Articles in this section

Send & Receive a Fax

Internet faxes (sometimes referred to as eFaxes) are easy! They don't require big, bulky fax machines, just a simple Dialpad fax license and phone number.

Let's go over how to send and receive faxes.

Who can use this

Before you can use virtual fax, you need a fax license. Once you have a license, you (or the Admin) can add fax lines to shared lines or individual team members.

Send a fax

Faxes can be sent from your direct Dialpad number or from a Main Line, Department, or Contact Center.

If you want to send a fax from your direct line, have your Admin add a fax line to your user account.

To send a fax:

  1. Select the Fax icon

  2. Type the recipient's name or phone number

  3. Select Upload a file to send

  4. Select the file

That’s it! Once a file is selected, Dialpad will send your fax.
 

While sending, you'll see the Pending status under the fax icon in your conversation.

Once successfully sent, the confirmation will change to Status: Success with a timestamp.

Screenshot of a sent fax message in a Dialpad conversation thread, showing sender details, a timestamp, a printer icon, and a status reading 'Status: success'.

You can review your sent faxes in the Faxes tab of your Inbox

Alt Text Option  "Screenshot of the Dialpad application Inbox view with an orange box highlighting the selected 'Faxes' tab, showing a list of faxes with options to download.

Send a fax via mobile

Faxes can be sent through the Dialpad mobile app.

To send a fax, go to the Home tab on your mobile app:

  1. Select the Fax icon

  2. Type the recipient’s name or phone number

  3. Select Scan or Upload file

  4. Select Send

    Three-panel screenshot of the Dialpad mobile app demonstrating how to send a fax: the left panel highlights the Home tab and top fax icon with orange boxes and arrows; the middle panel shows options to select a recipient and scan or upload a document; the right panel shows an orange arrow pointing to the paper airplane Send icon in the top right corner.

Supported file types

Dialpad permits the following file types to be faxed:

.doc and .docx

.jpg and .jpeg

.pdf

.png

.ppsx

.xls and .xlsx

.ppt and .pptx

.txt

.tif

.gif

We recommend using images or PDFs to minimize formatting issues, and each file (including the cover letter) should be under 32MB.

Tip

If you experience any formatting or layout issues when faxing files like Word or TXT, try converting the file to a PDF and send it again.

Using cover letters

Want to add a cover letter to your fax? No problem!

Cover letters can be assigned to individual users, as well as shared lines.

Notes

Fax lines purchased before April 2023 may not support the cover page functionality. If you encounter issues uploading your fax cover sheet, please contact our Customer Care team for assistance.

Cover letters cannot be selectively used. Once uploaded, they are automatically included with the fax and added to the page count.

Add a cover letter for a shared line

To add a cover letter to a shared line, go to your Dialpad Admin Settings.

  1. Select the shared line (Department or Contact Center)

  2. Select Upload fax cover sheet
    Alt Text Option  "Screenshot of the Admin Settings Department Info page, featuring an orange box highlighting the 'Upload fax cover sheet' link located below the Phone Numbers list.

  3. Select the desired cover letter

To change the cover letter, simply upload a new file.

Add a cover letter for an individual line

To add a cover letter to an individual fax line, go to Your Settings.

  1. Navigate to your Fax number

  2. Select Upload fax cover sheet
    Screenshot of the Your Profile page under settings, featuring an orange arrow pointing to an orange box highlighting the 'Upload fax cover sheet' button next to the Dialpad Fax Number.

  3. Select the desired cover letter

To change the cover letter, simply upload a new file.

Receive a fax

When someone sends you a fax, you'll receive an incoming message notification.

Select the notification to open the conversation thread and open the fax.

If you miss the live notification, you'll also see the fax appear in the Unread tab of your Inbox, as well as in the Faxes tab.
Alt Text Option  "Screenshot of the Dialpad inbox under the Faxes tab, showing an orange box highlighting the 'Download fax' link next to an incoming fax item from Aerolabs Customer Support.
Select Download fax to download and open your fax.

