How to Fax from Dropbox

​Have you ever needed to fax a document with your Dropbox account?  

There’s no need to go over complicated steps to convert your documents to fax. In this article you’ll learn how to grab your Dropbox files and send them to any ​fax number without the need of fax equipment or a traditional fax line.

Enough talk, let’s ​begin!

Best Method: Send Fax with an Online Fax Service

Online fax services have redefined the way businesses take care of faxes, letting you fax ​with your computer.  One of the latest features you can find is the ability to integrate your fax account with cloud-storage services, among them Dropbox.

To get started you only need to follow a few easy steps:

1. Log into your online fax account.

2. Head to the section where you send faxes.  For illustration purposes, we’ll use RingCentral Fax (you can create free trial account with them here), so you need to head to their FaxOut section.

3.  Enter the recipient’s number, or -if available- pull it from your Contacts list.

4.  Now it’s time to attach the file.  Under the section, you’ll see a list of available services.  Choose Dropbox.

5.  The first time you do this, you’ll have to authorize your accounts to be linked together. You’ll be asked to enter your Dropbox login info.

6.  A pop-up window will appear, letting you choose any of your compatible documents available in your Dropbox account. Pick one.

7.  Click on Send.

​Receiving Fax on Dropbox

Yes, some online fax services let you integrate Dropbox for receiving faxes as well.  Every time a new fax comes your way, you’ll not only receive it via email, but a copy of the content will also be automatically stored on your virtual hard drive.

The fax service will create a new folder just for incoming fax files.  Since faxes already come converted into PDF file, there’s no need for additional conversion steps.  You can then pull incoming faxes from your Dropbox account to forward them.

Among the services that include this option we have RingCentral, HelloFax and eFax. We haven’t tried this feature on other services, but we’d love to hear your recommendations if you have them.

Not Recommended: The Old Method

If you don’t count with a fax service subscription, then your only alternative is to keep using the “Old Method”, which means that you have to download your document from Dropbox, then print it and run it through a fax machine or a multi-function printer with ​a fax modem.

Of course, this defeats the purpose of keeping your documents in a Dropbox’s cloud storage drive!

This method not only requires you to go over additional steps, but it also requires you to have a dedicated fax line and a fax machine.  Receiving more faxes is even slower, since you have to scan the document to then upload it to Dropbox.

This is why we don’t really recommend this method.  If you are already working digitally, online fax is the way to go.

​Best Dropbox Fax Services 2019

eFax.  One of the top companies when it comes to online faxing.  They provide integration with different cloud services, among them Dropbox.  This is a service with various advanced features designed to make faxing faster.

RingCentral Fax.  Another leader in the market, RingCentral is able to integrate with DropBox, and besides cloud faxing they count with a suite of tools made for virtual offices.

HelloFax. A relatively new-comer to the market, HelloFax has quickly gained customers thanks to the integration with popular services like Google Drive and Dropbox. It is one of the services that let you deliver fax on your Dropbox account automatically.