Outlook, Microsoft's free webmail service, has been around for more than two decades, providing email addresses for millions of users around the World.
Formerly known as Hotmail and Windows Live, Outlook remains as one of the most popular email providers, and that's because it's fast, it's easy to use, and has a slick interface.
But emailing is only one part of what your Outlook account can do. Microsoft has added features such as Calendars, Address Books and integration with Office applications. But what you may not know is that you can also send fax from Outlook email addresses thanks to Internet fax.
This new way of faxing has proven to be an essential tool for businesses that fax on a regular basis, Letting them save the time and money they'd be spending with a traditional fax solution.
What Do You Need?
If you want to fax from Outlook we need two things:
- An Outlook.com email address
- An online fax service.
To get a free email address, just head over to Outlook.com and click on "Create a free account", then follow the steps to complete your registration. We suggest you create a new email address just for dealing with faxes. It will prevent clutter and lost faxes in the long run.
Now, since Microsoft Outlook doesn't have a built-in faxing feature, we need a third-party provider that is able to convert emails into fax and vice versa. That's why we need an online fax service. Today, these services let you do more than just basic faxing. You can schedule faxes, access faxes on Windows Vista, integrate faxing with Office 365 and even turn your cell phone into a virtual fax machine with an app.
As you may have guessed, these services are paid via a monthly subscription. But as you'll see below, there are ways you can get started for free!
Internet fax providers will also give you a free fax number that you can use to receive fax from Outlook. Unlike what happens with a fax machine, faxes will arrive automatically to Microsoft Outlook after being converted to PDF. These services make sending and receiving faxes with your email inbox a breeze!
Sending a Fax from Outlook
Step 1: Create a new email message
Log in to your Outlook account and click on "+ New Message" to start composing your email fax.
Step 2: Enter the Recipient's Number
Now you need to type in the "To:" field the number of the recipient, including an exit code and an international code if you are send a fax internationally. Then add "@yourfaxservice.com" next to it. Add the country or area code if needed.
Keep in mind that you'll need to replace @yourfaxservice with the actual domain of your provider. If you don't know the domain of your provider, refer back to your welcome email or FAQ section.
As an example, if you use MyFax's domain, it would look like this:
Step 3: Cover Page
If you need to precede your fax with a cover page, you can type its contents on the Subject line and/or the Body of the message, depending on the service you are using.
The design used for your cover sheet has to be configured on your online fax account. You can choose between multiple templates.
Step 4: Attach Your Fax Contents
Click on the "Attach" link on your Outlook window (its icon is the paperclip), and then click on "Browse this computer" or "Browse cloud locations", depending on where your file is located.
Online fax services are able to send a fax converting hundreds of different file types, including popular ones such as PDF, TXT, DOC, XLS, JPG or HTML, just to name a few. Once you've found the file, click Open and wait a moment until it's attached to the email.
Step 5: Check Information & Click Send
Now your fax is configured and ready to be sent. Proofread the message, especially the fax recipient number and make sure everything's OK, just click on Send.
Your Outlook fax service will send you a confirmation email once your fax document has been successfully transmitted. In case the fax number is busy, the service will try sending the fax again.
Fax online with Outlook is the easiest way to speed up your business communications. The free email service integrates perfectly with online faxing and it gives you free space to store your documents in the cloud, with One Drive.
If you want to replace your fax machine with an easier and more cost effective process, just give these services a try. It is free and you can cancel at any time.
Choosing The Best Outlook Fax Service
The first thing you'll need to fax from Outlook is to create an account with a service of your choice. Usually, these services are paid through a monthly subscription that lets you send and receive an allotted number of pages per month. This affordable subscription also includes a local or toll-free fax numbers to receive fax on Outlook as well.
A good Internet fax provider must work with all regular email addresses, it should be able to send faxes with free email client services as well as proprietary ones.
But don't start paying for a plan just yet! Reputable online fax providers like RingCentral Fax, just to name some, let you create a free account, which is basically a basic plan totally free for 30 days. It's time to get rid of you fax machines!
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