EFax Free: How to Receive Faxes for Free Via Email

It's a frustrating situation for those of us who don't have extensive home offices: you need to receive faxes on occasion, but you don't have a fax machine or a number to provide the sender. Or perhaps you're allowed to sneak out a fax at your job but you're afraid to actually receive a fax there because you can't stand at the machine all day? As an alternative to buying a home fax machine or breaking the rules at work, eFax Free provides helpful service for those in need of low-maintenance faxing capabilities.

There's eFax Free, which is a completely free (but limited) service that allows you to receive faxes at a personal, nonlocal number and then have them delivered to your email. If that's not sufficient, you can upgrade to the eFax Plus service, which allows you not only to receive faxes but also to send them - all without investing in a fax machine. And an added benefit to both of these services is that the files are instantly available in electronic format instead of hard-copy. So not only is eFax more environmentally friendly - it's also easier to stay organized and secure by using it.

How does eFax Free work?

eFax Free provides you with a nonlocal phone number at which you can receive faxes. This is basically designed as a trial so that you can experience and assess the service, and they'll certainly try to upgrade you to eFax Plus along the way. To take advantage of the system initially, resist the upselling and stick with eFax Free. Although this legitimate free offer doesn't allow you to send faxes, at least you can receive them and test the eFax software without commitment before actually buying a paid subscription to the eFax Plus service.

After you sign up online and confirm via email (which takes about 2-3 minutes total), you'll receive your fax number and your PIN. Then there are only two steps - one required, one optional - before you can start receiving faxes at that new non-local number. First, you must download the eFax Messenger software, which is what allows you to view the faxes your receive. Although it may seem like a hassle, remember that they're setting you up with a free number at which you can receive faxes in the first place, so the quick process of downloading their software isn't all that invasive given the benefit you're receiving. Second, although not required, you should download the concise, easy-to-understand 9-page manual that explains how eFax Free works, step-by-step.

In a nutshell, when someone sends a fax to your new number, you will receive an email with the fax attached in the special .EFX format. Simply download and save the .EFX file like any other document and then use the eFax Messenger program you installed to open to document. For those of you who are confused, here's an analogy: .EFX files are to eFax Messenger what .PDF files are to Adobe Reader. eFax Free even sends you a test fax shortly after you install the software, just so that you get the hang of the service.

I signed up for the eFax Free service because I my I needed my bank to send me a document and their "research team" would, for security reasons, only fax it to me. They wouldn't email it to me directly as an attachment. So, I hurriedly signed up for eFax Free, set up the software, and called my bank back with my handy-dandy fax number. A few hours later, when the staff got around to sending my fax, it came through without incident.

Now, I have a personal fax number to provide anyone who needs to fax something to my attention, and I never have to worry about anyone else seeing the document because it comes directly to my email address. I have not opted to upgrade to the eFax Plus service at this time because I need to receive faxes more than I need to send them, but based on my very positive experience with eFax Free, I'm quite inclined to start paying for advanced capabilities should my needs change!