When it comes to iPhone ringtones, “Chimes” and “Ripple” will only get you so far. Discerning iPhone users need a ringtone that suits them, and what better choice than a song they love? Of course, nobody wants to pay for ringtones, and while there are several-apps that offer to help users create their own ringtones, what many people might not know is that you can do this entirely with iTunes. The process can be a bit circuitous in that-it-requires you copy files and change-extension names, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quick and easy. Below is-our guide on how to make ringtones for the iPhone using iTunes, whether you want to hear a mournful jazz number or the latest hit when people call. Related:- Craving content? Here’s how-to download and listen to podcasts in Android or iOS Choosing your-song and creating an AAC-version Step 1: Open and update iTunes To begin, launch iTunes in Windows or Mac OS X and ensure you’re using the-latest version-of iTunes — currently 12.3.3 — before you continue. To do so using Mac OS X, click- iTunes- in the main application toolbar and select- Check for Updates- from the resulting drop-down menu. If using Windows, click the- Help- option housed in the Menu Bar below the playback buttons, and select- Check for Updates- near the bottom of the resulting drop-down list. If the Menu Bar isn’t visible already, click the main toolbar in the upper-left corner of the main iTunes window and select- Show Menu Bar . Step 2:-Choose a song Choose the song you’d like to use for your new iPhone ringtone. Keep in mind that iPhone ringtones continually run in 30-second (or less) loops, so don’t pick something that you are going to regret later.-Once you’ve chosen the appropriate song, memorize or jot down the start and stop times for the-desired,-30-second portion-of the song you wish-to be your ringtone. Step 3: Insert the start and stop times One of the lesser known features of iTunes is the software’s ability to-“crop” songs and videos, which allows you to choose-specific times for them to stop and end. This is how we will select a portion of a song to use as a ringtone. - First, right-click or ctrl-click the song you want and select- Get Info- from the resulting drop-down list. Afterward, click-the- Options- tab at the top of the window. There should be fields for Start and Stop. Enter the times you want. Remember that ringtones max out at 30 seconds, so keep it at or below that length. For our purposes, we’ll use a segment from 0:14 to 0:42 in the song. Once done,-click OK . Step 4: Create AAC version AAC is-an audio format that Apple prefers to use for its devices; essentially, it achieves the same sound quality as MP3 while using less storage space. iTunes gives users the option to create AAC versions of any songs they choose, which is a nice tool for conserving hard drive space and creating a ringtone. - Once-you’ve set the start and stop times, right-click or ctrl-click the same song again and select- Create AAC Version .-Because we have altered the start and stop times for the song, this will create a copy of that specific section of the song. The copy-will then automaitcally appear in your iTunes library directly beneath the original song. Step 5: Copy the file & delete the old one Click the new AAC version of the song once created, and-drag it to the desktop or your desired save location. This will copy the file to that location. At this point, you probably no longer need the shortened song. Unless for some reason you want to keep-a 30-second snippet, you might-as well delete the file to clear up any-unnecessary clutter. Right-click or ctrl-click the AAC file in iTunes and select- Delete- from the resulting drop-down menu.-Click the Delete File- button, if prompted. Changing the extension and-setting your ringtone Step 6: Change the extension AAC files generally use the file extension “.m4a” as you may notice when you click on the file. For ringtones, iTunes uses the “.m4r” extension, which is the same as .m4a-but-with a different name. We will need-to change the extension to .m4r in order to use this clip as a ringtone. Navigate-to the desktop — or wherever you saved the file — click the file’s name, and change the extension from “.m4a” to “.m4r.” Click the- Use .m4r or- Yes- button-in the resulting window to confirm the changes. Note : Windows users may find that they are unable to change the file extension. This is likely because their system is set to not show file extensions. To change this, open the Control Panel from the Start menu — you can also search for the Control Panel app in Windows 10 — and select- Appearance and Personalization. Next, click File Explorer Options . Afterward, click-the- View- tab, uncheck the box for “Hide extensions for known file types,” and click the- Apply- button. Now you should be able to see and edit the extension for the file. Step 7: Add file to iTunes Having-changed the .m4a file to a .m4r extension, we need to add it back to iTunes. Click the file tab on PC and select add file to library. This will open a file browser. Next, go the the file’s location, select it, and click Open .-Because iTunes recognizes .m4r files as ringtones, it will automatically add it-to the Tones section. Now the-only step left is to sync your iPhone with iTunes as you would normally. Step 8: Sync your iPhone Connect-your iPhone with your iTunes library as you would normally via USB or using your wireless network. Afterward,-click the iPhone icon in the upper-left corner, select the- Tones- section-in the left-hand-navigation bar, and check the bubble directly left of either- All tones- or the- Selected tones- option. If you choose the latter option, remember to-check the bubble directly left of your recently-made ringtone from-the resulting list below. Click the gray- Sync- button in the bottom-right corner when finished. Step 9: Set the ringtone Tap the main-Settings app while viewing the-iPhone homescreen, followed by- Sounds- and the- Ringtone- option near the bottom of the resulting menu. Afterward, select your desired ringtone from-the top of the resulting list.-Also, keep in mind you can always set the new ringtone as your text, voicemail, or email tone in addition to your notification sound-for Facebook posts and tweets. A tone is a tone when it comes to Apple, and as such, you can use it as the default sound for any notification or alert. Repeat the process as necessary! This article was originally published on November 10, 2014, and updated on April 1, 2016, by Will Nicol to include instructions for the latest software.



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