Installing and Using Windows Fax - Windows Tips

Many people need to fax documents on a daily basis and printing them out first and feeding them into a fax machine can slow down your production levels. Windows allows you to fax documents right from your computer without having to print them out first. Many people may not even know that this is possible but its been a feature of Windows for many years and versions.

All you need to do is have a modem installed in your computer and have it connected to a phone line in your home or office. Then you can install the Windows Fax Service if its not already installed and begin faxing straight from your computer. This may not apply to a lot of people since computers generally don't come with modems anymore but you can buy one for around $20 and install it pretty easily.

In order to set up your computer for faxing you will need to have a special printer installed. If you go to your printers in Control Panel and have a Fax printer installed then you should be all ready to go software wise. If not then go to Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP or Programs and Features in Windows Vista and 7 and select Add/Remove Windows Components and check the box for Fax Services and click Next to have it installed. This procedure may vary depending on your version of Windows.

Once it’s installed it will add a Fax printer to your list of installed printers. Then all you need to do is create your document in any program and go to File and Print and select Fax instead of your normal printer.

Then it will bring up the Fax Configuration Wizard the first time and walk you through the process of getting your fax settings configured in regards to your sender information, fax device (modem and subscriber ID).