Use tones and ringtones with your iPhone or iPad
Learn how to change the sound that plays when you get a call, text, email, or other notification on your iPhone or iPad. Choose from a variety of built-in sounds or buy ringtones from the iTunes Store.
Change your ringtone
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap a ringtone or alert tone to hear it and set it as the new sound.
Set a ringtone or text tone for a contact
- Open the Contacts app and tap a person's name.
- In the upper-right corner of the person's contact card, tap Edit.
Buy ringtones from the iTunes Store
- Open the iTunes Store app.
- Tap Tones.
- Find a ringtone that you want to buy, then tap the price.
- You might need to enter your Apple ID password to complete your purchase.
Store availability and features might vary by country or region. Learn what's available in your country or region .
Ringtones on iTunes aren't full songs; they're just snippets.
Redownload ringtones purchased with your Apple ID
- Under Sounds and Haptic Patterns, tap any sound.
You might not be able to redownload some previously purchased tones.
Start a discussion in Apple Support Communities
Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.
How can I set a ringtone from iTunes?
I’ve bought an album from itunes, how can i set a song from that album as a ringtone?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Posted on Jul 2, 2019 4:31 PM
Use tones and ringtones with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Customize your ringtone, text tone, new mail alert sound, and more.
Store availability and features might vary by country or region. Learn what's available in your country or region .
Change your ringtone
- On your iOS device, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- In the Sounds And Vibrations Patterns section, tap the sound that you want to change. You can change your Ringtone, Text Tone, New Mail sound, Calendar Alerts, and more.
- Tap on the name of a ringtone or alert tone to hear it play and set it as the new sound.
You can also set a Ringtone or Text Tone for a specific contact: In the Contacts app, find and tap the specific contact, then tap Edit in the upper-right corner. Tap Ringtone or Text Tone, then choose a new sound.
Redownload previously purchased tones
With iOS 11 or later, you can redownload purchased tones that you bought using your Apple ID.
Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, then tap on any sound. At the top of the page, tap Download All Purchased Tones to check for any previously purchased tones that are not currently downloaded to your device. You might not see this option if you've already downloaded your previously purchased tones or if you haven't purchased any tones.
You might not be able to redownload some previously purchased tones.
Move custom ringtones from iTunes to your iOS device
If you have a custom ringtone or tone in iTunes on your Mac or PC that you want to move to your iOS device, you can manually add it to your device using iTunes.
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Open iTunes. Make sure that you have the latest version .
- On your computer, find the ringtone or tone that you want to add to your device. If the ringtone or tone previously appeared in your iTunes library, you can find it in the Tones or Ringtones folders of your iTunes media folder . If you created a ringtone in GarageBand on Mac and then shared it to iTunes, it might be in an Import folder.
- Select the tone that you want to add to your device and copy it. (You can use a keyboard shortcut .)
- Return to iTunes and go to the Library tab of Music.
- Click your device in the left sidebar, then click Tones.
- Paste your tone. (You can use a keyboard shortcut .)
You can also drag and drop your tone file onto the name of your iOS device in the left sidebar of iTunes.
Use tones and ringtones with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple ...
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207955
Posted on Jul 3, 2019 10:29 AM
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How to Add Custom Ringtones to Your iPhone
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He's written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times and Reader's Digest , been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami's NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times---and that's just here at How-To Geek. Read more...
Nick Lewis is a staff writer for How-To Geek. He has been using computers for 20 years --- tinkering with everything from the UI to the Windows registry to device firmware. Before How-To Geek, he used Python and C++ as a freelance programmer. In college, Nick made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree. Read more...
The iPhone has been around for a long time, and yet there’s still no easy way to add your own custom ringtones—but it is possible. If you don’t want to buy ringtones or use the ones that came with your iPhone, you can create your own with iTunes.
This process changed a bit with iTunes 12.7. The “Tones” library you could previously sync with your iPhone has been removed, but you can still manually place ringtone files on your phone. Any ringtones you had stored in iTunes are now located at C:UsersNAMEMusiciTunesiTunes MediaTones on a PC or ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Tones/ on a Mac.
Update: We had some issues with the version of iTunes downloaded from the Microsoft Store, but the version available for download on the Apple website worked perfectly. If you encounter problems, try installing the version downloaded from Apple.
Step One: Get iTunes
You almost never have to use iTunes with a modern iPhone , but adding your own custom ringtones still requires it.
On a Windows PC, you’ll need to install the latest version of iTunes from Apple. On a Mac, iTunes is already installed and ready to go. This process will work on either a Mac or Windows PC.
Update: Apple no longer offers iTunes on Macs starting with macOS Catalina. Here’s how to get custom ringtones onto your iPhone on the latest version of macOS . The instructions in this article still work if you’re using iTunes on Windows or if you have an older version of macOS that still has iTunes.
RELATED: How to Add Custom Ringtones to an iPhone From a Mac
Step Two: Choose a Sound File
Of course, you’ll need a sound clip you want to convert and use as a ringtone for this. You probably already have some idea of what you want to use. if not, go ahead and find something you like. You can use absolutely any sound file you find.
Your ringtone file must be a maximum of 40 seconds long. iTunes will refuse to copy ringtones longer than 40 seconds to your phone.
If the file is long and you just want to use one part of it, you can cut it down to just the part you want using an audio editor. You can use any audio editor you like. We like the free and open-source Audacity audio editor for audio editing, but it’s more complex than necessary for simple things like this—so we actually recommend a simple online tool like mp3cut.net . To use this website, click the “Open file” button and browse to the MP3 or other type of sound file you want to edit. It can also extract the sound from video files if you upload those.
Select the part of the audio file you want to use and click the “Save” button.
Download the edited clip to your PC by clicking “Save” again. This is the file you’ll need to import into iTunes.
Step Three: Convert the MP3 to AAC
There’s a good chance your sound file is in MP3 format. You’ll need to convert it to AAC format to use it as a ringtone. (If your sound file is already in AAC format or has a .m4r extension, you can skip this part.)
