How do I turn an audio file into a ringtone?

A ringtone is a short audio file that plays when you receive a phone call on your mobile phone. Custom ringtones allow you to personalize the way your phone alerts you to an incoming call by using a song, audio clip, or sound effect that you choose.

Custom ringtones were once wildly popular, allowing people to express themselves and stand out from the crowd. While some smartphones have made it more difficult to set custom ringtones, many people still desire this customization and personalization (Verizon).

This article outlines the process for creating a custom ringtone for an iPhone using your own audio file of choice. The main steps include:

Choosing an audio file on your computer to use for the custom ringtone
Editing the audio file using ringtone editing software to optimize it
Exporting the edited audio file in the proper ringtone file format (m4r)

Transferring the m4r ringtone file to your iPhone
Setting the custom ringtone to play for incoming calls on your iPhone

Choose an Audio File

When deciding on an audio file to turn into a ringtone, there are a few factors to consider:

MP3 and other common audio formats work best. Formats like MP3 and M4A offer a balance of compatibility and audio quality.
Short clips under 30 secs ideal. According to zorgrath, the average ringtone length is 10-20 seconds. Choose a short snippet that captures the key part of the song or audio clip.
Funny, unique clips can make great ringtones. Personalize your ringtone with clips from funny YouTube videos, movie quotes, or custom audio recordings to make your phone truly your own.

Download Ringtone Editing Software

There are several good options for free ringtone editing software. Two popular programs are Audacity and GarageBand. Audacity is a free, open source digital audio editor that is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It provides tools to cut, copy and mix audio tracks. GarageBand comes pre-installed on Mac computers, and also works well for editing audio to create ringtones.

Another option is to use an online audio converter like Zamzar. These tools allow you to upload an audio file, trim it to the desired length, and download in the M4R format needed for ringtones on an iPhone. The benefit of online converters is you don’t need to install any software.

Import the Audio File

Once you have the ringtone editing software open, go to File > Import Audio and select the song or audio clip you want to use for your ringtone. According to this tutorial video, most iPhones only support ringtones that are under 30 seconds long, so if your selected audio is longer, you’ll need to adjust the length. Highlight just the portion you want to use and go to Edit > Cut to trim it down.

Add Fade In/Out

Adding a short fade in and fade out to the start and end of your audio file helps avoid clipping or jarring transitions when the file repeats as a ringtone. In the ringtone editing software, select the entirety of the audio waveform. Go to Effects > Fade In. This will apply a short, gradual increase to volume at the start of the file. Then go to Effects > Fade Out to apply a short, gradual decrease in volume to the end. Referring to the Audacity instructions, the default fade lengths are usually appropriate for ringtones, around 0.5 to 1 seconds long. The fades should be just enough to smooth the transitions without being noticeable during the ring.

Export as M4R File

Once you have finished editing the audio clip and adding fade in/out effects, the next step is to export or save the file in the M4R format. According to this source, the M4R format is specifically designed for iPhone ringtones.

Most ringtone editing software will have an “Export” or “Save As” option where you can select M4R as the file format. The key things to check are:

File extension is .m4r
Audio codec is AAC
Bitrate is 128kbps

Sample rate is 44100 Hz

Saving the file as M4R prepares it to be transferred and set as an iPhone ringtone in the next steps.

Connect iPhone to Computer

You can use a USB cable to easily connect your iPhone to your Windows or Mac computer that has the ringtone file you created.

Simply plug your iPhone into an available USB port on your computer. Make sure you are using an Apple certified “Lightning” cable. Your iPhone should connect automatically, and you may see your phone appear within Finder or File Explorer depending on your machine.

For details on how to connect your iPhone with a cable, check out the step-by-step guide at How to Connect iPhone to Laptop in 4 Ways

Once your iPhone is connected, you’ll be able to easily transfer the ringtone M4R file to your phone in the next section.

Transfer M4R File to iPhone

Once the custom ringtone file has been exported from the editing software in M4R format, the next step is to transfer it to your iPhone. This allows you to access the custom ringtone directly on your device.

To transfer the M4R ringtone file to your iPhone, first connect your iPhone to your computer using the charging cable. Open iTunes on the computer. In iTunes, click on the small phone icon in the top left corner. This will show you the content synced to your iPhone.

In the left sidebar, click on the “Tones” section. This is where any custom ringtones will be located. Locate the M4R file you exported from the editing software on your computer. Drag and drop this file into the Tones section in iTunes. The custom ringtone file will now be synced to your iPhone.¹

Once the sync is complete, you can safely disconnect your iPhone. The custom ringtone will now be available to set directly on your iPhone.

Set as Ringtone

Once the M4R file has been transferred to your iPhone, you need to set it as your custom ringtone within your iPhone settings. Here are the steps:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Tap on “Sounds & Haptics”.
Under the “Ringtone” section, tap on “Classic”. This will open up your ringtones library.
Locate the M4R file you transferred and tap on it. This will preview the ringtone.

Tap “Done” to set it as your new iPhone ringtone.

You will now hear your custom ringtone anytime you get an incoming call. The process is quick and simple thanks to the native iPhone settings.1

Conclusion

In summary, creating a custom ringtone for your iPhone involves choosing an audio file, converting it to the proper M4R format using editing software, transferring it to your iPhone, and then setting it as your custom ringtone. The key steps are using a ringtone editing program to trim the audio file and export it as an M4R file, connecting your iPhone to your computer to transfer the M4R file, and then selecting it in Settings > Sounds & Haptics to set it as your ringtone.

Some tips for making great custom ringtones include:

Pick a memorable segment of your favorite song or other audio that is 10-30 seconds long. The shorter, the better for a ringtone.
Add fade in/out effects in the editing software so the ringtone starts and ends gradually.

Boost the volume if needed so the ringtone will be loud and clear.
Test the ringtone on your iPhone before setting it to make sure it sounds good.
Create unique ringtones for different contacts so you can identify callers.

Periodically change your custom ringtone to keep things fresh.

With the right audio file and editing tools, you can easily set any sound you want as your custom iPhone ringtone.