in Start and launch it.
3. Add a fax account — go to Tools → Fax Accounts → Add.
4. Select your modem — choose Connect to a fax modem. Windows detects the attached device automatically. Name the account and click Next.
5. Verify the connection — in Tools → Fax Settings, enable "Allow the device to send faxes". You should hear a dial tone through the modem if everything is connected correctly.

How to Send a Fax with Windows Fax and Scan

Once your modem is configured:

1. Click New Fax in the toolbar.
2. In the To field, enter the recipient's name and fax number.
3. Click the Attachments paperclip icon to add your document. Windows converts it to a fax-compatible format automatically.
4. Add a subject line and any cover page notes.
5. Click Send. The modem dials the number and transmits the document. A delivery confirmation appears in the app when done.

To receive faxes, go to Tools → Fax Settings and enable "Allow the device to receive fax calls". Set the number of rings before answering. The modem must remain connected and the app must be open (or running minimized) to receive incoming faxes.

Method 4: Send a Fax from Outlook on Windows 11

If your organization uses Microsoft Outlook and subscribes to a fax service that supports email-to-fax, you can send faxes without leaving your inbox.

How Email-to-Fax Works

Your fax service assigns a gateway email address in the format:

[faxnumber]@[provider-gateway-domain]

You compose an email to that address, attach your document, and send it. The provider's servers convert the email attachment to a fax and transmit it. The recipient's fax machine receives it like any other fax. A confirmation email arrives in your inbox when delivery is complete.

Steps for Outlook Email-to-Fax

1. Open a new email in Outlook.
2. In the To field, enter the gateway address — for example, 5551234567@efaxsend.com for eFax, or 5551234567@fax.plus for Fax.Plus. Your provider gives you the exact gateway domain after signup.
3. Attach your document — PDF is recommended for best fax quality. Word, Excel, and most image formats are also accepted by major providers.
4. Add a subject line — this typically becomes the cover page subject line.
5. Click Send. The provider converts and transmits the fax. A delivery confirmation email arrives when complete.

For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide to faxing from Outlook or our fax from email guide.

Method 5: Fax from a Connected Printer on Windows 11

If your office has an all-in-one printer (a multifunction device with fax capability), you may be able to send faxes from Windows 11 through it — provided the printer has a phone line connected.

What You Need

• A multifunction printer (MFP) with a built-in fax modem — common models include HP OfficeJet Pro, Canon PIXMA MX series, and Brother MFC series.
• The printer's fax port connected to an analog phone line.
• The printer's Windows 11 driver installed (usually handled automatically via Windows Update when the printer is connected).

How to Fax via a Networked Printer

1. Open your document in any application — Word, PDF viewer, Notepad, or any other app.
2. Go to File → Print (or press Ctrl + P).
3. Select your fax printer from the printer list — it typically appears as something like Fax (HP OfficeJet Pro 9015) or Canon Fax.
4. Click Print — a fax dialog appears asking for the recipient's fax number.
5. Enter the fax number and click Send.

The document routes through the printer's built-in fax modem and sends over the phone line attached to the device.

All Methods Compared

Verdict: For most Windows 11 users — especially those on modern laptops and ARM64 Copilot+ PCs without legacy hardware — mFax for Windows is the fastest to set up, cheapest to operate, and the only one of these that is both a real Windows app and free of hardware. The browser route is the fallback when you cannot install software at all. Windows Fax and Scan makes sense only if you already have the modem and a dedicated analog landline.

Troubleshooting Windows 11 Fax Issues

Windows Fax and Scan is missing from Optional Features

If you go to Settings → System → Optional Features → View features and do not see Windows Fax and Scan in the list:

• Check your processor architecture: Go to Settings → System → About. If "System type" says ARM64-based processor, the feature is not available for your device — install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store instead, which has a native ARM64 build, or fax from your browser.
• Try Control Panel: Press Win + R, type optionalfeatures, press Enter. In the Windows Features dialog, look for "Windows Fax and Scan" under Print and Document Services.

Windows Fax and Scan disappeared after a Windows update

This is a known intermittent issue with Windows 11 (reported extensively in late 2025). Microsoft released a bug fix in December 2024 that addressed a related fax transmission issue, but some users still report the feature vanishing post-update.

Fix: Go back to Settings → System → Optional Features and reinstall it. If it reinstalls but faxing still fails, restart the Fax service: press Win + R, type services.msc, locate Fax, right-click, and choose Restart.

"No modems detected" in Windows Fax and Scan

The app can't see your USB fax modem:

1. Unplug the modem and plug it into a different USB port.
2. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager) and look for the modem under Modems. A yellow warning icon means the driver failed — right-click and choose Update driver.
3. Download the latest driver directly from the modem manufacturer's website (USRobotics, HiRO, etc.) and install manually.

Fax sends but recipient gets a blank page

The file format may not have converted correctly. Try saving your document as a PDF first using File → Print → Microsoft Print to PDF, then attaching the PDF to the fax. PDFs convert more reliably than Word documents or images.

