Make Ringtones for Your iPhone Using Apple Music or iTunes

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Add a custom ringtone to your iPhone with just a few clicks
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This wikiHow teaches you how to create an iPhone ringtone from a song in Apple Music or iTunes on a PC or Mac. While there are many ways to set a song as your ringtone on an iPhone , including making ringtones directly on your iPhone in GarageBand, this is an easy way to make ringtones using songs that are already in your iTunes or Apple Music library. Read on to learn how!

Making a Ringtone for iPhone

To make a ringtone in Apple Music or iTunes, choose a track that’s stored locally on your computer. Open the menu for the track and select Get Info , then set the start and end times to select a 30-second clip. Create an AAC version of the track with the Convert tool, then change the new file’s extension to .m4r.

Section 1 of 3:

Using Apple Music (Mac)

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  1. 1
    Select a track that’s downloaded to your computer. You can’t make a ringtone from a song that’s stored in the cloud or one that you have access to as part of your Apple Music subscription. It must be a song that you own and that is stored locally on your computer.
    • Some copyright-protected tracks might not work for this, even if you have them downloaded to your computer. You’re more likely to succeed with songs that you ripped from a CD or downloaded as MP3 files rather than songs you bought from the iTunes store.
    • To view your downloaded tracks, click View > Only Downloaded Music .
  2. 2
    Click ••• and select Get Info . Click the menu button next to the track you want to convert into a ringtone. In the popup menu, click Get Info .
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  3. 3
    Select the Options tab. This is at the top of the info window.
  4. 4
    Set your desired start and stop times. iPhone ringtones must be no more than 30 seconds long. [1] Check the boxes next to the Start and Stop fields, and enter a starting and stopping point that are no more than 30 seconds apart. Then, click OK .
    • If you just want the first 30 seconds of the song, leave the starting time at 0:00 and set the stop time to 0:30.
  5. 5
    Select the correct import settings. Click Music in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then select Settings . In the Files tab, click Import Settings… and select the following options:
    • Next to Import Using , choose AAC Encoder .
    • Next to Setting , choose High Quality (128 kbps) .
    • Click OK to save your settings, then click OK again to close the Settings menu.
  6. 6
    Open the File menu and select Convert > Create AAC Version . Make sure the song you want to convert is selected.
    • Once the process is complete, you’ll hear an alert sound, and a new 30-second track with the same title as the original will appear in your song library.
    • If Create AAC Version is greyed out, make sure the song is actually downloaded to your computer and not stored in the cloud. Hover over the track and select the down arrow that appears next to the ••• button to download it.
    • If the file is protected, an error message will pop up, warning you that the song cannot be converted.
    • When you’re done, don’t forget to reset the start and stop times on the original track!
  7. 7
    Right-click or Ctrl-click the new track and select Show in Finder . A Finder window will open, showing the location of the converted track you just made.
  8. 8
    Change the file extension to . m4r. Single-click the file name, then change the file extension. In the warning window that pops up, click Use .m4r to confirm.
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Section 2 of 3:

Using iTunes (Windows, macOS Mojave or Earlier)

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  1. If you’re using a Mac, click the music note icon on the Dock, which is usually at the bottom of the screen. If you’re using Windows, you’ll usually find iTunes in the Start menu (sometimes in a folder called All Apps ).
    • If you’d rather download a ringtone from the iTunes Store, see this wikiHow .
  2. It’s near the top-center part of iTunes. This displays the contents of your library.
    • To use a part of a song as a ringtone, it must already be in your library, whether you’ve purchased it from iTunes or imported it from elsewhere .
  3. When selecting a song, choose one that has a solid 30-second (or less) segment of sound you want to hear when your phone rings.
  4. Play the song and write down the exact time within the song you want the ringtone to begin, then write down the time in the song where it should end.
    • Example: If the part of the song you want to use begins exactly 50 seconds into the song, write down “0:50” as the start time. If you want the ringtone to stop at 1 minute and 10 seconds into the song, write down “1:10” as the stop time.
    • If the segment you choose is shorter than 30 seconds, the tone will repeat until the call is answered, canceled, or routed to voicemail.
  5. A menu will appear.
  6. This opens a window that contains details about the file. [2]
  7. It’s near the top of the window.
  8. Check the boxes next to “start” and “stop,” and then type the start and stop times you wrote down.
  9. It’s at the bottom of the window.
    • Now that you’ve set times, listen to the track to make sure it sounds the way you’d like it to sound as your ringtone. Make any changes to these times as needed before you move forward.
  10. 10
    Set the correct import settings in the Preferences menu. To do this:
    • Click the Edit menu (or iTunes , if you’re using a Mac) and select Preferences .
    • Click the General tab and select Import Settings .
    • Choose AAC Encoder and High Quality 128 K from the dropdown menus.
  11. The song is now ready to be converted.
  12. It’s at the very top of the screen (on a Mac) or at the top of iTunes (on a PC).
  13. It’s near the bottom of the menu. Another menu will expand.
  14. This creates a ringtone file from the start and stop points of the selected song. You should see the new version of the song right beneath the original file.
    • If you don’t see both versions of the song, it might be because you’re viewing a playlist. Try searching for the song’s title or artist in the search bar at the top of iTunes.
    • This option may not work if the file you’re using is protected or if it isn’t stored locally on your computer.
  15. You’ll want to reset the start and stop times of the original file so you can listen to the whole song in the future. Here’s how:
    • Right-click the original song and select Song Info .
    • Remove the check marks from “start” and “stop.”
    • Click OK .
  16. 16
    Right-click the new song and select Show in Windows Explorer . If you’re on a Mac, Ctrl -click the song and choose Show in Finder instead.
  17. 17
    Change the file extension to . m4r. This will change your file into an iOS-compatible ringtone.
  18. 18
    Move the file to <Media Folder>\Tones. This is only necessary if you’re using iTunes 12.7 or later.
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Section 3 of 3:

