Ringtone Maker

About the Ringtone Maker

This free ringtone maker turns any song you already own into a ringtone. Upload it, find the part you actually want to hear, and download just that piece.

It runs in your browser. The song is never uploaded to a server, which also means there is no file-size limit and no waiting for a transfer.

Choosing the right part

The instinct is to start at the beginning of the song. That is almost always wrong — most songs open quietly, and a ringtone that starts quiet is a ringtone you miss.

A better method:

• Find the chorus, or whatever part you would recognise from one second of it.
• Start a moment before it, not exactly on the beat.
• Keep it to 20 to 30 seconds. Phones ring for about that long, and nothing past 30 seconds is ever heard.
• Play the selection before you save. A ringtone that cuts off mid-word is obvious every time it goes off.

Getting it onto your phone

Android — copy the file to the Ringtones folder on the phone, then *Settings → Sound → Phone ringtone* and pick it. Most Android phones accept MP3 directly, so choose MP3 here.

iPhone — Apple does not let you set an audio file as a ringtone directly. You need GarageBand (free from the App Store): open GarageBand, import the file, then *Share → Ringtone*. Apple's own format is .m4r, which is why an iPhone will not simply accept an MP3 you email yourself.

A cheaper route on iPhone: some people find it easier to use a shorter clip as a *text tone*, which the same file works for.

Which file type to pick

• MP3 — smaller, and what Android expects. Pick this unless you have a reason not to.
• WAV — uncompressed and slightly better quality, but a much bigger file. Useful if you are going to edit it further.

At 192 kbps a 30-second MP3 is around 700 KB, which is small enough that the file type barely matters. Choose MP3 and move on.

Features

• A waveform you can see, so you can find the loud part by eye
• Drag the handles, or set the start and end from wherever the song is playing
• Play the selection before you commit to it
• Save as MP3 (four quality settings) or WAV
• Works with MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG and FLAC
• No upload, no account, no watermark, no length limit

Good to know

• Use music you own or have the right to use. Making a ringtone from a song you bought, for your own phone, is normal personal use in most countries — sharing that file with other people is not.
• A ringtone needs to be loud and clear, not subtle. If the part you picked sounds quiet, use the Change Audio Volume tool on this site to lift it.
• Very long files take a moment to draw the waveform. That is your device reading the audio, not an upload.
• Want to fade the ending so it does not stop abruptly? Make the ringtone here, then add a fade with Change Audio Volume.

How to use it

• Drop your song on the box, or click to choose one
• Play it and find the part you want
• Press Start the ringtone here and End the ringtone here, or drag the handles
• Press Play the ringtone to check it
• Pick MP3 for Android, then press Make the ringtone
• Press Download ringtone, and copy it to your phone