Free Fax Tester — Test Your Fax Machine Online

Test whether your fax machine or fax line can both send and receive — in just a few minutes, for free: send a fax to our live test number and watch it arrive below, then have a real test fax sent back to your machine. No sign-up. No software. Works with any fax machine or all-in-one printer.

Test 1: Can Your Fax Machine Send?

Using your fax machine, dial our free fax test number (888) 293-3691 (toll-free, US & Canada) and send any page — our printable Fax Test Sheet (PDF) works well.
Wait a minute or two, then refresh this page. Incoming faxes are listed below as they arrive.
If your fax appears in the list (sender number partially masked for privacy), your machine and phone line can send faxes. If it does not appear after a few minutes, see the troubleshooting checklist.

Latest Received Faxes

Date (PST)	Sender Fax	Pages
Date (PST): 7/24/2026 9:22:55 AM	Sender Fax: 276-**-717	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/24/2026 7:44:40 AM	Sender Fax: 800-**-737	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/24/2026 5:33:40 AM	Sender Fax: 000-**-000	Pages: 1
Date (PST): 7/24/2026 4:05:25 AM	Sender Fax: 491-**-247	Pages: 1
Date (PST): 7/23/2026 1:52:30 PM	Sender Fax: 321-**-208	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/23/2026 8:15:25 AM	Sender Fax: 800-**-737	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/22/2026 2:29:40 PM	Sender Fax: 504-**-891	Pages: 17
Date (PST): 7/22/2026 2:06:40 PM	Sender Fax: 360-**-100	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/21/2026 2:06:28 PM	Sender Fax: 773-**-565	Pages: 2
Date (PST): 7/21/2026 9:37:26 AM	Sender Fax: 630-**-120	Pages: 1

To view or download an image of a received fax, visit our free fax number page.

Test 2: Can Your Fax Machine Receive?

Download the Fax Test Sheet (PDF).
Open our free online fax form, enter your own fax number in the Receiver Info section, and attach the test sheet.
Confirm the fax using the link we send by email. We will then transmit the fax to your machine (this test counts toward your limit of two free faxes per day).
If the test sheet prints successfully, your machine can receive faxes — the sheet's patterns can also help reveal print-quality problems. If you get our delivery-failure notice instead, check the list below.

Fax Troubleshooting Checklist

Fax won't send:

No dial tone — check the phone cord and wall jack; connect a regular telephone to the same line to confirm it has a dial tone. On DSL lines, the fax must be behind a DSL filter.
VoIP or cable phone line — faxing over VoIP can fail or produce garbled pages. Ask your provider about T.38 fax support, or set the fax to a lower speed (9,600 bps) and disable ECM.
Busy signal or no answer — verify the full number including 1 and the area code when required, and that the receiving side is a fax line, not a voice line.
Sends but arrives blank or garbled — clean the scanner glass and rollers; try a higher resolution setting; confirm whether the page should be loaded face up or face down, as this varies by machine.

Fax won't receive:

Auto-answer is turned off — enable auto answer / fax mode, and set the ring count so the machine picks up before voicemail does.
Shared voice line — distinctive-ring or manual-receive settings can block unattended receiving.
Out of paper, toner, or memory — some machines stop answering when they cannot print.

Testing a Canon, HP, Brother, or Epson Fax Machine

Many all-in-one printers (HP OfficeJet, Canon PIXMA and imageCLASS, Brother MFC, Epson WorkForce) include a built-in fax test or transmission report — useful, but these features generally check the machine's own hardware and settings, not whether a fax actually crosses the phone network. If you're looking for a Canon or HP fax test number, use the live test above: send to (888) 293-3691 to confirm that your machine can transmit end-to-end, then run Test 2 to confirm it can receive. The same two tests work for any brand of all-in-one printer or standalone fax machine.

Fax Tester FAQ

What number can I use to send a test fax?

Send any page to (888) 293-3691 — GotFreeFax's free fax test number for the US and Canada. Your fax appears in the received-faxes list on this page within a couple of minutes.

How do I test whether my fax machine can receive?

Fax the printable test sheet to your own fax number using GotFreeFax's free online fax service. If the sheet prints successfully, your machine can receive faxes.

Is the fax tester really free?

Yes. Sending to the test number costs nothing beyond your regular phone service, and the receive test uses the free tier (two free faxes per day, no sign-up).

Why does my fax fail even though the machine seems fine?

Many fax failures are caused by phone-line problems, not machine problems: VoIP lines without T.38 fax support, DSL without a filter, or a shared voice line. See the troubleshooting checklist on this page.

Can I test a Canon, HP, Brother, or Epson machine here?

Yes. The tests work with any fax machine or all-in-one printer — brand built-in test reports generally check settings, while this tests the live line.

Need to Send or Receive a Fax Now?

Fax machine failing and you need to send something now? Send your fax free online — no machine needed.
Need to receive faxes without a machine? Use our free fax number.