First, add the sound file to iTunes and locate it in your library. You can do this by dragging and dropping the file directly into the iTunes library. Look under Library > Songs for the file afterward.
Select the sound file in iTunes and click File > Convert > Create AAC Version.
Step Four: Rename Your AAC File
You’ll end up with two copies of the same song file in your iTunes library: The original MP3 version and the new AAC version.
To keep track of which is which, right-click the headings in the library and enable the “Kind” column.
You’ll see a new “Kind” column telling you which file is which. The “MPEG audio file” is the original MP3, while the “AAC audio file” is your new AAC file. You can right-click the MPEG audio file version (that’s the MP3) and remove it from your library if you like.
You now have your ringtone file as an AAC file. However, you need to change its file extension so iTunes will recognize it as a ringtone file.
First, drag and drop the AAC file from the iTunes library to your Desktop or any other folder on your system.
You’ll get the ringtone file as an AAC file with the .m4a file extension. If you don’t see an extension after the file name, you’ll need to enable file extensions . Right-click the file, click “rename” or hit the rename button , and change the file extension to .m4r. For example, if the file is named Song.m4a, change it to Song.m4r.
RELATED: Windows 11's Tiny Context Menu Buttons Will Confuse People
Step Five: Add the Ringtone File to Your Phone
Finally, connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac with its included USB-to-Lightning cable—that’s the same cable you use to charge your iPhone.
Unlock your iPhone and tap the “Trust” option on its screen to confirm you want to trust your computer if you haven’t previously connected your phone to iTunes on that PC or Mac. You’ll be prompted to enter your PIN.
In iTunes, click the device icon that appears to the left of “Library” on the navigation bar.
Click the “Tones” section under On My Device in the left sidebar.
Drag and drop the .m4r ringtone file from its folder to the Tones section in iTunes.
Update: If drag and drop doesn’t work, use copy and paste instead. Select the ringtone file in File Explorer and press Ctrl+C, or right-click it and select copy. Next, click inside the Tones list inside iTunes and press Ctrl+V to paste it.
Update: This part seems to break with the Microsoft Store version of iTunes. If you can’t drag and drop or copy and paste the file into iTunes, try downloading and installing iTunes from Apple’s website instead. Scroll about halfway down Apple’s page until you see “Looking for other versions?” and then click “Windows.” Click “Download” once the option appears.
iTunes will sync the ringtone to your phone and it will immediately appear under Tones here.
Step Six: Choose the Ringtone
You can now grab your iPhone and head to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, and choose your custom ringtone. Any custom ringtones you’ve added will appear at the top of the list here.
RELATED: How to Give Your iPhone Contacts Special Ringtones and Vibration Alerts
You can also assign that ringtone to a specific contact , so you know who’s calling just by the sound.
To remove ringtones, reconnect your phone to iTunes and head back to the On My Device > Tones section. Right-click a tone and select “Delete from Library” to remove it from your device.
If you’re not short on space, there isn’t any real need to delete the ringtones you add. You can have as many as you’d like!
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Iphone 14 pro, apple iphone se (2022), iphone 14 pro max.
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How to Set a Song As Your Ringtone on iPhone
Last Updated: February 15, 2023 Tested
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 1,843,971 times. Learn more...
This wikiHow teaches you how to create and install a custom ringtone on your iPhone using iTunes on your PC or Mac. If you're using macOS Catalina or later, you'll actually be using the Music app on your Mac to create the ringtone. You can easily create a ringtone from most music file types, including M4As and MP3s, as long as it's saved to your computer. Once you've added the song's ringtone to your iPhone, you can set it as the phone's default ringtone or as the ringtone for a specific contact.
Creating the Ringtone
- If you see a cloud icon with a down-arrow beside it next to the song, click it to download the song .
- You can see the timestamp for the song at the top of the iTunes window when a song is playing.
- Ringtones cannot be longer than 30 seconds.
- You can also just right-click the song and click Song Info (Windows) or Get Info (Mac) in the drop-down menu that appears.
- For example, if your selected ringtone segment is 26 seconds, the new song will have "0:26" next to it instead of the full song length.
- If you don't see the Create AAC Version option, enable it by clicking the Edit (Windows) or iTunes (Mac) tab, clicking Preferences... , clicking Import Settings , clicking the "Import Using" drop-down box, and clicking AAC Encoder in the drop-down menu.
- Windows - Click the View tab → check the "File name extensions" box if not checked→ click the ".m4a" version of the song to select it → click the Home tab → click Rename → replace m4a with m4r at the end of the song and press Enter → click OK .
- Mac - Select the AAC version of the song (the "m4a" version) → click the File menu item → click Get Info in the drop-down menu → change m4a to m4r in the "Name & Extension" section and press ⏎ Return → click Use m4r .
- Leave this window open for now.
Placing the Ringtone on Your iPhone
Setting the Ringtone
- On the iPhone 6S and earlier, you'll just tap Sounds here.
- Open the Contacts app.
- Tap a contact's name.
- Tap Ringtone
- Select the ringtone.
Community Q&A
- Make sure that your phone is set to ring audibly if you want to hear your new ringtone. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
- The "Tones" page in iTunes won't appear unless your phone is connected to your computer. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
You Might Also Like
- ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-12051
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/music/change-song-and-cd-information-mus2561f46f8
About This Article
To set a song as your ringtone on your iPhone, start by attaching your phone to your computer with the USB cable. Once connected, click the iPhone icon in the top-left side of the iTunes window. When you open your phone, drag the ringtone to the “Tones” folder if you have one, or just to the right panel. Finally, click “Sync” for the tone to appear on your phone. After you disconnect your phone from your computer, open your iPhone’s settings by tapping on the grey app with gears on it. From “Settings,” scroll down and tap “Sounds and Haptics” to get to the “Ringtone” button. After clicking on “Ringtone,” tap the sound’s name that you want to set as your phone’s default ringtone. If you’d rather set the ringtone for a specific contact, open the Contacts app, tap on the contact’s name, and tap “Ringtone.” Once you select the ringtone for that contact, tap “Done” to save it. To learn how to create a ringtone, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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You can turn your Mac or PC into your own ringtone maker, creating custom ringtones for your iPhone, from almost any MP3 file. Using Apple's free iTunes software, you can edit and convert an MP3 to an iTunes ringtone for the iPhone. Although several steps are involved, and they require some attention to detail, the process goes fairly quickly.