Delete a fax

To delete a fax,

  1. Select More actions (that's the 3 vertical dots)

  2. Select Delete

Screenshot of a Dialpad conversation thread showing a sent fax entry, featuring an orange arrow pointing to a three-dot options menu and an orange box highlighting the 'Delete' option in the pop-up menu.

Email notifications

Want to receive an email notification when you receive a fax? No problem!

Shared line fax notifications 

To set up email notifications for shared lines, go to your Dialpad Admin Settings.

  1. Navigate to Office Settings

  2. Select Main line

  3. Select Advanced Settings

  4. Navigate to Email Address

  5. Select Add an Email Address

  6. Enter the email address you want to receive notifications

  7. Select Add email

Individual user fax notifications 

Your fax notifications use the same settings as your message notifications.

To customize these for your individual line, go to your in-app settings.

  1. Navigate to Customize notifications & Sounds

    Screenshot of the Dialpad app interface with an open Hardware Settings menu, featuring an orange circle around the gear icon at the top and an orange arrow pointing to 'Customize notification & sounds' highlighted in an orange box.
  2. Select Notifications & Sounds

    1. Check the box beside Messages

    2. Check the box beside Play a sound when new messages are received
      Alt Text Option  "Screenshot of the Dialpad App Preferences window under Notifications & Sounds, featuring orange boxes highlighting the selected 'Messages' checkbox under 'Notify me about...' and the selected 'Play a sound when new messages are received' checkbox under Sounds.

Once enabled, you’ll get an app notification and an email (with a quick download link) every time you receive a fax.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my fax line have a busy tone?

Anyone sending a fax must dial 1 before your number. Otherwise, the fax will return a busy tone and not go through. Sending a fax locally does not incur any fees (as the area code is the same).

How much does faxing cost?

Fax pricing varies depending on your plan, and who you're sending a fax to.

Is the cost per page or per fax?

Dialpad’s faxing service is built on our phone network, meaning, when we send a fax, we’re actually placing a call. Please refer to this Help Center article for details on pricing.

Can I send or receive a fax on my mobile device?

Yes! You can send faxes right from the Dialpad app using your personal number or shared lines.

Is faxing HIPAA compliant?

Yes, faxing with Dialpad is HIPAA compliant.

Can I use a number for both faxing and calling?

No. When a number is assigned to a fax line it cannot be used for voice calls or SMS messaging.

Can I send multiple faxes at once?

This depends on your plan.

  • Users on a Free Trial can send 1 fax at a time, per fax number.

  • Users on a Standard Account can send 2 faxes at a time, per fax number.

  • Users on a Pro Account can send 2 faxes at a time, per fax number.

  • Users on Enterprise Accounts can send 10 faxes at a time, per fax number.

Is there a maximum number of pages I can send per fax?

Yes, and the page limit depends on your plan.

  • Users on a Free Trial can send up to 10 pages per fax

  • Users on a paid Dialpad account can send up to 100 pages per fax

Remember, each file must be less than 32MB, so depending on your file size, you may not be able to send the maximum number of pages per fax.

Tip

Faxing page limits are for security and performance purposes.
For optimal experience, it’s best to split large faxes into smaller batches of 100 pages or less.

What timezone is used for fax timestamps?

Fax timestamps use your configured timezone:

  • For faxes sent or received on a shared line (Main Line, Department, or Contact Center), the timestamp reflects the office-level timezone.

  • For faxes sent or received on an individual fax line, the timestamp reflects the user's configured timezone.

If you need to change your timezone, you can update it in your profile settings.

Why did I receive an error that says 'insufficient credit'?

Faxes are billed and paid via credits. If you receive a notification stating 'insufficient credits' it means your fax was not sent due to a lack of credits. Choose to automatically add credits to your account to prevent this from happening again.

If I run out of credits and try to send a fax, will it automatically re-send once credits are added?

No. Faxes sent when your account has no available credits aren’t queued or retried. You’ll need to resend them after credits are added.


 

Was this article helpful?
0 out of 0 found this helpful

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.