Short answer: unplugging a fax machine involves rather more than yanking the cable out of the wall. Before it leaves the building, you need to print or export the transmission log (that's your proof of sending), purge the internal memory, which often holds dozens of scanned pages, cancel or reconfigure the analogue line dedicated to it, and then hand the device over to a WEEE recycling channel. And put a replacement in place — online sending or fax-to-email — before, not after.
About MondialFax. This guide covers decommissioning a physical fax machine, whatever the brand. MondialFax sends faxes free of charge and without registration to seven destinations (France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Canada). It does not assign a number and does not handle reception: the receiving scenarios discussed below assume a third-party provider. See receiving a fax and our fax-to-email guide.
In almost every company more than ten years old, there is a machine nobody looks at any more. It sits on a trolley at the end of the corridor, between the stationery cupboard and the photocopier. It whirs into life once a month when a long-standing supplier sends an order confirmation. Nobody knows what number it answers on, nobody knows who pays its subscription, and above all nobody dares unplug it "just in case".
The shutdown of the public switched telephone network is finally forcing the issue. Orange stopped selling new PSTN lines back in November 2018, then began switching off the network region by region from 2023 onwards, on a timetable overseen by Arcep and running to the end of the decade. In practice: at some point your analogue line will stop working, with or without your consent. Better to organise your exit than to have it imposed on you.
Step 1: find out what the machine still holds
A fax machine is not a pipe. It is a computer with a scanner, a modem and memory — and that memory holds on to things far longer than you would think.
Reception memory
Virtually every laser or inkjet model sold since 2005 has a reception memory (often 200 to 500 pages, depending on compression) that acts as a buffer when the paper or toner runs out. Documents sometimes sit there for months. Models with a hard drive — typically professional multifunction devices from Ricoh, Xerox, Konica Minolta or Canon imageRUNNER — add several gigabytes of storage containing scanned copies, address books and network folder credentials.
Put another way: moving a multifunction device out of the company without wiping it means letting a hard drive full of client documents walk out of the door. France's CNIL regularly points out that disposing of equipment containing personal data is still a form of processing, subject to the same security obligations as everything else (Article 32 of the GDPR).
What to extract before wiping
| Item | Where to find it | Why keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission log | "Reports" menu → "Activity log" | Proof of sending and receipt, admissible in a dispute |
| Address book | CSV export or printout | Recovers partners' fax numbers |
| Confirmation reports | Memory of the last 100 to 200 transmissions | Evidential value of a dated transmission |
| Documents in memory | Deferred reception / confidential mailboxes | Documents never printed, therefore never dealt with |
| Line settings | Configuration screen | Assigned number, outgoing prefix, TSI identifier |
On recent models, the log can be exported as a PDF to a USB stick or an email address. On older ones there is only a paper output: print it and scan it straight away, filing it with the rest of your accounting records. A document scanner with an automatic feeder makes this archive recovery far less painful than feeding sheets one at a time onto the glass, especially if you have several years of logs to work through. For guidance on how long to keep them, see our dedicated guide to archiving faxes.
Step 2: purge the memory — properly
The "Restore factory settings" option is not enough. It resets the menus but does not necessarily overwrite the storage areas. There are three levels, from weakest to safest:
- Logical erasure — the "General reset" menu. Sufficient for an entry-level fax with no hard drive, which only holds pages in volatile RAM.
- Secure erasure — on professional multifunction devices, the "Data Overwrite Security System" function, "Hard disk data erasure" or equivalent. It overwrites the medium one to three times depending on the settings; allow anywhere from twenty minutes to several hours. This is the only acceptable option for a device that has handled health or legal data.
- Physically removing the drive — when the device is going back to a third party whose chain of custody you do not control. The drive is removed, then either destroyed or kept. You will need a disassembly guide, a precision Torx screwdriver set and a little patience: the screws on the underside of multifunction devices are almost never Phillips.
Document the operation. A single line in your record of processing activities — date, serial number, erasure method, name of the operator — will save you having to reconstruct the story three years later.
Leased devices are a special case. If the multifunction belongs to the lessor (Ricoh, Xerox, a regional reseller), erasure is often part of the return contract. Get it in writing: "secure erasure of the hard drive before collection, with certificate". A lease that says nothing on this point leaves the liability with you.
Step 3: the line, that invisible cost
The machine is only the visible part. Behind it there is almost always a dedicated analogue line billed at between €20 and €40 excluding VAT per month on business tariffs, plus call charges. Over ten years, for a device used four times a year, the arithmetic is brutal.
Identifying the line
The fax number is in principle printed on every page sent, in the TSI header (Transmitting Subscriber Identification). Failing that, call it from a mobile: the shrill tone confirms it is still live. Then cross-check against your operator's invoice: an orphaned "analogue", "PSTN", "T0" or "DDI" line is almost always sitting there.
Three possible exits
- Straight cancellation. The number is lost. Acceptable if nobody has sent you anything for years — check the reception log over twelve months first.
- Porting to an online fax service. The number is kept and redirected to an email inbox. This is the route to favour as soon as a partner, an insurance fund or a public body is still using it. The procedure and its timescales are set out in keeping your fax number after the PSTN switch-off.