Launch the iTunes App
Start iTunes on your Mac or Windows computer. To make a ringtone, it’s not necessary to connect to your iTunes Store account, since you’ll be working with an MP3 file located on your own hard drive.
Add the MP3 to iTunes
Unless your MP3 file is already in your iTunes library, you’ll need to add it. Click the “File” menu and select “Add to Library….” Locate the MP3 file with the Open File dialog box, select the song and click the “Open” button to import the MP3 file to iTunes.
Trim the File
In iTunes, click “Songs” under “Library.” Right-click the MP3 file in the list of songs; iTunes displays a list of properties and actions. Select “Song Info” and click “Options.” Check the boxes for start and stop times. Set the start time to the point in the file where you want the ringtone to begin; for example, if you only want a snippet of a song as your ringtone, listen to the MP3 file and determine when the snippet begins and ends. Set the stop time to the point where you want the ringtone to end. Note that the stop time must not be greater than 30 seconds past the start time; 30 seconds is the maximum ringtone time for the iPhone. When you’ve set the start and stop times, click “OK.”
Convert the MP3 File
Click the “File" menu. Select “Convert.” A list of options appears. Select “Create AAC Version.” iTunes creates a new entry in the Songs library of the same track; this file is not an MP3 but is in Apple’s AAC format. Select “Song Info” and click “Options” again for your MP3 file. Uncheck the check boxes next to the start and stop times for the file, then click “OK”; otherwise iTunes will play only that short part of the song.
Rename the File
In iTunes, highlight the name of the new file, right-click on it, and select “Show in Finder.” On a Windows computer, the equivalent option is “Show in Windows Explorer.” Change the file extension (the last 3 characters of the file name after the dot) from “m4a” to the “m4r” file type. For now, leave the Finder/Explorer window open.
Connect the iPhone
Connect your iPhone to your computer using the USB cable. The iPhone should appear in iTunes under “Devices.” Under the iPhone, you should see a set of icons including a bell, which is the phone’s ringtones. Click the bell icon to open a window of custom ringtones.
Copy the File
Click the Finder/Explorer window, select your newly created file, and drag it into the ringtones window. The file should appear in the iTunes list under “Tones” and will automatically sync to your iPhone.
Verify the Ringtone
On your iPhone, tap the “Settings” app. Scroll down to “Sounds” and tap it. In the “Sounds” screen, scroll down to “Ringtone” and tap it. Scroll up to the top of the list of ringtones. Your new custom ringtone should appear in the list.
- PCWorld: Turn Any MP3 into an iPhone Ringtone
- Apple: iPhone User Guide
- Macworld UK: How to set any Song as a custom iPhone ringtone
- 9to5Mac: How to make a custom ringtone for your iPhone, with GarageBand on iOS
- Indiana University: Making AAC and MP3 Files with iTunes
Chicago native John Papiewski has decades of IT consulting experience, and has worked with a wide range of businesses including finance, real estate, distribution and publishing. His articles have appeared in various outlets including azcentral.com and seattlepi.com. Please, no workplace calls/emails!
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How to make your own iPhone ringtone from a song for free
Do you want to set your favourite song or a custom sound as your iPhone ringtone? Well, you’re in the right place. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for two methods, both of which are free, and will take you only a couple of minutes – maybe less.
You don’t have to use a song as a ringtone. You can use any sound at all, as long as you have that sound as an audio file either on your laptop or your iPhone.
That sound could be a recording of your child, a ringtone you like such as the distinctive one from the TV series 24 or something else entirely.
It’s important to know that you can’t use songs from Apple Music or other streaming services because they’re protected. Instead, you’ll need an audio file that has no DRM – digital rights management. One of the simplest ways to get some audio is to download it from a YouTube video .
In this article, we’ll assume you have the song or sound ready to use. We’ll explain how to convert it into a ringtone, then change your iPhone’s current ringtone to the new one. The great thing is that you can use your creations as notification sounds for text messages or other things; they don’t have to be used exclusively as ringtones.
The first method uses the free GarageBand app on your iPhone, which is ideal if you want to make a ringtone using only your iPhone. If you want to be more precise, scroll down to the second method, which uses iTunes on Windows or macOS.
Make an iPhone ringtone without iTunes
Install garageband.
Jim Martin / Foundry
If it isn’t installed, open the App Store on your iPhone and search for GarageBand. It’s free, but it does take up around 1.6GB of storage. You’ll also need to make sure the song you want to make the ringtone from is on your iPhone. There are various ways to do this, from syncing with iTunes to downloading in another app. You can’t use ‘protected’ songs, such as those from Apple Music – the song you want to use must not have DRM (digital rights management).
Pick an instrument, any instrument
You can’t directly open a song in GarageBand, as it’s designed for creating them, not making ringtones.
So, after launching GarageBand, swipe and choose an instrument. It doesn’t matter which one. The keyboard is the first one in the list, so we’ll use that. Tap on it to open it.
Open the Editor
You may want to play the keyboard. Go ahead. But that isn’t relevant here. It is merely a means of getting to the editor, so tap its icon at the top-left as highlighted.
Tap the loop icon
In order to import the song you’re going to use for the ringtone, tap on the loop icon as marked.
Go the Music tab
Again, GarageBand is set up for importing loops, not songs. But you can still do it. So tap on Music at the top right to see the songs already on your iPhone.
Find your song
Tap on songs.
Find your song (part 2)
Scroll through the list, or tap on the letter it begins with from all the music on your iPhone. If you have downloaded podcasts, these will be show in this list as well, despite not being ‘songs’.
Drag the song into GarageBand
You can tap the song to play it, but to get it into the GarageBand editor, you must tap and hold on it. Drop it into the second track down – not the keyboard track.
