How to send a fax from an iPhone

Updated October 25, 2026 · PlusFax team

Fax from an iPhone or iPad in a minute: scan the pages with the Notes or Files app, upload the PDF in Safari, enter the number and pay. No app download required.

In short

  1. Scan the pages. Open Notes, tap the camera icon and choose Scan Documents. Hold the phone over each page; it captures and straightens automatically.
  2. Save as PDF. Tap the scan, then the share icon, then Save to Files. The scan is already a PDF.
  3. Open the send page in Safari. Go to the Send a fax page, tap the upload area and choose the PDF from Files, or pick photos straight from your library.
  4. Enter the number and pay. Type the fax number, pay with Apple Pay or a card, and keep the confirmation email as your receipt.

What you need

An iPhone or iPad running a recent iOS, the document (on paper or already a file), and a card. That is all. The phone does not need a phone line, a fax app or a subscription: the fax is sent from a web page in Safari, and the carrier call happens on our side.

Step 1: turn the paper into a PDF

Every iPhone since iOS 11 has a document scanner built in, and it produces a far better fax than a plain photo because it straightens the page and sharpens the text.

  1. Open Notes, start a new note and tap the camera icon, then Scan Documents. (In the Files app, tap the three dots at the top and choose Scan Documents instead.)
  2. Hold the phone over the page. It detects the edges and captures automatically; tap the shutter if it does not. Repeat for every page.
  3. Tap Save. The scan is stored as a multi-page PDF inside the note.
  4. Tap the scan, then the share icon, then Save to Files. Pick a folder you will find again, such as Downloads.

Already have a PDF in Mail, Messages or an app? Use its share icon and Save to Files, or simply remember where it is: the upload step can browse your files directly.

Step 2: open the send page and upload

In Safari, open the Send a fax page and tap the upload area. iOS asks where the file is: Photo Library for pictures, Choose File for a PDF in Files. Pick the document, and the page shows the number of pages and the exact price: $1.99 for up to 5 pages, $0.25 per page after that.

If you took ordinary photos rather than scans, you can select several at once. Each photo becomes a page, scaled to Letter size. Shoot them straight on and in good light, because a shadow across a page becomes a grey smear on a fax.

Step 3: enter the number

Type the fax number with the area code, exactly as you would dial it. For a number abroad start with the plus sign and country code, for example +49 30 1234567 for Berlin, and leave out the leading zero of the area code. Our international fax guide lists the codes and the rules.

Step 4: pay and keep the receipt

Pay with Apple Pay where it is offered, or type a card number. The fax is queued the moment the payment is confirmed, and the status page updates on your screen until the receiving machine confirms the last page. The confirmation email lands in Mail with the number, page count and time; it is your proof of delivery, so keep it.

Tips that make a difference

  • Use the scanner, not the camera. Scans are flattened and high-contrast, which is exactly what a fax machine wants.
  • Black and white is fine. Fax has no colour. In the scanner, the Black & White filter often gives the sharpest result on the other end.
  • Check page order in the preview before you pay.
  • Signatures: use Markup in Files or Photos to sign the PDF with your finger, then upload the signed file.
  • Add a cover sheet if the fax goes to a shared office machine; see what to put on one.

Why not a fax app?

App-store fax apps do the same thing inside an app, usually for a weekly or monthly subscription that keeps renewing after the fax you needed. For an occasional fax, the built-in scanner and a web page are cheaper and leave nothing on your phone to cancel. If you fax regularly and also need to receive, a monthly plan with your own number is the better fit; the receiving guide explains it.

Send a fax now, no account needed

$1.99 for up to 5 pages, then $0.25 a page. Upload, enter the number, pay by card, get a delivery receipt by email.

Send a fax

Need your own number? Plans with fax-to-email start at $7.99 a month. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

No. The built-in scanner in Notes or Files produces a PDF, and the fax is sent from Safari. Apps that charge a weekly subscription are not necessary for an occasional fax.

Yes. Pick one or more photos; they are converted to a Letter-size PDF, one photo per page. Photograph the page straight on and in good light for the sharpest result.

Yes, on devices and browsers that support it. A regular card works everywhere.

Yes. The steps are identical; the Files app on iPad also scans documents.

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