How do I send a fax with FaxTerra?
A fax is a document sent to another fax machine over the phone network. FaxTerra does the calling for you — you pick a document and a number, and we deliver it. Here is exactly what to expect.
What you can send
You send a document from your computer or phone — no fax machine, no printer, no phone line of your own. FaxTerra accepts:
- PDF files
- Photos and images — JPG, PNG, HEIC (the format an iPhone takes, no need to convert it first), TIFF, GIF, BMP, and WebP
Multi-page TIFF files send all of their pages. You can attach more than one file to a single fax; they are combined and sent together as one transmission. Word documents and other file types are not sent directly — save or export them as a PDF first, then attach the PDF.
Every page, shown as it will be received
When you attach a document, FaxTerra lays it out as one tile per page, in the order the fax will send, rendered the way the receiving machine will print it: black and white, one page at a time. The preview is faithful to the fax rather than to your screen, so a page that is hard to read here is worth fixing before you send (a darker scan, a larger font). Select any page and the toolbar below the preview acts on just that one: rotate a sideways page, or remove a page you do not need, without touching the rest of the document. A cover page appears as a page tile too, so you see the whole fax the recipient gets.
Choosing where it goes
Every fax goes to exactly one recipient fax number. As you type the number, FaxTerra helps you enter it correctly and, for common destinations like government offices, can recognize the number and confirm what it is. Sending the same document to two different places is two separate faxes. See which countries you can fax.
The optional cover page
You can add a cover page with a short note to the recipient — a subject line and message. It is optional. If you add one, it counts as one page of the fax, the same as any other page.
How pages are counted
A "page" is a page of the fax that actually goes out. If you attach a three-page PDF and a one-page photo, that is four pages; adding a cover page makes it five. This matters because your allowance is measured in pages (see what you can fax for free and what the plans include). A single fax can be up to 350 pages, and each file you upload can be up to 200 MB. A document over 350 pages still sends. It goes out automatically as multiple faxes, delivered in order, and the send form tells you how many before you commit.
What happens after you press send
Pressing send is all it takes — there is no separate confirmation step to hunt for. FaxTerra prepares your document, places the fax call, and shows you a live status while it works. You do not have to stay on the page: we email you the moment it is delivered, or if it could not get through. See how delivery and confirmations work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a fax machine or a phone line?
No. FaxTerra sends the fax for you over the internet. You only need a document and the recipient's fax number.
Can I send a fax from my phone?
Yes. You can send from any web browser, or from the FaxTerra mobile app. You can attach a photo taken on your phone directly — including the HEIC format iPhones use.
Why is the preview black and white?
Because that is what arrives. Fax machines transmit in black and white, so the preview shows your document the way the recipient's machine will print it. Your original file is not changed.
One page says its preview is unavailable. Will it still send?
Yes. That tile means the preview image could not be drawn, not that the page is broken. The page sends with the rest of the document.
Can I remove or rotate just one page?
Yes. Tap a page to select it, then use the rotate or remove control in the toolbar below the preview. Both work on the cover page too. If you want to start over instead, Clear all at the top of the page strip removes every page you uploaded in one step and leaves your cover page and recipient in place.
Can I send one fax to several numbers at once?
Each fax goes to one recipient number. To reach several recipients, send the document to each number separately.
Do you have an API?
Not today. FaxTerra is a web and mobile app: you send from the website or the iPhone and Android apps, and there is no public API for sending from your own software. If an API would matter for how you work, tell support what you would use it for; requests like that inform what we build.
Can I send a Word document?
Not directly. Save or export it as a PDF first — most word processors can do this from their Save As or Export menu — then attach the PDF.
How big a document can I send?
A single fax can be up to 350 pages, and each file you upload can be up to 200 MB. Anything larger is split for you automatically: it goes out as multiple faxes delivered in order, each with its own "Part N of M" cover sheet, and you pay the same total page count either way.
How long will my fax take to send?
A few minutes for a short document. Transmission runs at roughly a minute per page, so a 60-page document can take about an hour. You can close the page after you press send; FaxTerra emails you when it is delivered, or if it could not get through.
My upload fails or stalls. What should I do?
Uploading is the one part of sending that runs on your own connection, so a weak or busy network is the usual cause. A large file on a slow connection can sit at 100% for a while before it finishes, which looks stuck when it is still working. If the connection drops partway, FaxTerra retries it once on its own; after that, attach the file again. A stronger connection helps, as does closing other large downloads, and a very large file can go as two faxes instead of one. Each file you upload can be up to 200 MB.
Can I stop a fax that is already sending?
No. Once a fax is on its way to the recipient's machine it cannot be pulled back, the same as a fax sent from a machine in an office. What you can stop is what has not happened yet: a fax that failed and is retrying has a Stop trying button on its status page, and a long fax that stopped partway and is waiting on your choice can be cancelled there, in which case nothing more is sent and nothing is charged. See when a fax fails. Before you press send, the send form confirms who a recognized number belongs to, which is the moment to catch a wrong recipient.