Trim the track
Tap on the waveform and drag the yellow sliders to set the start and end points of your ringtone. This can be a bit imprecise at the standard zoom level, but you can pinch apart to zoom in and trim more precisely.
As for the iTunes method, the same rules apply: you must make your tone less than 30 seconds long. (In fact, it can be up to 40 seconds long, but to use it as an alert notification or text tone, it has to be under 30 seconds.
You can’t tell how long the selected audio is in GarageBand because, again, it’s not designed for this. Time it using a stopwatch, watch or another device or by counting, if you think you’re accurate enough.
Save it as a song
Tap the down arrow at the top left (marked) and tap My Songs. This saves your trimmed audio clip.
Export the song
Tap and hold on the ‘song’ and you’ll see a context menu appear. From this, tap Share.
Save your ringtone
Simply tap the Ringtone option.
Name your ringtone
Type in a name for your ringtone so you can identify it.
Set your song as a ringtone
After it has exported, tap Use sound as…
Choose the type of tone
You’ll probably want to pick Standard Ringtone from the options, but you can use it as a Text Tone or even assign it to a particular contact so you know who is calling. Of course, we’re still in GarageBand at this point.
You can see your ringtone in the Settings app under Sounds and haptics and set it as a tone for other apps if you want to, or pick it later if you change ringtones in the meantime.
Make an iPhone ringtone in iTunes
This second method might not be as convenient as using GarageBand on your iPhone, but it allows you to be much more precise about the section of audio to be used as a ringtone.
1. Prepare your song
The first thing to do, after choosing which song or audio you’re going to use, is to import it into your iTunes library on your computer. It cannot be from Apple Music, as you cannot convert Apple Music tracks to AAC because those songs are protected by copyright.
The file doesn’t have to be a song. You could use the Voice Memos app on your iPhone to record real-world sounds or people’s voices to turn into ringtones.
Just make sure you have the latest version of iTunes (go to the Mac App Store, or the Microsoft Store on Windows 10), then launch iTunes by double-clicking its shortcut or by finding it in the Start menu.
Click on File > Add File to Library or Add Folder to Library, and browse to the file or folder to import.
From the Library, click on the album which contains the song or audio file you want to turn into a ringtone, then right-click on the song you want to use and select Song Info .
2. Choose timings
In the separate window that opens, click on the Options tab and then tick the Start and Stop boxes. Type in the times at which you want the ringtone to start and stop. If the song needs to start from the very beginning, there’s no need to tick the Start box.
To know which times to enter into these boxes, you will need to listen to the track first and note down the time you want it to start. The stop time must be within 30 seconds, as that’s the maximum length for a ringtone.
TIP: If you want to be really precise about when you ringtone starts, use a decimal point. For example, if the section of music starts between 44 and 45 seconds, try entering 0:44.5 in the Start Time box. You can even specify the start and stop time in thousandths of a second, so you could type 0:44.652
When you’ve set the start and stop times, click OK to dismiss the window.
3. Create AAC version
Now, select the song again by clicking once on it. Then go to the File menu, choose Convert, then Create AAC version. (If you see ‘Create MP3 version’ or something else, the fix is in step 3a.)
What will happen is that iTunes will save just the section of the song between the start and stop times you chose as a new track in your Library.
If your song is tagged with album and artist information, the new, short track will appear as a duplicate track in the same album. You can identify it based on its duration, shown to the right-hand side.
If the album, artist and song info isn’t present, it will appear as a new album in your Library with a single song in it.
3a. AAC Encoder
If you didn’t see an option to Create AAC version in step 3, it’s because your CD rip settings aren’t set correctly. To change this, click the Edit menu and choose Preferences…
Now click Import Settings… next to ‘When you insert a CD’ and choose AAC Encoder from the drop-down menu next to ‘Import using:’.
4. Reset start & stop times
As a matter of housekeeping, click on the original album containing the song and right-click on it. Click Song info and then click the Options tab.
Now untick the start and stop times to return them to their original times then click OK.
Otherwise, when that track is played in future, it will only play the section between your start and stop times. You probably don’t want that to happen.
5. Find the new AAC file
Navigate to the duplicate track (or duplicate album which contains the newly created track) that you’re going to use as a ringtone.
Right-click on the song in the album and click Show in Windows Explorer . If you’re on a Mac, the option is called Show in Finder.
This is so that you can change the file’s extension (so it becomes a ringtone), which we’ll do in the next step.
6. Change the file extension
The file should now be highlighted in the window which opens up, and it should be called something.m4a (where ‘something’ is the name of your song.
If you can’t see the .m4a part (i.e. you see only ‘ ikson day off’ and not ‘ ikson day off.m4a ‘), it’s because Windows is set to hide the extensions. Here’s how to show the file extension for editing .
Once you can see the m4a part, right-click on the file and choose Rename . Now change the extension from .m4a to .m4r and press Return, Enter or just click in some white space.
On a Mac, the process is very similar, and on both Windows and macOS, you’ll see a warning asking if you’re sure you want to change the extension. Click Yes on Windows, and click ‘Use .m4r’ on a Mac.
Click Yes when asked if you want to change the extension.
NOTE: As this is a step which trips up a lot of people, please be aware that you cannot simply add .m4r when renaming the file. If the file extensions are hidden in Windows, all you’re doing is changing your file from ‘ ikson day off.m4a’ to ‘ ikson day off.m4r.m4a’.
This will not work!
7. Import & sync ringtone
Apple cut the bloat out of iTunes in version 12.7, removing the App Store and various other things including Tones, which was where you could you easily see all your ringtones.
However, you can still sync your new ringtones to your iPhone in the latest version of iTunes.
To do it, connect your iPhone to your laptop or computer with its Lightning cable. If you’re using Windows 10, tap ‘Trust this computer’ when it pops up on your iPhone screen. You may need to unplug and re-plug the USB cable if this message doesn’t show up, unless you’ve done this step previously.
Enter your phone’s passcode to confirm you trust the computer and wait until your phone icon appears in iTunes. Sometimes this can take a couple of minutes.
