How to Set a Ringtone on iPhone from Music Library

This guide walks you through turning any song in your iPhone’s Music library into a ringtone. You’ll need a Mac or Windows PC with the latest version of iTunes (or the Finder app on macOS Catalina or later) and a USB cable. The process involves trimming the song to 30 seconds or less, converting it to the M4R ringtone format, and syncing it to your iPhone.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone with a recent version of iOS
A Mac (with Finder) or a Windows PC (with iTunes)
A USB-to-Lightning or USB-C cable to connect your iPhone to the computer
The song you want to use already in your iTunes or Apple Music library on the computer

Step-by-Step

Connect your iPhone to your computer. Use the USB cable. If prompted on the iPhone, tap “Trust This Computer” and enter your passcode.
Open Finder (macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes (Windows or older macOS). On a Mac, your iPhone will appear in the sidebar under “Locations.” On Windows, click the device icon in the upper-left corner of iTunes.
Find the song in your music library. In iTunes, go to the “Songs” tab in your library. In Finder, click “Music” in the sidebar under your iPhone’s name. Locate the song you want to use.
Note the song’s start time. Play the song and note the exact time (in seconds) where you want the ringtone to begin. Most ringtones use the chorus or a distinctive part.
Trim the song to 30 seconds or less. Right-click (or Control-click) the song and select “Get Info.” Go to the “Options” tab. Check the boxes for “Start Time” and “Stop Time.” Enter your start time, and set the stop time to be no more than 30 seconds after the start. Click “OK.”
Create an AAC version of the trimmed song. Select the song (make sure it’s highlighted), then go to the menu bar: File > Convert > Create AAC Version. A new copy of the song will appear in your library, with the same name but now only 30 seconds long.
Locate the new AAC file on your computer. Right-click the newly created (short) version and select “Show in Finder” (Mac) or “Show in Windows Explorer” (PC). A window will open with the file, which has an .m4a extension.
Rename the file extension to .m4r. Right-click the file and select “Rename.” Change the extension from .m4a to .m4r. Confirm the change when prompted. This is the ringtone format.
Disconnect and reconnect your iPhone (or keep it connected). It’s often easier to keep the phone connected. In Finder/iTunes, go to your device’s summary page.
Add the ringtone to your iPhone. In Finder, click “Tones” in the sidebar under your iPhone. In iTunes, click “Tones” in the left sidebar (under “On My Device”). Drag the .m4r file from the Finder/Explorer window into the Tones area. Alternatively, in iTunes, you can go to File > Add File to Library, select the .m4r file, then sync.
Sync your iPhone. Click the “Sync” button (or “Apply”) at the bottom-right of the Finder/iTunes window. Wait for the sync to complete.
Set the ringtone on your iPhone. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. Your new ringtone will appear in the list under “Ringtones.” Tap it to select it.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to trim to 30 seconds. If the AAC file is longer than 30 seconds, it will not sync as a ringtone. The iPhone only accepts ringtones of 30 seconds or less.
Not changing the extension to .m4r. The file must have the .m4r extension. If it stays .m4a, it will sync as a song, not a ringtone.
Editing the original song’s start/stop times and not creating a new AAC version. If you don’t create the AAC version, you’ll be changing the playback of the original song in your library, and the ringtone won’t work.
Dragging the file into the wrong place. In Finder, the “Tones” section is under your iPhone’s name. In iTunes, it’s under “On My Device.” Dragging it into your main music library won’t sync it as a ringtone.
Not trusting the computer. If you don’t tap “Trust” on your iPhone when connecting, the computer won’t have access to the device.

Tips

Use a song you own. Songs purchased from the iTunes Store or ripped from a CD work best. Songs from Apple Music (streaming) are protected and cannot be converted this way.
Pick a clear, loud section. The beginning of a chorus or a distinctive instrumental hook works best as a ringtone.
Keep the original song intact. After you’ve created the ringtone, go back to the original song’s “Get Info” and uncheck the start and stop times to restore it to full length.
Clean up old ringtones. You can delete ringtones from your iPhone by swiping left on them in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.
Use the same method for text tones and alarm sounds. The same .m4r file can be assigned to text tones (Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Text Tone) or used as an alarm sound.

Troubleshooting

The ringtone doesn’t appear on my iPhone after syncing. First, check that the file is actually .m4r, not .m4a. On a Mac, Finder may hide the extension; right-click the file and select “Get Info” to see the full name. If it’s still .m4a, rename it again. Also, make sure you dragged it into the “Tones” section, not the “Music” section.
I get an error saying the file is too long. The ringtone must be 30 seconds or less. Re-check your start and stop times in the “Get Info” window; the difference between them must be ≤ 30 seconds. Re-create the AAC version after fixing the times.
The “Create AAC Version” option is grayed out. This usually means the song is an Apple Music streaming track (not purchased). You need to buy the song or use a different song you own. It can also happen if the song is already an AAC file; try selecting a different song or check the file format.
I can’t find the “Tones” section in Finder/iTunes. In Finder, make sure your iPhone is selected in the sidebar and you’ve clicked “Trust” on the phone. In iTunes, the “Tones” section appears under “On My Device” in the left sidebar. If you don’t see it, try scrolling down or expanding the section.
The sync button doesn’t do anything. If you’re using iCloud Music Library or Sync Library, it can interfere. Try disabling “Sync Library” temporarily in Settings > Music on your iPhone, then sync again. Re-enable it afterward if needed.
My ringtone plays but is silent. The volume might be very low in the original song. Re-do the process with a louder section, or use an audio editor to boost the volume of the trimmed clip before converting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I set a ringtone directly from the iPhone without a computer?
A: No, iOS does not allow creating custom ringtones directly on the device. You need a computer to create and sync the .m4r file. There are third-party apps that can do it, but they are unreliable and often require a computer anyway.

Q: How long can a ringtone be?
A: The maximum length is 30 seconds. Any longer and it won’t sync to your iPhone as a ringtone.

Q: Can I use a song from Apple Music as a ringtone?
A: No. Songs streamed from Apple Music are DRM-protected and cannot be converted. You must own the song (purchased or ripped from a CD).

Q: Will this work with a song I downloaded from YouTube?
A: If the file is in your iTunes library as a standard audio file (MP3, M4A, etc.), yes. The process is the same, regardless of where the file came from, as long as it’s not DRM-protected.

Q: Can I assign different ringtones to different contacts?
A: Yes. After setting the ringtone in Settings, open the Contacts app, select a contact, tap “Edit,” then tap “Ringtone” and choose the custom tone for that person.

Q: What if I want to remove a ringtone from my iPhone?
A: Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, swipe left on the ringtone you want to delete, and tap “Delete.” You can also remove it from the Tones list in Finder/iTunes and sync again.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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