How to Set Custom Ringtones on iPhone & iPad in iOS 12

This guide walks you through setting a custom ringtone (or text tone) on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 12. You’ll need a song or audio file in a compatible format, iTunes on a Mac or PC, and a Lightning cable to sync the file to your device. The whole process takes about 10 minutes once you have the audio file ready.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone or iPad running iOS 12
• A Mac or PC with the latest version of iTunes installed
• A Lightning-to-USB cable to connect your device to the computer
• An audio file you want to use (MP3, M4A, WAV, or AAC) — it can be a song, a sound clip, or a recording

Step-by-Step

1. Prepare the audio file. Locate the audio file on your computer. If it’s an MP3 or WAV, you’ll need to convert it to AAC format in iTunes (steps 3–5). If it’s already an M4A file, you can skip the conversion and jump to step 6.
2. Open iTunes on your computer and make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple ID you use on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Add the file to your library. Drag the audio file into the iTunes window, or go to File > Add File to Library and select it. The song will appear in your Music library.
4. Convert to AAC. Select the song in your library, then go to File > Convert > Create AAC Version. A duplicate of the song will appear right below the original, now in the M4A format.
5. Locate the converted file. Right-click (or Control-click) the new AAC version and choose Show in Finder (Mac) or Show in Windows Explorer (PC). Keep this folder window open — you’ll need it in a moment.
6. Rename the file. Right-click the converted M4A file and rename it. The name you give it will be the name that appears on your iPhone, so make it something recognizable like “MyRingtone”. The file extension must remain .m4a for now.
7. Change the extension to .m4r. Right-click the renamed file and choose Get Info (Mac) or Properties (PC). Change the extension from .m4a to .m4r. Confirm the change when prompted. This is the ringtone format iOS recognizes.
8. Delete the AAC version from iTunes. Go back to iTunes, select the AAC version you created, and press Delete. Choose Remove Download or Move to Trash — you don’t need it anymore since you now have the .m4r file.
9. Add the .m4r file to iTunes. Drag the renamed .m4r file from your folder into the iTunes window. It will appear under Tones in the sidebar (if you don’t see Tones, go to View > Show Sidebar).
10. Connect your iPhone or iPad. Plug your device into the computer using the Lightning cable. If prompted, tap “Trust This Computer” on your device.
11. Sync the tone. In iTunes, click the device icon near the top-left. In the left sidebar, click Tones. Check the box for “Sync Tones” and select “All tones” or choose the specific tone you added. Click Apply or Sync in the bottom-right corner.
12. Wait for the sync to finish. The tone will transfer to your device. Once the sync completes, you can unplug your iPhone or iPad.
13. Set the ringtone on your device. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Go to Sounds & Haptics (iPhone) or Sounds (iPad). Tap Ringtone (or Text Tone for messages). Your custom tone will appear in the list under “Ringtones” — tap it to select it.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to rename the extension. If you skip changing .m4a to .m4r, iTunes won’t recognize the file as a ringtone and it won’t appear under Tones.
• Syncing the wrong file. Make sure you drag the renamed .m4r file into iTunes, not the original MP3 or the unconverted M4A.
• Not deleting the AAC version. If you leave the AAC version in your Music library, it will sync as a song, not a tone, and you’ll have duplicate audio on your device.
• Using a file that’s too long. iOS 12 only allows ringtones up to 30 seconds. If your file is longer, trim it with a free audio editor before converting.
• Syncing all tones when you only wanted one. If you have many tones in iTunes and choose “All tones”, they’ll all transfer. Select individual tones if you want to keep the device tidy.

Tips

• Use the same Apple ID. The tone syncs to the device signed in with the same Apple ID as iTunes. If you have multiple devices, you can sync the same tone to all of them.
• Create a dedicated folder. Keep all your .m4r files in one folder on your computer so you can find and re-sync them later.
• Assign tones to specific contacts. After setting a default ringtone, open the Contacts app, choose a person, tap Edit, then tap Ringtone and pick a custom tone for that person.
• Use the same process for text tones. The exact same steps work for text tones — just select the tone under Text Tone in Settings instead of Ringtone.
• Back up your tones. If you ever erase your device, you can re-sync the .m4r files from your computer without redoing the conversion.

Troubleshooting

• The tone doesn’t appear under Tones in iTunes. Double-check the file extension is .m4r, not .m4a. On a Mac, if you don’t see the extension, go to Finder > Preferences > Advanced and check “Show all filename extensions”. On Windows, open File Explorer > View > check “File name extensions”.
• The tone syncs but doesn’t show in Settings. Restart your iPhone or iPad by holding the power button and sliding to power off, then turning it back on. If it still doesn’t appear, delete the tone from iTunes, re-add it, and sync again.
• iTunes says the file is not a valid tone. The file may be corrupted or not properly converted. Re-do the conversion from the original audio file, and make sure you’re changing the extension after conversion, not before.
• The sync button is grayed out. Make sure your device is unlocked and you’ve tapped “Trust This Computer” when prompted. If it still doesn’t work, unplug and replug the cable, then restart iTunes.
• You can’t find the converted AAC file. In step 5, if “Show in Finder” is grayed out, the file may still be in your iTunes Media folder. Go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced and look at the “iTunes Media folder location” to find where your music is stored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a custom ringtone without a computer?
In iOS 12, no. You need iTunes on a computer to transfer a custom .m4r file. Apple added on-device ringtone creation in later iOS versions, but not in iOS 12.

How long can a custom ringtone be?
Ringtones must be 30 seconds or less. If your file is longer, trim it with an audio editor before converting. Text tones can be up to 30 seconds as well.

Can I use a song I bought from iTunes as a ringtone?
Yes. The same conversion steps work for purchased songs, but note that some songs have DRM protection that may prevent conversion. If you get an error, you may need to use a different audio source.

Will syncing tones erase my other data?
No. Syncing tones only adds the selected tones to your device. It won’t remove music, photos, or apps. However, if you uncheck “Sync Tones” and apply, it may remove previously synced tones.

Can I set a custom ringtone for a specific contact?
Yes. After syncing the tone, open Contacts, select the person, tap Edit, tap Ringtone, and choose your custom tone from the list.

Why does my tone disappear after I restart my iPhone?
This can happen if the tone was synced to a different Apple ID or if the sync wasn’t completed properly. Reconnect to iTunes and sync again. If it keeps happening, delete the tone from iTunes and re-add it as a fresh .m4r file.

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