You might see a message in iTunes asking ‘Do you want to allow this computer to access information on “Xxxx’s iPhone”?’ so click the Continue button to allow this access.
Look for your phone in the left-hand column under Devices . Click on it and the list should expand so you can see a Tones section. Click on that and you’ll see any custom tones appear on the right (if you don’t have any, that list will be blank).
Switch to your File Explorer Window – or Finder on a Mac – where your ringtone should still be highlighted (or refer to the Find the File step earlier). If it’s not selected, click on it to do so.
Press Ctrl+C on your keyboard or Command+C on a Mac to copy the file.
Go back to iTunes, click on Tones if this section isn’t already selected and hit Ctrl+V (Command+V on Mac) to paste the tone.
What should happen is that the tone will appear in the list of tones and automatically sync to your iPhone in a few seconds.
Note: you can no longer drag and drop tones from an Explorer window to iTunes.
Mac users: Sometimes ringtones simply won’t show up in the Tones section. There are two things to try here:
1- Delete the ringtone ‘song’ entry in your iTunes Music library (don’t delete the actual file on your hard drive – choose to keep it when prompted). Then double-click on the .m4r file in Finder and it should show up in Tones.
2- If that doesn’t work, try moving the .m4r file outside of your iTunes folder on your hard drive (such as to the desktop). Then double-click on it.
8. Remove ringtone from library
More housekeeping!
You don’t need to delete the new AAC version of the song you just created from your iTunes music library, but you should.
That’s because it gets messy if you make lots of ringtones. It’s also confusing to have single-track albums which won’t play (because you changed the extension) and aren’t the full song anyway.
9. Change your ringtone to the new one you just created
Now that the new tone is on your phone, all you need to do set it as your ringtone.
To do this, open the Settings app on your iPhone, then tap Sounds (also called Sounds & Haptics ), then Ringtone .
Your custom tones will appear at the top of the list, above the default Ringtones. Just tap on one to make it your ringtone.
The fun doesn’t stop there, as you can use your custom tones for other things such as text message alerts – or anything else…
10. Use your ringtone as a notification sound
If you want have a custom tone for text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, new voicemails, reminder alerts or anything else, it’s exactly the same process as for a ringtone.
The only difference is that you’ll need to select the appropriate section under ‘Sounds & Haptics’ on your iPhone.
Just tap on the type you want, Text Tone for example, and you’ll see the Alert Tones list.
Scroll down past these , and you will see your Ringtones list. Your custom tones will again be at the top of this section.
It’s not a great idea to use a 30-second song as a text message alert, though. And, in case you’re wondering, there’s no difference between a ‘song’ and a sound effect in iTunes, so you don’t have to use part of a song from your music library as your custom alert tone.
All you need is a sound effect in a format iTunes can import (usually MP3), and it will be treated it just like any other song. Then, repeat the same process as for a ringtone to create and sync the sound effect to your iPhone, then select it as we’ve shown.
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How to Set Ringtone on iPhone without GarageBand and iTunes
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If you ever get stuck with iTunes or Garageband - this guide is for you! 🔥 Learn how to set ringtone on iPhone without Garageband or iTunes.
As Apple users, we know how everything can be complicated if you want to take a step outside of the Apple Universe. From downloading songs to transferring files, everything has to go through that pesky little app that we all secretly hate but cannot live without.
For example, if you want to learn how to set a ringtone on an iPhone without iTunes, you have no choice but to find a workaround. Apple made it nearly impossible to set a ringtone without iTunes.
But with iTunes now discontinued, what do you do? Well, no reason to despair. Help is near!
In this article, you are going to learn how to set a ringtone without iTunes. When transferring or downloading files to iOS devices. I found this app called WALTR PRO, a dedicated transfer tool for iOS devices that requires no third-party apps such as iTunes or Apple Music to set custom ringtones on iPhone.
Table of Contents
Video instruction: how to upload a custom ringtone to iphone.
How to Set Custom Ringtone on iPhone?
iPhone owners have to go through a bunch of steps to set a custom ringtone on their iPhones, especially if they want to customize a ringtone without iTunes. They'll have to do it using third-party apps like GarageBand, for example.
But with WALTR PRO , you can easily set a unique ringtone without iTunes. If you have a favorite movie or a song, and you are wondering how to make a song a ringtone without iTunes, you have two options:
Option 1. Convert MP3 into iPhone ringtone (M4R)
Unfortunately, iOS devices do not support MP3 format for ringtones. Apple has its own ringtone format called M4R, which makes it impossible to set any ringtones without converting them to the supported M4R format.
But with WALTR PRO, you don't have to worry about converting your files. When transferring files to your iOS devices, it converts unsupported formats on the fly and breaks the media format barrier! So no matter what format your ringtone file is in, it will automatically convert it into iOS supported format (M4R).
How to Convert MP3 Ringtones into M4R?
WALTR RPO will transfer ringtones from your computer to an iPhone without iTunes syncing. Thanks to this app, you'll be able to download not only ringtones or music to your Apple device, but also movies in various formats. WALTR RPO converts them on the fly to the formats Apple can easily read.
The guys from Softorino took care of the simplicity and convenience in WALTR RPO. The app works both with macOS and Windows.
Step 1. Choose an audio file for further converting
WALTR PRO is a free-to-download transfer tool specifically created for iOS devices. You can transfer audio and video files to your iPhone without iTunes or Jailbreak.
Thanks to this app, you'll be able to download not only ringtones or music to your Apple device but also movies in various formats. WALTR PRO converts them on the fly to the formats Apple can easily read.
Step 2. Convert
If you successfully followed all the steps, then you're 80% done with getting a new ringtone to your iPhone. Congrats! All that's left is to transfer your new M4R song to your iPhone using WALTR PRO.
Your transfer will be completed within seconds and you will receive a notification once it's done. All you need to do is, set the new track as your custom ringtone.
Congratulations! You are nearly done customizing your ringtone without iTunes.
The next step is to set up the new ringtone on your iPhone.
