How to Add Ringtones to an Android Phone

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Last Updated: September 3, 2020 Tested

Tired of the old ringtones that came with your Android phone? You can turn any sound or music file into a custom ringtone for free, without having to subscribe to a service or pay for a download. As long as you have the music or sound file, you can either use your computer to edit it to ringtone length and then send it to your phone, or you can use an app on your Android phone to create a ringtone from any music files stored on the phone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Your Computer

1
Prepare your ringtone file. You can get ringtones from a variety of places, or create one yourself. Ringtones should be around thirty seconds in length, and can be made from any sound file.
- Click here for instructions on creating and editing your own ringtone from any music or sound file using free software on your computer. Make sure to save your completed ringtone file as an .mp3.
- If you want to make a ringtone using an app on your Android without ever connecting it to a computer, click here.
Unlock your screen if it's locked.

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If you are using Windows, you can find your Android phone in the Computer/My Computer window (⊞ Win+E). If you're using OS X, the Android phone will appear on your desktop, but you will need to download and install the Android File Transfer program first.
4
Open the Ringtones folder. The location of this may vary depending on the phone you are using. It is most commonly found in the base folder for your device, but may also be found at /media/audio/ringtones/.
- If you don't have a Ringtones folder, you can create one in the base folder of your phone. Right-click on a blank space in your phone's root directory and click "Create new" → "Folder".
You can click and drag the file from your computer to the Ringtones folder, or you can right-click it and select "Copy" and then right-click in the Ringtones folder and select "Paste".
The transfer process should only take a moment.
Select your ringtone from the list. If the ringtone has an ID3 (information) tag, it will show up with the proper title, otherwise it will be displayed by its filename.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using an App

There are lots of apps available that can make ringtones, but Ringtone Maker is free and has a simple interface. You're free to use other apps, and the process will likely be very similar to using Ringtone Maker.^{[1]
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2
Download or transfer the song that you want to use for the ringtone onto your device. In order for Ringtone Maker to work, you will need to have the music file stored on your Android device.
- Click here for instructions on adding music files to your Android phone.
A list of all the sound files on your device will appear. If you can't find the file you want to use, tap the Menu button in the upper-right corner and select "Browse". You can then browse your device's storage for the sound file you want.
Select "Edit" from the menu.
5
Use the sliders to adjust the portion of the track you want to turn into the ringtone. Ringtones are best set at 30 seconds or less. Tapping the Play button will play back the current selection. You can use the zoom buttons to zoom in and out of the wave graph.
- Try to make your starting and stopping points in lulls in the music so that the ringtone isn't jarring.
This button looks like a disk, and is located at the top of the screen.
7
Name the ringtone. The name you enter when saving the will be the name it is listed as in the ringtone selection menu. Tap "Save" to save your new ringtone to your Ringtones folder.
- If you want to use the ringtone you've created for other system sounds, such as alarms or notifications, tap the menu that says "Ringtone" and select the desired location.
Select your new ringtone from the list.

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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I use the ringtones I have downloaded?

Community Answer

After downloading it, find it in your file manager. Then click on "more options," and you will see an option to use it as ringtone.

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Question

How can I move ringtones from an old phone to my new Android phone?

Community Answer

Connect Your old phone to your computer, open the phone's memory trough in Windows Explorer. Now, drag it onto your desktop. Next, connect your new phone and follow the steps in the article.

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Question

How can I transfer an MP3 song from an external SD card to the ringtone folder?

Community Answer

You (1) place the music file on your phone's SD card, (2) locate the file in the file manager and (3) copy the file to the ringtone folder in your phone's storage.

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