How to Set & Create Custom Ringtones on iPhone

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A quick guide to set any song as your ringtone on an iPhone

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: December 19, 2024 Tested

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iTunes Store

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Zedge for iPhone

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Creating iPhone Ringtones with GarageBand

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Q&A

Have you used all the default ringtones on your iPhone and want to add more? Luckily, there are lots of ways you can add more ringtones to your iPhone without a computer! This wikiHow article teaches you how to purchase ringtones from the iTunes Store app, get free ringtones from Zedge, and how to create custom ringtones with GarageBand.

Putting a Custom Ringtone on Your iPhone

Open iTunes and add the ringtone file by clicking “File,” then “Add to Library.”
Access the ringtone on your iPhone by going to “Settings,” then “Sounds and Haptics.” Tap the ringtone to add it to your phone.^{[1]
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Alternatively, open GarageBand on your iPhone, choose a custom track to use for the ringtone, then tap “Share” and “Ringtone.” Tap “Export” and “Use sound” to set the ringtone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

iTunes Store

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The easiest way to download new ringtones to your iPhone is to use the iTunes Store although it's not free.^{[2]
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You'll see the three-dot menu icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. After you select the three-dot menu, tap Tones at the top of your screen to switch to viewing ringtones.

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Select “Charts” or “Featured” to browse. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, tap the “Search” icon at the bottom of the screen, and then type your search.
You may be prompted to enter your password to continue with the download.
The tone will be saved to your phone.
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Assign the ringtone. When you download the tone from iTunes, you're automatically prompted to assign it. Tap Set as Default Ringtone, Set as Default Text Tone, or Assign to a Contact. If you don't want to assign it just yet, tap Done to close the window.
- If you want to assign the new ringtone after you've purchased the tone, launch the Settings app, then choose Sounds & Haptics.^{[3]
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- Tap Ringtone, then choose the ringtone you just synced.
- To assign the ringtone to a specific contact, open the Contacts app, select a contact, tap Edit, tap Ringtone, select your ringtone, tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen, and tap Done again to save your changes.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Zedge for iPhone

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1
Open https://zedge.net in Safari. Since Apple changed the way Zedge's permissions work with iPhone, you will need to use GarageBand to turn the downloaded Zedge ringtone into a usable file on your iPhone.
- Using the browser version of Zedge is more reliable than using the app.
- This method does not require a computer or iTunes, which might be beneficial for some people.
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Find a ringtone that you like. Tap the three-line menu icon that's in the top right corner of the browser page and tap Browse Now. Tap the Ringtones tab to look for ringtones.
- Tap the "Play" icon to preview a tone.
- If you like a tone, tap it to open a new page. You may need to tap the tile a few times to get it to open in a new window.
- Tap Continue next to "Use the browser" at the bottom of your screen. There's an ad at the top, so you might be tempted to tap away, but the Continue button, while greyed out, is clickable and will take you to the next step.
- The app does not work as well as the browser for downloading ringtones, so make sure you stay in the browser instead of downloading the app.
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Tap Download. It's a purple button at the bottom of your screen.
- Wait a few seconds for the download to start (like 10 seconds).
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Tap Download in the pop-up. You'll need to tap this to confirm your download.
- You'll notice that there is a "Download" icon in the top right corner of your Safari address bar. Tap it to see your downloads. You've successfully downloaded a ringtone, but it isn't set to play for anything yet. Next, you need to use GarageBand to set your ringtone.
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Open GarageBand. This app icon features a guitar on an orange and yellow gradient background.^{[5]
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- If you don't have GarageBand, you can download it from the App Store for free.
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Tap the "Keyboard" option. This should show you a large picture of a keyboard.^{[6]
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- The Tracks tab should be grey and active, if not, tap it.
- If you don't see the different options or can't swipe left or right to see the different instruments, tap + first to create a new project.
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Tap the Project icon. It looks like three broken lines and will change to show you a breakdown of the audio tracks included in your project.
- If the triangle icon (it looks like a metronome) is blue, tap it to make it grey.
This icon looks like a loop and is the second icon from the right.^{[7]
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Navigate to your song. You should find downloaded ringtones from Zedge in the Files tab.
- You may need to tap Browse items from the Files app to find the Zedge folder.
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Long-tap your song and drag it to a new track. Just quickly tapping the song will play it instead of opening it in GarageBand, so you'll want to tap and hold it.
- When you drag it to your project, don't insert it into your keyboard track. Instead, add it to the next track down.
This downward-pointing arrow is in the top left corner of your screen. A menu opens when you tap it.
Your project now saves in GarageBand under "Recent" as "My Song."
This is from the "GarageBand Recents" page and more options will display to the side of your song thumbnail.
It's at the bottom of the menu next to a Share icon.
This is the middle option with an icon of a bell and will export your project as a ringtone.
You can now give your project a name so you'll recognize it. Once you tap Export, another window will pop up asking what to do with that ringtone.^{[8]
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Since the project was saved as a ringtone, you can immediately set it!
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Tap an option for your ringtone. You can either use it as the default ringtone, a text tone, or a ringtone for a specific contact.
- If you don't want to set it, tap Done instead to keep your existing ringtone and save this project in your list of ringtones.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Creating iPhone Ringtones with GarageBand