Head to the Settings on your iPhone and scroll down to Sounds. Tap on Ringtone and you will find your newly transferred custom ringtone on top of the list.
Jazz up your ringtones list with as many custom ringtones of your favorite songs and movie dialogues as you want. Set MP3 as a ringtone for iPhone using WALTR PRO and the next time someone calls you, you'll find yourself jamming to your favorite tunes! 🎧🎶
Why Use WALTR PRO?
When I say WALTR RPO is the best app to transfer a ringtone directly to your iPhone, I mean it! You can create a ringtone without iTunes at any time. Because here is what WALTR RPO is capable of:
Cableless Transfers
Did you know that you could transfer ringtones from your Mac/Windows PC to your iPhone without having to connect via a cord? Yup, that's right! With WALTR's Wi-Fi connectivity, you can connect to your Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone instantly! And just like that in a matter of seconds, fast Wi-Fi connectivity will bridge the gap between WALTR PRO and your iPhone.
Automatic Format Conversions
The BEST feature of WALTR PRO is its ability to convert file formats on the fly. Because how can you change your ringtone on iPhone if your ringtone is in a non-compatible format? Since Apple supports limited formats for ringtones, movies, and videos, WALTR PRO takes files in any format and transfers them to your iPhone while converting them into an iOS compatible format during the transfer !
Do you realize what this means? It means that you won't have to look for a file converter and convert files separately before transferring them to your iPhones.
Automatic Content Recognition
With WALTR's Automatic Content Recognition, the type of videos or music you transfer to your iPhone are read and recognized by the app, which then fills in the related information about a file such as a title, genre, episode, description, cast information and more.
So the next time you are adding custom ringtones to iPhone 12 or any other model, you know the perfect app to transfer a ringtone to your iPhone, without needing a third-party app for syncing or format conversions!
A Transfer Solution for All iOS Devices
WALTR PRO's reach is not just limited to iPhones. No matter what iOS device you have, WALTR PRO connects to it via Wi-Fi and instantly transfers files to iPhone, iPad, iPod, and more. This way, you can convert any MP3 into a ringtone or send any of your favorite movies to your iOS devices without having to convert them into a compatible format first.
Who knew watching movies offline on an Apple device could be this easy?
Now that was all about transferring a ringtone to your iPhone. If you want to create a ringtone without iTunes, follow the easy steps below:
How to Transfer Ringtones from computer to iPhone without iTunes or Jailbreak
You were probably surprised to learn that you don't need to use iTunes for transferring ringtones onto iPhones. We mentioned this at the beginning of the article – now we will show you how to easily do this.
Let me introduce you to a revolutionary solution – WALTR RPO. It's an app for transferring audio & video to iPhone without using iTunes or Jailbreak.
WALTR RPO will transfer ringtones from your computer to an iPhone without iTunes syncing.
Thanks to this app, you'll be able to download not only ringtones or music to your Apple device but also movies in various formats. WALTR RPO converts them on the fly to the formats Apple can easily read.
You don't need to be tech-savvy to work with WALTR RPO. It's simple to use and doesn't require any extra settings. All you need to do is to follow the 3 easy steps below to make a song a ringtone on your iPhone:
Step 1. Open WALTR RPO
Step 2. Connect your iPhone to Computer
Connect your iPhone via a USB cord or WI-FI.
Drag and drop your M4R file into the app.
Can't stop the feeling of happiness when my favorite songs land on my iPhone in seconds!
You'll receive a notification that a new ringtone's on your device now. And all you need to do is to set a new track as a ringtone.
Step 3. Head to the Settings and select your newly-created ringtone
All the music will appear in your iPhone Settings – Ringtones section
I hope this guide was useful and you didn't have any issues with adding custom ringtones to iPhone X or any other model.
Option 2. Create a ringtone for iPhone yourself
Who said the days of creating cool custom ringtones on your phone are gone? Custom ringtones add a personalized touch to those boring old ringtones in your iPhone.
But when you customize a ringtone for your iPhone, you might wanna be careful about the ringtone's format because we all know how strict Apple is about file formats. So you will be needing to create an M4R ringtone for your iPhone , which is Apple's official ringtone format.
Here is how you can create M4R ringtones for your iPhone :
Step 1. Choose and trim a song
First, find a “Search Music” option above. Enter a track you want and then pick the part of the song you'd like to trim for a ringtone.
Choose a song or iRingg will recommend it for you.
You can listen to that extract beforehand to be sure it sounds perfect. You can also change the name of a song. Then click on “Trim” and move on to the next step.
Step 2. Personalize your ringtone
You can be a real artist and customize a ringtone as you like it. Here, you can add your own voice and even modify it. Today, I'm in a “Space Lord” mood.
With iRingg, you can create an absolutely unique ringtone nobody else has – add & modify your voice or include SndMojis.
Then, you can install a fade-in or out (in this case the sound will become quieter or louder at the beginning/ending). Simply move the yellow onscreen controls to set this up.
Afterward, you can add some SndMoji's. These are different sounds effects that correspond to the emojis of your choice. As I'm a Space Lord, I'd add a UFO and a bomb sound to make it cool.
Step 3. That's it! Export a ringtone to iPhone
Click on the “Export” button and choose an iPhone. I'll transfer it on my iPhone via Wi-Fi. It is enabled automatically but be sure your laptop and iPhone are connected to the same wireless network.
You can transfer a ringtone directly to your iPhone or save it on a computer.
You've just learned how to set a song as a ringtone on iPhone 7 (or any other) and transfer a ringtone from laptop to iPhone. And now, how can you change your ringtone on your iPhone?
Go to Settings – Sounds – Ringtones. All the ringtones you created or downloaded via iRingg are above default sounds.
By the way, you can also edit the ringtones you created or delete them from an iPhone. Go to Your Tones section, tick any sound you want and choose whether to delete, edit or preview it.
Why Use iRingg?
iRingg is the best iPhone ringtone maker out there because not only does it create custom ringtones, it lets you edit them, personalize them and even transfer them to your iOS devices without needing iTunes.
