1. Get a number
Open Numbers in the console and search by country and area code, then choose one. Numbers for receiving are available in the US and Canada. Pick the area code your customers expect to see; it is the number you will print on forms and letterheads.
2. What happens when a fax arrives
Our carrier answers the call, we download the document, scan it for malware and store it encrypted. The fax then appears in your inbox as a PDF with the caller number, the time and the page count. Anyone on the notification list gets an email that contains a partly hidden number and a sign-in link — never the document itself.
3. Read, download, hand over
Open the fax to read it in the browser, download the PDF, or leave a note for a colleague. Members can be limited to the faxes assigned to them, which is useful when one number serves several departments. See our shared fax inbox guide.
The limits worth knowing
- PDF only, with default limits of 20 MB and 100 pages. If processing rejects a large fax, contact the sender and ask them to split it.
- No password-protected files. A locked PDF cannot be opened for you, so it is refused.
- No active content. A file with scripts or embedded files is not opened, for safety.
How long faxes are kept
An owner chooses the retention period in Settings: 30 days, 90 days, a year, two years, seven years, or keep them until someone deletes them. Owners and admins can delete a received fax at any time. Releasing the number is permanent — during the quarantine that follows nobody can take it, and afterwards it returns to the carrier.