UW-IT eFax Service enables individuals or groups to send and receive faxes without needing a physical fax machine. Rather than having faxes print out, faxes are sent or received using email or by accessing a simple-to-use web page (https://fax.uw.edu/). Faxes are displayed using the PDF format and are retained for up to 30 days.
Paper and toner costs make operating physical fax machines expensive. The UW-IT eFax Service is an excellent alternative to maintaining a physical fax machine. Migrating existing campus fax numbers to eFax is seamless and easy. UW-IT can transition your existing fax number or set up a new fax number to meet your needs.
Upon request, the eFax service can also be HIPAA compliant. For a HIPAA-compliant service, faxes will be retained on the server for only 5 days and the contents of the fax will not be emailed, only a notification of a fax being received. To configure your eFax service to meet HIPAA compliance standards, please submit a request using the Telecom Help Form.
The following table describes options for receiving and sending faxes when using eFax.
| Account Type | Receiving Faxes | Sending Faxes |
| Personal Account | Faxes are sent to the associated campus email address. They can also be viewed on the web interface.
Personal inbound fax numbers are available from the service catalog. Note: For HIPAA compliance, only a notification for received faxes will be sent to email. Fax content can be retrieved via the web link in the email. |
Faxes can be sent from the associated campus email address. They can also be sent from the web interface.
Sending faxes also requires a campus phone number and email address to be visible in the UW directory. Note: To add or update your fax number, edit your profile on MyUW. |
| Personal – Outbound Only | N/A | Subscribers to UW-IT’s phone service can send up to 250 pages per month as an add-on to their Campus Dial Tone service.
Sending faxes requires your campus phone number and email address to be visible in the UW directory. If making your information visible in the UW Directory is disadvantageous, then contact Customer Service for assistance. |
| Personal Account – Shared number | Faxes are sent to a distribution list. They can also be viewed on the web. | Faxes can be sent from the associated campus email address. They can also be sent from the web interface.
Note: each user will not see faxes sent by the other users. |
| Shared Account | Faxes are sent to a distribution list. They can also be viewed on the web interface. | Faxes can be sent on the web interface.
Note: all sent faxes can be seen by everyone using the shared account. |
Guides and Videos
Below are quick reference guides and video tutorials on creating and sending faxes.
To create and send faxes using the web interface:
To create and send faxes using email:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access eFax?
The eFax web interface is at https://fax.uw.edu/. To access the web interface, you need to be on campus networks or use Husky OnNet.
If you have a personal eFax service, log in to the web interface with your UW NetID. If you use a shared account, you need to log in using a separate password.
How do I send and receive faxes?
You can send a fax using email or the eFax web interface. To send a fax using email, simply attach the document to the email. To send a fax using the web interface, just browse to the document.
You can receive faxes using email or the eFax web interface. eFax will deliver faxes and notifications to a personal or group UW email address. You can also access faxes via the eFax web interface.
For full instructions, see our quick reference guides and videos above.
What document types can I send through eFax?
eFax supports many common file formats such as PDF, JPG, PNG, and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel. If you try to send an unsupported document type, you may get an error on the web interface or a failure notification through Email. In this case, try to convert the file to a supported file format such as PDF.
Can I transition an existing fax number to eFax?
Yes. UW-IT can transfer your number to the eFax service, then place an order to remove the analog line that is connected to your existing fax machine.
Is there a HIPAA compliant version of eFax?
Yes! The only difference is that HIPAA service has a shorter retention period of 5 days, and fax images are not sent in email. These settings were put in place to make the service HIPAA compatible. Please ask for it specifically when ordering.
How long will my faxes be available on the server?
Faxes are retained for 30 days on the eFax server. HIPAA faxes are only retained for 5 days.
Can I have my faxes automatically printed to my local printer?
No. In support of the Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability (Go Green initiative), the eFax service will not automatically print faxes. However, faxes can be manually printed at the time of viewing (in email or on the web). Alternatively, you can set up a rule in your email client (e.g. Outlook) to print emails when received from the eFax server.
Ordering, Changing, or Moving eFax Service
Eligibility for the eFax service include UW faculty, UW staff, UW students in residence halls, and multiple off-campus locations. To order, change, or move the eFax service, submit a request through the eFax page on the UW Service Catalog. Please submit requests 7‐10 business days in advance.
Rates
Outbound faxing for personal accounts is included in the Dial Tone tariff. For inbound or shared account faxing, please refer to the eFax page on the UW Service Catalog.
Troubleshooting
Fax failures may occur from time to time. The eFax web interface provides a historical list of received and sent faxes under Inbound History and Outbound History links respectively. Each history list has a Status column. To further investigate a failed fax, click on its Failed link to open the details page. On the page, read the Description under the Error Information section to understand the reason for the failure.
If you are experiencing a high number of fax failures, please report the issue to Customer Service by calling (206) 221-5000 or submit a ticket using the Telecom Help Form.