How to Fax From an iPad — Apple Pencil Signing & Split View
The iPad sits between a phone and a laptop, and that helps with faxing: the larger screen makes a scanned page easy to read before you send it, Split View lets you keep the document and the upload form side by side, and an Apple Pencil produces a real handwritten signature rather than a finger scrawl. The Files app scans paper with the same edge detection as the iPhone, Markup or the Pencil signs it, and Send FAX Mail in Safari sends it over a fax connection with an email receipt. No fax app is required, and a 7-day free trial covers your first pages without a card.
What you need
- ✓An iPad running a current iPadOS with Safari and the Files app
- ✓An Apple Pencil if you want a handwritten signature (optional)
- ✓The document as a scan, photo, or existing PDF in Files or iCloud Drive
- ✓A Send FAX Mail account (the 7-day free trial includes first sends)
How to fax from iPad
- 1Open the Files app, tap the More menu, and choose Scan Documents; the iPad's camera squares and crops each page into a PDF
- 2Open the scan and, if a signature is needed, use Markup with the Apple Pencil to sign directly on the page at full size
- 3Open Safari and sign in to Send FAX Mail
- 4Enter Split View by dragging the Files app to the side so the document and the fax form share the screen
- 5Drag the PDF from Files into the upload area, or use the upload button and pick it from Files
- 6Type the recipient's fax number, send, and watch for the email delivery confirmation
iPad limits worth knowing
An Apple Pencil signature is captured as part of the page image, so it cannot be edited or moved after you save — sign where the line is the first time, since re-doing it means re-scanning. The large iPad camera is easy to hold at an angle over a desk, which casts a shadow across the page; the Files scanner corrects mild skew but a heavy shadow still darkens a fax, so light the page evenly. Split View needs the iPad in landscape with a supported model; on a smaller iPad you may use Slide Over instead, dragging the document over the form rather than beside it.
| Aspect | On iPad | On other platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Signing | Apple Pencil gives a true handwritten signature at full size | An iPhone signs with a finger on a much smaller screen |
| Reviewing before sending | Large display shows the full page, Split View beside the form | A phone shows a smaller preview and one task at a time |
| Scanning | Files app Scan Documents with edge detection | A Windows PC uses a connected scanner and the Scan app |
Faxing from iPad — FAQ
Yes. Open the scanned PDF, tap the Markup pen, and sign with the Pencil right on the signature line at full size. The handwriting becomes part of the page, so when you upload and fax the document the recipient sees your signature exactly where you drew it.
Split View puts the Files app and the Send FAX Mail browser tab side by side, so you can read the document and fill in the recipient number at the same time, then drag the PDF straight from Files into the upload area without switching back and forth.
The iPad's larger body often casts a shadow when you hold it over a desk, and a fax darkens shadowed areas further. Light the page evenly or angle the iPad so no shadow falls across the text, then rescan; the Files scanner will square the page and keep the contrast clean.
No. The Files app scanner and Markup are built into iPadOS, and Send FAX Mail runs in Safari, so you scan, sign, upload, and send entirely with tools already on the iPad. There is nothing to install from the App Store.
Ready to send a fax from your iPad?
Upload your document and send in seconds. Start with a 7-day free trial — no card needed.
7-day free trial · No credit card required