Adding the Ringtone to Your iPhone

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  1. 1
    Upload the file to your iPhone using iCloud (macOS 15 and later). It used to be easier to import a ringtone to your iPhone from your computer, but unfortunately, the process has become more complicated since the release of macOS 15 Sequoia. If you’re using the latest version of macOS, the easiest option is to import the file to your iPhone using iCloud Drive, and then convert it into a ringtone in GarageBand.
    • If you don’t have iCloud Drive set up on your Mac, do so now . If you have a PC, you can follow these same steps using the iCloud website . Move or copy the .m4r file to a folder in iCloud.
    • Open the Files app on your iPhone and locate the file. Download it to local storage on your phone.
  2. 2
    Open GarageBand on your iPhone. If you don’t already have GarageBand installed, download it from the App Store. [3]
  3. 3
    Create a new song project. You can do this by tapping the + button at the top of the screen.
  4. 4
    Select the Audio Recorder option. This will open a new project where you can record or import tracks.
  5. 5
    Tap the Tracks icon. It looks like 3 rows of horizontal bars of different lengths.
  6. 6
    Tap the Loop icon. You’ll see this loop-shaped button at the top right side of the screen.
  7. 7
    Select the Files tab. It’s at the top of the screen.
  8. 8
    Drag your ringtone into the Tracks screen. If you don’t see it, you may need to search for it using the Search Files field, or tap Browse items from the Files app to browse for it. Once you locate it, tap and hold the file, then drag it to the left to move it into the tracks area.
  9. 9
    Tap the down arrow button and select My Songs . Tap the button that looks like a downward-facing arrow at the top left corner of the screen, then select My Songs . This will save the tone to your recent GarageBand projects.
    • By default, the project will be saved with a generic name like “My Song 2.” Tap it to rename it if you like.
  10. 10
    Select ••• . It’s in the top right corner of the screen.
  11. 11
    Tap Select and select your song. Tap the song to select it. A checkmark will appear in the circle in the middle of the project icon.
  12. 12
    Tap theShare icon. You’ll see this icon at the bottom left side of the screen.
  13. 13
    Select Ringtone . You can now export your file as a ringtone. Change the name of the ringtone if you like, then tap Export in the top right corner of the screen.
  14. 14
    Set the sound as your ringtone. Once the ringtone is exported, you’ll see the option to set it as your ringtone or another alert sound directly in GarageBand. To set the tone now, tap Use sound as… and select one of the options.
    • Choose from Standard Ringtone , Standard Text Tone , or Assign to contact .
    • If you don’t want to set the ringtone now, tap OK instead.
    • If you prefer, you can assign the tone from the Settings app. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone . You should see your new ringtone at the top of the list of tones, above the default tones that come with your iPhone.
  15. 15
    Drag and drop the tone directly to your device if you’re not using macOS 15. If you’re using an earlier version of macOS or using iTunes on a PC, this process is a little simpler. However, it may vary depending on what software you’re using (Apple Music, iTunes 12.7 or later, or an earlier version of iTunes). [4]
    • macOS 10.5 Catalina or later (pre-macOS 15):
      • Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your Mac. You might need an adapter if your Mac doesn’t have USB-A ports.
      • Open Finder and select your iPhone, then open the General tab.
      • Drag and drop or copy and paste the ringtone into the General tab. It should now be available in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone .
    • iTunes 12.7 and later:
      • Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable.
      • Launch iTunes. If necessary, enable the sidebar from the View menu. [5]
      • Drag and drop or copy and paste the tone onto your iPhone in the sidebar. You might have to expand the device menu and drag it into the Music or Tones section of the menu.
      • You should now be able to find your ringtone in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone .
    • iTunes 12.6.5 or earlier:
      • Locate the Automatically Move to iTunes folder inside your Media folder, and move the tone into it. It should be automatically moved into the Tones section of your iTunes library.
      • Connect your iPhone to your computer and select it in the iTunes media selection menu.
      • Select your iPhone’s Tones tab and set your sync options as desired.
      • Sync your iPhone. When it’s done, you should be able to find the ringtone in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone .
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    I'm trying to make a ringtone in Itunes, but everything under "convert" is greyed out. What do I do?
    Community Answer
    Make sure that the song is selected before you click the "Convert" button. If that doesn't work, try to restart iTunes or create another ringtone.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    Why can't I drag the ringtone file from my desktop to iTunes?
    Community Answer
    Is it doing a backup? If so, wait for that to finish and then it will let you drag the new ringtone into iTunes.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/120692
      2. ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-12051
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/120692
      4. ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-12051
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/customize-the-itunes-window-itns0c1999db/windows

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