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How to turn an email attachment into a fax
A client emails you a signed form and the receiving office only accepts fax. Or a supplier sends an invoice that your accounting firm wants by fax. Either way, you need to get the attachment out of your email and onto a fax line without printing it. This emailto-fax.ca guide covers saving the attachment, checking that it will fax well, and sending it from your browser.
Get Started NowStep 1: Save the attachment
Download the file to a folder you can find again, ideally a work folder rather than the default Downloads folder, which tends to collect sensitive files.
- Outlook on the web or desktop: click the arrow beside the attachment and choose Download or Save As
- Gmail: hover over the attachment and click the download icon
- Apple Mail: right-click the attachment and choose Save Attachment
- On a phone: open the attachment, tap the share icon and save it to Files or your device storage
Step 2: Check the file type and quality
FaxToFax.com accepts PDF, PNG and JPG files. If the attachment is a Word document, spreadsheet or other format, open it and save or print it to PDF first.
Open the file and look at it the way a fax will show it. Fax is a lower-resolution, mostly black-and-white format, so pale text, coloured highlighting and tiny print may be hard to read on the other end. If a photo of a document is dark or crooked, ask the sender for a better scan, or rescan it yourself.
Also check the page count. A 40-page attachment may only need three pages faxed. If so, print just those pages to PDF and send the smaller file, which saves plan pages and is easier for the recipient to handle.
Step 3: Send the attachment as a fax
emailto-fax.ca recommends FaxToFax.com, which runs in a browser, so you do not need to install anything or forward the email to a fax provider.
- Sign in with your email address and the one-time code sent to you.
- Start a new fax and upload the saved PDF, PNG or JPG. You can add more than one file.
- Add a cover page. Use a saved template with your logo, or write a short note naming the document and the number of pages.
- Enter the recipient's fax number, confirm it, and send. Add up to 50 recipients if the same document goes to several offices.
- Check the status. When it shows Delivered, a time-stamped receipt is saved with the fax.
Step 4: Tidy up afterwards
Once the fax is delivered, you have two copies of a possibly sensitive document: the email and the downloaded file. Decide which one is your record. Many offices delete the downloaded copy, file the email in a client folder, and rely on the fax account's sent history and delivery receipt as proof of sending.
If you handle personal information covered by PIPEDA or a provincial privacy law, follow your office's retention policy rather than keeping copies everywhere.
If the email itself contained instructions from the recipient, such as a reference number to include, copy that detail onto your cover page before you file the email away.
How to Turn an Email Attachment into a Fax: questions
Can I forward the email straight to a fax number?
Not with FaxToFax.com. It does not offer email-to-fax, so you download the attachment and upload it in your browser. It takes about a minute.
What if the attachment is a ZIP file?
Unzip it first, then upload the PDF, PNG or JPG files inside. Other formats need to be converted to PDF before you send them.
Can I combine the email text and the attachment?
Yes. Copy the important part of the email into the cover page note, or compose a page in the editor on your letterhead, then attach the file after it.
How many pages will it use?
Each faxed page counts toward your monthly plan pages. A page sent within Canada, the US or the UK uses one plan page. Failed faxes use none.
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