Some of my favorite iRingg features are:
Personalize Your Ringtone
What's the point of having smartphones if you cannot personalize their look, feel, and sounds to match your taste? This is why, with iRingg, you get the chance to become your own DJ and customize ringtones as you like.
It lets you create absolutely unique ringtones by adding your own voice to it and even modifying it. You can also add a fade-in or out feature (in this case, the sound will become quieter or louder at the beginning/ending). Simply move the yellow onscreen controls to set this up.
Manage Your Ringtones
By the way, you can also edit the ringtones you created or delete them from an iPhone. Go to Your Tones section, select any sound you want and choose whether to delete, edit, or preview it.
Do you know how YouTube shows you videos based on your previous searches? In the same way, iRingg analyzes your iTunes and iPhone Music Libraries, learns them, and then recommends tracks that you might like. This is done by a machine learning technology called 6-Sense which collects your listening data and habits.
SndMoji+ Voice
With SndMoji, you create absolutely unique ringtones by adding your own voice and even installing different sound effects such as boom 💣, crazy 🤪, vomit 🤮 , and similar funny sound effects. Just choose a sound effect that matches your personality and flaunt it in a custom ringtone! :)
Unlimited Songs
Did you know that there are more than 70 million songs on YouTube and SoundCloud? Now, what if I told you that you could create a ringtone out of ANY song on YouTube and SoundCloud? Crazy, right?
With iRingg, you can pick any song from YouTube and SoundCloud and turn it into a personalized ringtone for your iOS device.
Wi-Fi Transfers
Who needs a cord to connect your devices when you can do so using Wi-Fi? With iRingg's automatic Wi-Fi transfers, your Mac/PC connects to a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone/iPod/iPad and transfers ringtones to your iOS device instantly! Just make sure both of your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi connection, click on Push to iPhone, and Voila! Your transfer will be finished instantly in a matter of seconds!
iTunes 12.7: Where are the Ringtones Now?
With the introduction of the newer iTunes version, it became even more puzzling to add ringtones to iPhone. Now, there's no “Tones” section and you'll have to sync your iPhone with iTunes each time you want to download a ringtone. Such a mess…
Luckily, all your downloaded ringtones are safe and sound. They are just stored in an iTunes Library on your Mac or PC, but you can't actually see them in a Library.
So the question is, how can you transfer those ringtones to your iPhone if you cannot even view them?
Luckily, with iRingg & WALTR PRO you don't have to go through the pesky process of iTunes when you can transfer or create ringtones for your iPhone in seconds!
Bottom Line
That's all, folks! Hope this article helped you realize how easy it is to create and set unique ringtones for an iPhone. Don't miss the chance to try the app for free and convert your MP3 to an iPhone ringtone or create an entirely new custom ringtone for your iPhone for free. Try out the apps by clicking on the download button below and start playing with those tunes! 🎶
How to set custom alarm on iPhone without iTunes?
You can use iRingg to create and customize iPhone ringtones without iTunes. It will send your new tone to the Sound Settings on your iPhone, above the default tones. With iRingg, you can add special effects and transfer your new ringtone via Wi-Fi. It will transfer any ringtone with no quality loss in a few seconds. The whole process of ringtone creation will take up to a couple of minutes if you want to add extra effects and trim your tone.
How to make MP3 ringtone iPhone without iTunes?
iRingg is the best app for creating custom iPhone ringtones, and you don't need iTunes for that. It helps you add special sound effects, fade-in or fade-out for creating a personalized ringtone. It also allows you to trim it to any desired length. iRingg sends your new tone to your native Settings app, in the Sounds section. It will appear above the default ringtones so that you'll easily find it.
How to turn a voice memo into a ringtone?
You can add a voice recording as a file on your computer and use an .m4r extension for it. Then, transfer this file using WALTR PRO and it'll appear in the Sound Settings of your iPhone. Alternatively, you can use iRingg to add a voice memo to an audio file to add more custom features to your ringtone. You can even add other sound effects like fade-in, fade-out and SndMoji. You can trim a voice memo or the whole file to whatever length you want. Then, you can easily send a ringtone to your iPhone over Wi-Fi. You'll see it above the default ones in Sound Settings..
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How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes
You can set custom ringtones on your iPhone through the GarageBand iOS app or iTunes/Finder on your computer. Here are the steps you should follow.
Quick Links
How to change the ringtone on your iphone, how to set a custom ringtone on your iphone.
Many iOS users don't bother to change the default ringtone on their devices. After all, the default tone has been the same for a long time now, and it has become somewhat iconic and part of the iPhone's identity. Though, what if you've grown sick of it or feel like a change? Below are the detailed steps you'd need to follow to change the ringtone through your iPhone or computer. The guide covers both built-in tones and custom ringtones that you can add on your own. Let's unpack!
For Everyone
Your iPhone comes set to the default ringtone out of the box. But because so many people use iPhones without bothering to change their ringtones, you end up reacting any time someone's phones ring. It's a good auditory signal to have a different ringtone, making it easier to figure out when it is your phone which is ringing, and also if you just dislike the default ringtone. These are the steps involved to change the ringtone on your iPhone for every incoming call:
- Head to the Settings app.
- Click on Sounds & Haptics .
- Select Ringtone .
- Choose the new tone you want to use from the list.
And that's it! This changes your default ringtone.
For select contacts
This is an underused feature on smartphones. On practically all modern smartphones, including iPhones, you can select specific contacts to play a different ringtone when they call. This is really useful for differentiating calls from your partner, your boss, or for someone who you are listed as an emergency contact but who do not very frequently call you. Hearing a different ringtone makes it easier to recognize just who is calling without needing to look at the phone. Here are the steps involved in setting a different ringtone for specific individual contacts:
- Launch the Phone app.
- Go to the Contacts tab.
- Click on the contact you want to set a unique ringtone for, and tap the Edit button in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and tap on Ringtone .
- Select the ringtone you want to set from the list of tones. This will only change the ringtone of this particular contact.
And that's it. You do have to change ringtones for every such contact that you want an individual ringtone for.