"Fax transmission failed" error

Three common causes:

• Wrong number format — for US faxes, try 1 + area code + 7-digit number. Some modems need the leading 1.
• VoIP line interference — your phone line goes through a cable/fiber provider and is not a true analog line. Switch to a service that sends over the internet instead, such as the mFax Windows app.
• Recipient's machine is busy — fax machines can only receive one fax at a time. Wait 10–15 minutes and retry.

For a full list of fax error codes and their meaning, see our fax error codes guide.

The Real Cost of Windows Fax and Scan in 2026

The built-in route sounds free — but the hardware and line costs add up quickly:

For occasional faxing, a pay-per-fax online service costs a fraction of that. For regular faxing — even once a week — a monthly subscription to mFax.to costs far less than maintaining a dedicated landline, and you gain the ability to send faxes from any device: the mFax for Windows app on your PC, a browser tab anywhere else, or your phone.

Sending and Receiving Faxes: Does Windows 11 Support Both?

Sending faxes: Yes — all five methods above support sending.

Receiving faxes: Depends on the method.

• mFax for Windows: Yes — set up your own fax number in the app (pick the country, then the state or area code, and filter by the digits you like). Incoming faxes land in the app and open in its built-in PDF viewer, with zoom, fit-to-page, rotation and thumbnails. The number belongs to your account rather than to a modem, so nothing has to stay plugged in.
• Windows Fax and Scan: Yes — enable "Allow the device to receive fax calls" in Fax Settings. The modem must stay connected and the PC must remain on to receive incoming faxes.
• Online services (mFax.to): Yes — you get a virtual fax number. Incoming faxes arrive in your dashboard and optionally as email attachments. The PC does not need to be on.
• Outlook email-to-fax: Yes, if your provider supports it. Incoming faxes arrive as email attachments.
• MFP printer: Yes — the printer receives directly over the phone line, independent of your PC.

For a complete walkthrough on receiving faxes online, see our guide to receiving faxes online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a fax from Windows 11 without a phone line?

Yes. Install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store, drag your document in, type the fax number, and send — everything travels over the internet. The same works in a browser at mFax.to if you would rather not install anything. Only the built-in Windows Fax and Scan app requires both a USB fax modem and a physical analog phone line.

Is Windows Fax and Scan available on Windows 11 in 2026?

Yes, as an optional feature for x64 (Intel/AMD) systems — but not ARM64. Install it via Settings → System → Optional Features → View features. Microsoft released a bug fix for Windows Fax and Scan in December 2024. Some users report it disappearing after Windows updates, which is a known intermittent issue; reinstalling it from Optional Features usually resolves it.

Can I fax from a Windows 11 laptop without buying any hardware?

Yes. Install the mFax Windows app from the Microsoft Store, or use an online fax service in any browser — no modem, no phone line, no additional hardware either way. This is the most practical option for laptops, which have not included built-in fax modems for over a decade.

What is the best free way to fax from Windows 11?

For zero-cost faxing: GotFreeFax (2 faxes/day, 3 pages each, US/Canada, no account needed) or FaxZero (5 faxes/day, 3 pages each). The mFax Windows app is free to install from the Microsoft Store, though sending faxes and getting your own fax number need a paid plan. See our guide to free online fax services for a full comparison.

Does the mFax app work on Windows 11?

Yes — since August 2026 there is a real desktop app. mFax for Windows is on the Microsoft Store (listed as "mFax - Send and Receive FAX"), free to install, about 46 MB, and it runs on Windows 10 version 17763.0 or higher and Windows 11 — on x64 and ARM64 alike. It sends PDFs, Office files and images, lets you edit and sign pages first, and receives faxes on your own number. Prefer the browser? mFax.to still works in Edge, Chrome and Firefox with the same account. For business teams, mFax Business adds virtual fax numbers, HIPAA compliance, shared team inboxes, and audit logs from about $9/mo (billed annually) — a fully customizable plan you build yourself, picking the exact seats and pages you need rather than settling for fixed tiers.

Summary: Faxing from Windows 11 in 2026

Windows 11 is not the fax-friendly OS Windows 10 was — the built-in tool was demoted from default to optional, still wants a dial-up modem and a landline, and is gone entirely on ARM64 devices. But that hardly matters, because the modern alternatives are faster to set up, cheaper to run, and more capable.

• Want a real Windows app? Install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store — drag the document in, type the number, send. Works on x64 and ARM64.
• Can't install anything? mFax.to handles everything in the browser — upload, send, confirm, done in under 2 minutes.
• Already have a USB modem and landline? Install Windows Fax and Scan from Optional Features and follow the setup steps above.
• Corporate Outlook user? Email-to-fax keeps you in your existing workflow with no new apps.
• Office printer with fax? Print-to-fax works from any Windows 11 application.

For personal faxing, install mFax for Windows from the Microsoft Store — or open mFax.to in a browser — add your document, and send. No modem. No phone line. No store trip.

For business teams, mFax Business gives you virtual fax numbers, HIPAA compliance, and a shared dashboard — starting at about $9/mo.

On Windows 10? See our guide to faxing from Windows 10. On a Mac instead? Check out how to fax on Mac. Need to send from a browser regardless of OS? Our guide to faxing from a computer covers every platform.