- Switching to an ATA adapter. The physical device is connected to the router via an analogue/IP conversion box. Technically possible, but this is the scenario where transmission failures multiply — see why T.38 fails.
Porting takes time: allow three to six weeks between the request and actual activation, with a signed porting mandate and a RIO code to obtain. Never cancel the line before the port is confirmed — a cancelled line can no longer be ported, and the number goes back into the operator's general pool after a few weeks.
Step 4: recycle the device by the book
A fax machine is electrical and electronic equipment within the meaning of the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU), transposed into Articles L. 541-10-2 et seq. of the French Environment Code. It therefore goes neither into the scrap metal skip nor into general waste.
Available channels
- "One for one" take-back: the retailer selling you a new device must take back the old one of an equivalent category free of charge.
- Approved producer responsibility organisations — Ecosystem and Ecologic for professional equipment — offer drop-off points and, above a certain volume, on-site collection.
- Business waste recycling centres run by local authorities, often on a permit basis, for very small businesses.
- Reuse via charities: Emmaüs, the Ateliers du Bocage or local reuse centres sometimes accept recent, working multifunction devices. Reserve this for machines whose memory has been securely erased.
Don't forget the consumables
Toner cartridges and drums do not follow the same route as the chassis. Most manufacturers offer prepaid return labels; otherwise, collection points in stationery shops will take them. A collection box for printer cartridges placed near the print room stops them ending up in the recycling bin, where they have no business being.
Finally, thermal transfer film models — still common in small practices — hide a subtlety: the transfer film retains a negative image of every page received. Held up to the light, a medical report or a bank statement is perfectly legible. It has to be destroyed, not thrown away. A cross-cut shredder will handle both the film and the stack of printed pages languishing in the output tray.
Step 5: organise what comes next
Unplugging without replacing creates a hole: the supplier still sending confirmations by fax will get no usable error message back, and you will discover the problem two months later.
The switchover checklist
- List the correspondents still active over the last twelve months, log in hand.
- Notify them in writing of the change of channel, with the switchover date and the new secure email address.
- Set up sending: an online sending service is enough in the vast majority of cases, with no hardware and no subscription. See send a fax and the supported countries.
- Decide about reception: either a number ported to a fax-to-email provider, or a redirect to an alternative channel if your correspondents agree.
- Digitise the paper archive before throwing anything out. A strapped archive folder costs less than reconstructing a file.
- Update your letterheads, email footers, supplier records and company registration details if the fax number appears there.
Point 6 is the one everyone forgets. A dead fax number still sitting on terms and conditions published online means a formal notice letter that will never arrive — and an unpleasant argument about who failed to do what.
What it costs, what it saves
Ballpark figures for a small French business sending around twenty faxes a year:
| Item | Physical fax machine | Online sending |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated analogue line | €20 to €40 excl. VAT / month | €0 |
| Consumables (toner, paper, film) | €60 to €150 / year | €0 |
| Maintenance / repairs | Variable, often a flat fee | Included |
| Receiving number | Included in the line | €3 to €15 excl. VAT / month depending on provider |
| Proof of sending | Paper report | Archivable timestamped receipt |
The saving is not spectacular over a single month. It becomes so over five years, and above all it removes a hardware dependency: no more paper jams at 6 p.m. on a Friday, no more hunting for toner for a model discontinued in 2011.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my fax machine to the municipal recycling centre?
For a private individual, yes: WEEE is collected free of charge. For a business, access depends on the local authority and often requires a paid permit. Approved producer responsibility organisations (Ecosystem, Ecologic) are the simplest route once you have more than a few devices.
How long should I keep transmission logs?
Match the retention period of the transmitted document itself. For accounting and commercial records, French commercial law requires ten years. A log kept as a PDF with its print date remains usable as prima facie evidence.
Does a factory reset really erase everything?
No, not on multifunction devices with a hard drive. It resets the settings without overwriting the data sectors. Use the secure erasure function documented by the manufacturer, or have the drive removed.
What if a partner refuses to give up the fax?
This is common with certain public bodies and regulated professions. The answer is not to keep the machine, but to keep the channel: a number ported to a fax-to-email service meets exactly the same need, with no analogue line and no paper.
My fax is leased — do I still have to handle the erasure?
Yes. The lessor owns the hardware, but you remain responsible for the processing of the data it contains. Insist on an erasure certificate when you return it.
In summary
- A fax machine is not empty when you unplug it: reception memory, hard drive, address book and thermal film all hold readable documents.
- Export the transmission log before anything else: it is the only evidential trace of what you sent and received.
- Secure erasure is not a factory reset; on a professional multifunction, insist on the overwrite function or removal of the drive.
- The analogue line often costs more than the machine. Port the number before cancelling, never the other way round.
- The WEEE channel is mandatory: one-for-one take-back, approved producer responsibility organisations or a business recycling centre, with consumables kept separate.
- Plan the replacement before the cut-off: online sending for outgoing faxes, a fax-to-email provider for incoming ones, and notify your correspondents in writing.
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