The steps above are for choosing from the handful of ringtones that Apple has preloaded onto every iPhone. What if you want to set your own audio tunes as a ringtone? Here are the steps!
Using GarageBand
GarageBand is an app that comes preinstalled on new iPhones , iPads , and Macs . If you've already deleted it, you can download it from the App Store for free.
- Launch the GarageBand app on your iPhone.
- Click on the plus ( + ) icon towards the top right corner.
- Click on the third icon in the top left of the screen, as the screenshot below shows.
- Click on the Loop icon in the top right corner.
- Choose the Files tab.
- Tap the audio track you have downloaded and want to set as your ringtone.
- This will import the track to the Files section of Loop .
- Drag the imported file to the left of the screen and let it go.
- Click on the button in the top left corner.
- Select My Songs .
- Click and hold on the project and choose Share .
- Select Ringtone in the middle of the screen.
- Tap Export in the top right corner.
- Now you will find it in the Sounds & Haptics section of the Settings app, where you can set it as your iPhone's ringtone.
Using iTunes
If the audio file is on your Mac or Windows PC, you could respectively use Finder or iTunes to transfer it. If you have the former, though, it would be easier and faster to use AirDrop instead. Once the audio track is in your iPhone's Files app, you just follow the steps above to set it as a ringtone through GarageBand. Alternatively, you can follow the steps below:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a cable.
- Open Finder on Mac or the latest version of iTunes on Windows.
- Click on the Library tab of the Music section.
- Select Tones under Devices in the sidebar.
- Drag and drop an audio file to the empty list of tones.
- This will add the audio file to the list of ringtones available on your iPhone.
- To set it as a ringtone, follow the steps we've listed at the beginning of our tutorial.
Setting custom ringtones on iOS isn't as simple or straightforward as doing so on Android. If you miss the easily-accessible customizations, it's never too late to sell your iPhone and buy an Android phone instead.
How to make ringtones for iPhone
Here's how to make ringtones for iPhone from your favorite songs
If you can't stand listening to "Opening" or "Reflection" anymore, you need to learn how to make ringtones for iPhone yourself. Fortunately, it's pretty easy.
There are of course plenty of ones provided by Apple within the settings menu of your iPhone, but what if you want something more personal, like the chorus of your favorite song? We can help you make this a reality with the guide below.
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Of course, there are several free ringtone apps in the wild that give you the opportunity to quickly create new ringtones. But in many cases, the apps don't come with all the features you'd expect to make creating a ringtone quick and easy. And in some cases, you even need to spend a few bucks just to have the option of choosing the section of a song you want.
So, if you're serious about making a ringtone, there's a better way. It just requires some time, iTunes, and a few other steps to make it happen.
Read on to learn how to make ringtones for your iPhone.
1. Open iTunes on the desktop to get started. Download it from Apple's site (opens in new tab) if you don't already have it, such as if you're working on a Windows device.
2. Choose the song you want to use to create a ringtone and click on it.
3. Right-click on the song and choose the Song Info option.
4. Click the Options tab.
5. Choose up to a 30-second period in the song that you'll want to make your ringtone. Apple limits your ringtone to 30 seconds, so you won't be able to have anything longer than that.
When making your time selection, be sure you put the time in minutes and seconds. So, if you want to start the ringtone at 1 minute and 34 seconds, input 1:34 into the start field. Then set it to end 30 seconds later at 2:04. After you select your times, be sure to play it back to make sure it's the chunk of the song you really want.
6. Click OK to confirm your song selection .
7. With the song highlighted, click on File, then Convert and choose the option that says "Create AAC Version." Apple iTunes will immediately convert the 30-second audio clip you just chose to create.
8. Right-click on the ringtone you just created and on a Mac, choose the option to "Show in Finder." On a Windows PC, search for the song in your Windows Explorer pane to find its location on your hard drive.
9. Change the song's file extension from .m4a to .m4r. That's because Apple uses a .m4r extension for ringtones instead of the familiar .m4a.
When prompted to either keep .m4a or go with .m4r, choose the latter.
10. Keep your iTunes window open and plug your iPhone into your computer. You'll see the iPhone pop up in the left sidebar of the screen.
11. Drag and drop the .m4r ringtone you just created onto the option in the left sidebar, under your iPhone, that says "Tones." It should then be seen under the ringtones section in your iPhone.
12. Head over to your iPhone and click Settings.
13. Under Settings, choose Sounds & Haptics.
14. Scroll down to Ringtone and tap that option.
15. Here, you should see your new ringtone. Select it. The ringtone should also play, so you can be sure it works properly and everything is good to go.
- How to use your iPhone: Essential tips and tricks
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Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.
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Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics. · Under Sounds and Haptic Patterns, tap the sound that you want to change. · Tap a ringtone or alert tone to
How can I set a ringtone from iTunes? · On your iOS device, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics. · In the Sounds And Vibrations Patterns section
Learn how to make ringtone for iPhone using iTunes in this quick tutorial. Checkout this iPhone ringtone making tutorial and learn to make
How to make a custom iPhone ringtones on iTunes.For many people, a ringtone is an expression of their inner self. When it comes to iPhone
You can add a custom ringtone to your iPhone using iTunes for Windows or Apple Music on a Mac. Ensure the ringtone is 40 seconds long
Once connected, click the iPhone icon in the top-left side of the iTunes window. When you open your phone, drag the ringtone to the “Tones”
Launch the iTunes App · Add the MP3 to iTunes · Trim the File · Convert the MP3 File · Rename the File · Connect the iPhone · Copy the File · Verify the Ringtone.
Make an iPhone ringtone without iTunes · Install GarageBand · Pick an instrument, any instrument · Open the Editor · Tap the loop icon · Go the Music
Head to the Settings on your iPhone and scroll down to Sounds. Tap on Ringtone and you will find your newly transferred custom ringtone on top
Head to the Settings app. Click on Sounds & Haptics. Select Ringtone. Choose the new tone you want to use from the list.
1. Open iTunes on the desktop to get started. · 2. Choose the song you want to use to create a ringtone and click on it. · 3. Right-click on the