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1
Open GarageBand. This app icon features a guitar on an orange and yellow gradient background.
- If you don't have GarageBand, you can download it from the App Store for free.
- For this, you'll need an unprotected song, like the music you've downloaded from YouTube, or voice memos that you've recorded on your phone.
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Tap the "Keyboard" option. This should show you a large picture of a keyboard.
- The Tracks tab should be grey and active, if not, tap it.
- If you don't see the different options or can't swipe left or right to see the different instruments, tap + first to create a new project.
3
Tap the Project icon. It looks like three broken lines and will change to show you a breakdown of the audio tracks included in your project.
- If the triangle icon (it looks like a metronome) is blue, tap it to make it grey.
This icon looks like a loop and is the second icon from the right.
You might find downloaded music or sounds you've created in either the Files or Music tab.
6
Long-tap your song and drag it to a new track. Just quickly tapping the song will play it instead of opening it in GarageBand, so you'll want to tap and hold it.
- When you drag it to your project, don't insert it into your keyboard track. Instead, add it to the next track down.
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Trim the track. Tap the waveform and drag the yellow markers to trim your track. If you need to zoom in or out on the waveform, you can pinch or pull your fingers.
- The track must be under 40 seconds long to be a ringtone. Since GarageBand doesn't track time, you'll need to be able to figure out the timing of your clip using something else as a timer.
This downward-pointing arrow is in the top left corner of your screen. A menu opens when you tap it.^{[10]
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Your project now saves in GarageBand under "Recent" as "My Song."^{[11]
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This is from the "GarageBand Recents" page and more options will display to the side of your song thumbnail.
It's at the bottom of the menu next to a Share icon.^{[12]
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This is the middle option with an icon of a bell and will export your project as a ringtone.^{[13]
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You can now give your project a name so you'll recognize it. Once you tap Export, another window will pop up asking what to do with that ringtone.^{[14]
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Since the 40-second project was saved as a ringtone, you can immediately set it!^{[15]
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Tap an option for your ringtone. You can either use it as the default ringtone, a text tone, or a ringtone for a specific contact.^{[16]
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- If you don't want to set it, tap Done instead to keep your existing ringtone and save this project in your list of ringtones.

Community Q&A

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Question

can I add ringtones for specific contacts?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Open the Contacts app, select a contact, tap Edit, tap Ringtone, select your ringtone, tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen, and tap Done again to save your changes.

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Question

I am trying to add a custom ringtone to my iPhone 7 but it won't accept the file. It's got a .m4r extension. Any tips?

Community Answer

Maybe try to convert it to a *.m4a with Zamzar or some other software online.

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Question

How do I add a ringtone that someone emailed to me?

Community Answer

The ringtone should be an attachment. Download the ringtone from the attachment and save to your ringtones.

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